Key Features
- By Leslie McDevitt, MLA, CDBC, CPDT
- Paperback
- 296 pages
Product Description
"Control Unleashed: The Puppy Program" is meant as “preventive medicine” for puppy raisers. Many common behavior problems can be either prevented or minimized by starting a puppy with good foundation training from the beginning. In addition, this book provides a program that will help you create a puppy that is ready for sport-specific training at the appropriate age—a puppy with the ability to focus on whatever you want, for as long as you want, whenever you want.
“Paying attention” is its own skill set and teaching it should be separate from teaching your puppy more complex behaviors. Without attention, you won’t get as far as you want with all those other behaviors you’re going to teach because it’s likely they will fall apart in the face of distraction. So it is wise to teach the attention skill set as the “base of operations” for your puppy training. The attention skill set includes: Discrimination skills, self-control skills, and arousal regulation skills.
The concepts and suggestions in this book can also be used for rescue dogs that, like puppies, are starting out as “blank slates” as far as your training is concerned.
About the Author
Leslie McDevitt, MLA, CDBC, CPDT is a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant through the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants and a Certified Professional Dog Trainer through the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers. In 1998, Leslie rescued Gordie, an American Pit Bull/GSD cross that had been badly abused, and in trying desperately to help him through his crushing anxieties and fears, met her inspiration and mentor, world-renowned veterinary behaviorist Dr. Karen Overall. Through Gordie, Leslie found her calling and devoted herself completely to becoming a dog trainer, and later, a behavior consultant. Leslie was volunteering at urban shelters and studying behavior and clicker training when she caught the dog sports bug and started agility and flyball training with her terrier mix Maggie. Her work with anxious, reactive, impulsive, and aggressive dogs gave her a unique perspective when she became a student of dog sports training.
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Content information: 9/10
Entry level requirement: 5/10
The intent of the book is to create a good relationship between dog and handler through some games and exercises, although not basic commands.
Nothing new so far, however the author does this through the use of some techniques that may seem strange to most people at first. For example, when dealing with a dog-reactive dog, most trainer try to mask the problem with some treats or maybe force the issue. McDevitt teaches her dog to actually signal when another dog is present and look at it, thus desensitizing it, because soon her dog will stop worrying about the other one, while still knowing that the "threat" is near.
Something similar can be done with the dogs that are environmentally aware, we can let them go and explore in a fenced area, maybe on the training field, and reward them for it. This way, the dog will slowly stop exploring and remain with us, and at the same time it will be very confident about it.
This is one of the closest programs i found to what i do with most dogs, so obviously i highly recommend it.
With this in mind, the book is an absolute gem, it describes a lot of exercises and methods. What's more, all techniques can be used for a pet dog or a sport dog, mainly Agility.
Dogs that will greatly benefit if trained according to this book:
Border Collies and, in general, biddable dogs,
high energy dogs,
highly reactive dogs, either to the environment, other dogs or people,
dogs with fear problems,
dogs with anxiety issues,
dogs with fear-based aggression.
There is, however, one flaw, in my opinion, not all dogs will respond to this type of approach. Such dogs are those that are not as biddable, not as interested in working, in getting treats or toys.
Control Unleashed: The Puppy Program
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