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CONTROL UNLEASHED - CREATING A FOCUSED AND CONFIDENT DOG
by Leslie McDevitt (See other books by author)
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Publisher: CLEAN RUN PRODUCTIONS/CRP
Edition: 2007 Paperback
, 225 pages
ISBN: 9781892694171
Item: DTB943
Summary: With Control Unleashed by Leslie McDevitt, you will learn how to turn stress into confidence and distraction into focus using methods that are 110% positive. Her versatile dog training program is designed to help dogs with issues learn how to relax, focus, and work off-leash reliably in stimulating or stressful situations, creating a focused and confident dog.
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Expanded Description:
Winner of the IIACAB Award for 2007, Best Dog Training Book
Learn how to turn stress to confidence and distraction to focus using methods that are 110% positive. Leslie McDevitt's versatile Control Unleashed program is designed to help "dogs with issues" learn how to relax, focus, and work off-leash reliably in either stimulating or stressful situations. Whether you're training a challenging dog on your own, an instructor trying to figure out how to help dogs in your classes, or an instructor who wants to design a special program just for stressed out dogs, this book is for you. Who needs Control Unleashed? Dogs that are uncomfortable or unable to work off lead around other dogs Dog that are easily distracted and have difficulty concentrating Dogs that are reactive or easily aroused Dogs that are anxious or stressed and shut down Dog that are unable to control their impulses when excited This training program can change your dog's life!
(McDevitt's 4-disc CONTROL UNLEASHED DVD set (DTB1048) is intended to be used as a companion to the training information and instructions contained in this book.)
What reviewers are saying...
APDT CHRONICLE OF THE DOG
“One of the most common challenges faced by dog trainers is how to effectively manage “problem” dogs in their classes. Many of us inwardly cringe on that first night of class when a reactive dog comes through the door barking, lunging and displaying other behavior indicative of a dog that is out of control. Dog owners look to us to keep them safe, ensure an environment conducive to learning and use our special knowledge and skills to handle the out of control dog that threatens to disrupt class.
Thankfully there is a book that walks both instructors and dog owners through creative, positive, science-based methods for transforming dogs in an anxious, excitable state into one that is calm and in which they are able to focus and learn. It is easy to read and understand and nicely formatted to make the many approaches she suggests palatable.
Though the book was targeted to agility instructors, McDevitt offers practical, useable advice for all instructors and the handlers of reactive dogs. A major goal of Control Unleashed (CU) is to “create awareness of complex responses to stimulation and help each handler think through how she can adjust her dog to different situation” and thereby honor each dog. She uses many of the principles professional dog trainers are all familiar with in CU: Learning to read your dog’s signs of stress; Conditioning a relaxation response so the dog can think; Working with dogs prior to reaching a threshold of arousal; Finding the point at which each dog can work and learn; Reframing the picture so the dog sees what has been anxiety provoking as safe; and Using the Premack Principle to create attention and focus on the owner.
However, what makes her approach unique and valuable to me is that she prescribes a novel combination of ways to do this and one that can be adapted to individuals. I especially like her methods of reducing anxiety and conditioning a relaxed response in a dog, thereby changing their internal state and response to stimulus. These include bodywork (TTouch and massage) and employing Dr. Karen Overall’s conditioned relaxation protocol.
In addition, McDevitt uses the Premack Principle with a twist, and resolves a conflict that has long troubled me about dog training; the expectation that the handler must train the dog to ignore the environment and offer constant attention. Underlying this expectation is the notion that the owner must be more interesting than anything else in the dog’s environment. Thus, if the dog fails, she fails. I have long wondered if this is necessary or even desirable but dared not question such a bedrock principle in training, especially without being able to propose an alternative. McDevitt alleviates the conflict and pressure implicit in this with her “Look at that” game. She rewards the dog for doing what it wanted to do in the first place, e.g., watch the environment, in exchange for attention. In doing so she uses reverse psychology to create a dog that offers the handler the attention they desire and produces a win-win outcome for both.
The book is laced with examples of her techniques in practice for both her own dog and others who try her approach. Her approach is so common sense, I often caught myself wondering, “Why didn’t I think of that?” But as Benjamin Franklin said, “Common sense is not that common.” There lays the beauty of Control Unleashed, a book whose simple wisdom I will be striving to employ in my training for quite sometime.”
