This is the first book in the award winning "Dog Sports Skills" series. This first book will focus on developing a competition dog sports foundation based in engagement and relationship. It doesn't matter what genetic package or temperament your dog is born with; you can bring out the best in your dog! To train your dog, you must develop a relationship that encourages a willing and happy attitude with natural focus while eliminating undue stress in both training and competition. If your goal is to create a world-class, enthusiastic performance dog, then this book is for you! We can help you refine your engagement and relationship skills to a higher level. If you are an instructor who is struggling with your novice students or less focused dogs, then this book is for you! You will find advice on how to work with a range of canine temperaments. If you have a dog who works well at home but you can't seem to maintain that connection in public, then this book is for you, too! You will learn the basics of recognizing stress, paying attention to your dog, and alleviating or minimizing problems so that you can focus on work rather than worry. Finally, if you simply want to take the dog you have, your personal pet, and enjoy your training at a more fulfilling level, then this book is for you as well. By understanding and applying excellent engagement and relationship building techniques, both you and your canine companion will find more enjoyment in the training process, even if you choose never to step foot inside a competition ring. The chapters will cover relationship (what it is and how to get it), stress (recognizing it and techniques for lessening it's impact), developing focus, explaining and evaluating positive methods for getting behaviors, and the use of trick training to develop a handler's training skills and a dog's mental and physical flexibility.

Dog Sports Skills, Book 1: Developing Engagement and Relationship

Crafts, Hobbies & Home

Deborah Jones

Denise Fenzi

Pets & Animal Care

FenziDogSportsAcademy.com

2014 'Book of the Year" for Dog Behavior and Training! (Maxwell award). In this second book in the "Dog Sports Skills" series, Authors Denise Fenzi and Deb Jones take an in-depth look at the topic of motivation. They talk about what motivation is, and what it is not, along with an illuminating discussion of how a dog is unique in the animal world, and how educated trainers can use that to maximum advantage. They consider a range of options for motivating our dogs, and how a trainer can raise or lower the value of specific motivators to get the exact training effect that may be desired at a given time. Temperament is discussed as it relates to issues of motivation to help the reader understand the strong interplay between temperament, motivation and training decisions. In addition to explaining how to use motivators in training, this book provides specific information on how to reduce their use so that you can eventually get into the competition ring! Finally, they provide case studies - lots of them! The purpose of the case studies is both to cement what the reader has learned in the first chapters and also to help the reader understand how to analyze specific situations and make a plan to apply the concepts. A student who reads both this book and the first book in the series will begin to develop a deeper understanding of the author's underlying philosophy and approach. Each book is more than a stand-alone resource; they are pieces of a puzzle that will eventually weave into a tapestry of concepts, thoughts and applications that create both excellence in training and a very deep respect and understanding for another living being.

Dog Sports Skills, Book 2: Motivation

Deb Jones

Newsflash!: WINNER of the 2015 Book of the Year for Dog Behavior and Training! If you want to develop your playful relationship with your dog, this book is easily the most comprehensive source on the topic, covering food, toy and personal play in great depth. Fenzi and Jones begin by explaining that good play is not measured by the techniques you use, but rather the amount of enjoyment it generates between you and your dog. They continue to explain that each trainer and dog is unique, which means that what works for one dog won't necessarily work for others. Fenzi and Jones discuss the dog's natural play style, the importance of not overwhelming your dog with enthusiasm, and how to take a fun test to determine whether your dog is playing for fun, or because you insist. They also consider your own preferences and what to do if your dog doesn't like to play. And then they go into great detail! Fenzi and Jones discuss HOW to play with your dog! HOW to problem solve if your dog doesn't' respond to your overtures! And HOW to proceed to develop as wide a range of options as possible for all types of dogs, from shy wallflowers to over the top high drive dogs. When you finish this book, you will know a great deal about all types of play. Indeed, you might have a hard time finishing the book since you will be in such a hurry to put it down and try out some fun games!

Dog Sports Skills, Book 3: Play!

Fenzi, Denise

Jones P.h.D., Deborah

Foreword by: Ian Dunbar Subject Matter: You are a dedicated pet owner who has put considerable time and energy into training your dog. As a result, your dog has a reliable set of behaviors such as sit, down, stay and a recall - under pristine conditions. But now you're stumped; you're not too sure how to get those behaviors away from home and off leash - in short; when you really need cooperation! This book will help you gain cooperation under a range of circumstances and with only about ten minutes of training time per day! This book will take you through a systematic and comprehensive plan to get you where you want to be; with a reliable companion who cooperates off leash, away from home and....when other things are going on around you! This book has been split into three parts: The first part is educational. It provides information about the theory and philosophy of training. This section will be valuable for everyone, but especially if you're the kind of person who likes to know why you're doing something a certain way before you do it. The second part is practical. It's the "how-to" part of the book. Here, Denise lays out the plan you'll be following to help your dog respond to your cues even when the world is exciting or you don't have cookies. This portion is extremely systematic and specific. Finally, the third part is problem-solving. It will help you troubleshoot any issues that arise. In addition, if you find that you really enjoyed the training process, it will guide you in finding more opportunities for you and your dog! Check out a video example of the author working with her 2 year old dog, Brito: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwS8dblUyEc

Beyond The Back Yard: Train Your Dog to Listen Anytime, Anywhere!