Mary Zoller |
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| Customer Reviews |
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| Thumbs up, July 22, 2007 |
| Reviewer: D. Manheim, Las Vegas, NV |
| Leslie McDevitt's book is a hit. It's different, it's informational, it's emotional, it's right on. It dares to challenge more traditional trainers and traditionally taught classes. McDevitt passionately teaches owners to relate to their companions at a much deeper level. |
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| One of the best training books I've seen!, September 10, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Amy |
| I've only gotten through about 4 chapters of this book, but I LOVE it! It is well written with lots of great, real-life examples and illustrations. The focus is on agility but the vast majority of exercises can be applied to other real-life situations for dogs that tend to be reactive or who shut down from stress. And the author gives plenty of examples of other applications for each behavior. This is all clicker-based training, so you may want to have had a basic clicker course before trying to apply the principals in the book. I'm planning on using this book in conjunction with a course I'm currently taking to help my dog become more focused and confident. BRAVO to Leslie McDevitt! She makes a lot of sense! I wish I could take the course directly from her, but perhaps her book is the next best thing. |
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| Pawterrific!, September 21, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Elaine Baird |
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| Terrific, September 28, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Linda Legare |
| If you have a dog that is distracted or just seems uninterested in what you are doing this book is for you. The book is interesting, easy to read, and has many real life examples. I highly recommend this title. |
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| Excellent Book!, October 30, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Jacqueline Munera |
| This book has been so helpful in working with my dog and my clients. I highly recommend it! |
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| It Focused Me!, November 27, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Susan Banghart |
| 'Control Unleashed' is written primarily with the agilty dog in mind, but the material is useful to anyone who has a reactive dog. Leslie McDevitt has a wonderful style of writing that enlightens the novice and the professional. She peppers the book with success stories and photos that are powerful illustrative tools. The book teaches simple methods to defuse triggers in reactive dogs in many situations. My dogs have already benefited from what I've learned. These new skills will be useful to dogs throughout my life. |
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| Can't wait to get started, December 19, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Sarah H. |
| This book has given me so many great ideas to use with my somewhat fearful flyball dog. I can't wait to try them out with her and other dogs in class. McDevitt is definitely on to something with this book. Although it is written in the context of getting dogs ready for agility training, anyone who has ever felt like their dog didn't want to pay attention to them will benefit from this book. Her story of Snap and the squirrels in her yard gives me hope for my critter-obsessed dog. |
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| Gotta HAve It, January 28, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Shannon Rickett |
| This is one of the best books for reactive dogs and/or creating focus I have read. The stories with Snap really help you believe you can do more with your own dog. The ideas presented are really quite different than things you are taught in traditional classes. Being able to read your dog and be a true team member are invaluable. I am eager to begin workng with my bc puppy with a new perspective. |
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| One of the best books I have read, February 5, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Natalie McMahon |
| This is a book for people that are deeply connected with their dog or that want to be. It can be so frustrating when you want to help your dog feel better about life and don't know how to get them there. This is one of the best books I have read on working with your dog. These exercises can be used any dog, even just for proofing work. Anyone, who works with dogs should read this book. I have had it 2 months and I'm reading it for the 3rd time already. |
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| Build a Better Relationship, February 20, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Tami Hawes |
Have a dog that is reactive? Have a dog that doesn't pay attention when you need? Leslie helps you build a better relationship with your dog that includes teaching your dog how to focus and be confident.
The book is laid out as if you were taking a class with Leslie over a seven night course. Leslie breaks things down so that it all works in real life and real dogs.
A must have for owners of reactive dogs! |
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| This is a Must Have...., March 2, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Jeffrey Koski |
| One of the best training books I've read. If you are wanting youe dog to become more calm and focused, this is the book for you. Very good for working with reactive dogs. A+++ |
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| 5 paws and MORE, March 3, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Anne Coy |
| Incredible, invaluable resource for ANYONE with an easily distracted or reactive dog - actually, very valuable for ANYONE with a dog! I'm just starting out in agility with my dog and I'm already using the exercises in the book - I've read it twice and will read it again. I highly recommend this book to EVERYONE who is having any kind of trouble in training! |
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| Awsome book, March 23, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Barbara Walls |
| This is a fantastic resource for anyone who trains dogs. Great for people who rescue to help rehab a dog for a new life. |
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| Want conflict free training?, April 3, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Meghan Madden, CPDT |
I specialize in helping heal reactive and anxious dogs. Leslie McDevitt's Control Unleashed has become as philosphically central to my practice as Turid Rugaas's Calming Signals.
What I love about Control Unleashed are the ideas & tools it presents. What I wish were different with the book, are a more detailed instructions in some exercises, and a bit more editing (but that is I think, largely a matter of literary style). Do not let it keep you from McDevitt's GREAT IEADS!!!!