Struggling to keep and maintain your dog's attention during training or competition? Sure that your dog knows all of the work, if only he would focus and stay engaged? In the highly anticipated fourth (and final?) book in the "Dog Sports Skills" series, authors Denise Fenzi and Deb Jones turn their attention to the topics of Focus and Engagement. This book is a fantastic addition which is sure to broaden your understanding of a crucial element of training performance dogs. In the first several chapters, Fenzi and Jones take a hard look at the factors that create Focus challenges in our performance dogs, and then systematically offer solutions for addressing them. The next several chapters provide detailed, step by step instructions for teaching your dog to focus, covering a focus "foundation", adding behaviors, duration and movement, and finally distractions and other challenges are addressed. The topic of focus is then wrapped up with a series of Focus games which are designed to be light, entertaining for all parties, all while assisting in the more serious business of getting your dog focused! The second part of the book focuses on understanding and developing trained Engagement; the process of teaching one's dog to push for a chance to work, and to value that training time above all else! Engagement training is broken down into specific steps, and is laid out in a logical and methodical fashion over several chapters. Handling disengagement is addressed, as is the process of moving away from classic food and toy reinforcers and into the competition arena, where strong Engagement is vital to success! Between focus and Engagement training, struggling competitors are likely to find the missing piece between training at home with cookies and trialing in the challenging competition setting.

Dog Sports Skills: Focus and Engage!

Jones Ph.D., Deborah

You are a dedicated pet owner or trainer who is willing to put a fair amount of time and thought into the process of changing dog behavior. You want to develop a training plan that accounts for your dog's needs as well as your own, and that moves you to desirable behavior as expeditiously as possible!By considering your dog's emotions, overall health, and temperament and then adding a big dose of applied training skills, you and your dog can come to a place of mutual cooperation and behavior change. Not only will this book help you understand your dog better so that you can pick the right training plan, it will also help you evaluate your decisions after the fact to ensure that you are, indeed, making progress towards your goals.The first part of this book focuses on "Understanding". Understanding what factors influence your dog's behavior and also how to apply training skills to your situation so that you can design a training plan. The second part is a series of case studies, focused on the problem behaviors of excessive barking and failing to recall. Both are frustrating to owners, and both require a good look at the overall situation before deciding how to proceed with any given dog.The final part of this book focuses on Evaluation. Did you reach your goals? If not, why not? By walking through a systematic approach to evaluating both success and failure, odds are that success will be reached more quickly.

Beyond the Basics: Unlock Your Dog's Behavior

The story of Raika begins several years after she retired from a noteworthy career in the world of competitive dog sports. Now that Raika and her owner no longer spent hours a week training, playing and traveling, she was left with relatively little to do. As a result, her life transitioned from one of working to one of eating, and eat Raika did! Unfortunately, all of that eating led to a serious weight problem, and she wasn't about to take responsibility for her mom's guilt-driven negligence: In the process of losing that weight through long daily walks, we find ourselves privy to Raika thoughts on everything from the weather to human frailty to the importance of living life to the fullest. While mom is initially unable to hear Raika's thoughts, she slowly comes to appreciate life through the eyes of her elderly dog. She also comes to accept that time is short. "Raika, last night I had a dream. In my dream, you were trying to talk to me?.it was so clear what you were trying to say...No amount of walking, or changing of diets, or listening...could make you young again?.You wanted me to let you go...I know that your time will come. It is inevitable." And so begins the second part of the story as the pair begin to engage in dialogue. Raika presents her perspective on the irrational nature of human behavior and emotion with a blunt matter of factness that startles...and then thoroughly charms, with her sense of humor and keen awareness of the human condition. The reader is held with a deep and growing affection for the pair, even as the inevitable effects of aging take their toll and we work our way closer to the end of Raika's life. Here we have a uniquely memorable story that leaves the reader with a sense of acceptance on the topics of life, aging, and death. A reader can find comfort and wisdom in the face of deep loss and grief, laughing through their tears all the way to the end.

Conversations with Raika

Literature & Fiction

Humor & Satire

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