The Premack Principle, central to McDevitt's work, removes conflict from training from the dog's point of view. This is Huge! I also love McDevitt's treatment of reinforment rates, Look at That, conditioning a relaxed response, conditioning default bebehaviors, Reorienting Points, & Sniffing is Not A Crime. Get This Book! |
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| Finally!, June 5, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Mary B |
| Control Unleashed is a great book, with common sense idea's on how to get a bit more focused control of your dog. Having a country dog who has more natural freedom/distractions than most dogs it has been really hard to get him to be focused on me when he see's elk, moose etc...squirrels he can handle it the big ones that are trouble. For the confident dog with no fears there are few books around to help you out. Control Unleashed has an agility focus to it, but just ignore that part (unless you do agility), the concepts are not isolated to agility dogs but cross all dogs. Packed with information to keep you training for months. |
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| Possibly the only book you'll ever need, June 12, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Jessica Janowski |
Control Unleashed has quite possibly changed the way I work with dogs forever. This book has resonated in so many areas for me, and I keep finding new ways to apply the book's ideas every day. Although the angle of this book is for agility and other dog sports, the foundation ideals of calm, focused and looking to the handler for information are universal. This book should be required reading for anyone who wants to train a dog and for the owner of any dog with any form of arousal or excitement issue.
I have re-written two different classes based on this book. I truly can not recommend it highly enough. You owe it to yourself and to the dogs to read this book! |
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| Wild child gone good, August 20, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Stephanie Hastings |
| My Border Collie was just terrible at Agility practice for the longest time after i read this book and trained herusing their method she behaved much better!!! :) |
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| Awesome book, November 11, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Brian K |
| I can't say enough about this book. It is one of the best books I have seen to outline procedures for and show the power of classical conditioning in dog training. Very well written with great examples of how many of the concepts and training elements were applied. A definate must read. |
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| Best Book I Have Ever Read, November 18, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Kathleen Woodbury |
| I bought my GSD pup home last summer. I decided to do agility with him and while at my club's dog show I took a break and went to the dogwise booth for some agility books. Everyone was buying CU so I did to. I have now read it 6 times over the last 14 months! A record for me for any book. I started the exercises as preventative measures to build a focused, confident dog and I am so happy with the results. I have also used many of the games with my other GSD's for better communication in tracking too. I would recommend this book to competitors and companion dog owners. Leslie is a creative genius with dogs. |
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| Inspiring and Revolutionary, December 11, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Brenda Cox |
I am not given to raving much and I am not ever susceptible to cults but I would willingly join the cult of Leslie McDevitt, the author of this good book!
We all have a dog in our house that could benefit from the exercises and philosphy outlined in this book...EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US! For example do you have a dog that gets distracted even sometimes? Well read this book! Do you have a herding dog? Well read this book! And independent breed? Well read this book! An overexcitable dog? Well read this book! Or a dog who is sometimes any of these things? I won't belabor the issue I think I've made my point!
I have told a myriad of people about this book. Sometimes when I say that it has an agility base to it - people say - well I am not doing agility or other sports - my dog is JUST a pet. I always emphasize that THAT is this book's strength - it is WAY more then a book on how to deal with agility - it's how to help a dog deal with life!
An obedience judge once told me that this book changed her life with her dog - it was mind blowing to her how their relationship deepened when she used the exercises and applied the philosophies.
My well adjusted dog has benefited by the exercises in here and my more nervy dog has had a complete turnaround. When I meet an instructor in agility or obedience or pet dog training I now ask if they have heard of this book.
McDevitt uses real life examples - dogs that she has journeyed with towards better mental health, and at the same time, towards better competitive results as well. Running through the book is her relatiohship and training breakthroughs with Snap,a Jack Russel terrier cross that needed serious healing from his previous life experiences. There are photos as well as lots of anecdotes to bolster her exercises.
This is a book for any dog lover and/or trainer or would-be trainer or even a person who dabbles in dog-related activities. It belongs on everyone's shelf.
Brenda |
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| I love this book!, January 28, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Lindsay |
| Control Unleashed is an excellent book - while initially some of the exercises in the book may seem counterintuitive, they WORK and work well! |
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| Control Unleashed!, February 27, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Martha Fecht |
| Purchased this book per the recommendation of the trainer that I am working with to better understand my BC. It has allowed me to connect with my dog on a deeper level and help him to focus on just me when he needs to the most. Definatley recommend, lots of activities to do on your own that are easy to understand to better strengthen your relationship with your dog and help them to be more confident! |
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| Awesome, March 13, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Kelly Ladouceur |
| This book is really great. It came at a time when I was looking for more answers to treating reactive dogs than just using attention and U-turns. Leslie's techniques give the dogs something to concentrate on, which helps them focus and thus relax. Her games are not hard to learn, and they just make sense. Although she has geared her own teaching towards agility competitors, I see applications for her methods in every walk of life with dogs. If you have a reactive or high-energy dog, this book is for you. |
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| CU is pawsome!, June 5, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Ashley & Kaine |
This book is PAWSOME! Every dog person should own this book becuase it teaches them about dog behavior, dog body language and it provides positive training techniques to help dogs become more confident and relaxed in general. I own this book and have read it front to back. I have become a better trainer because of this book. I use many of the training exercices from this book, along with the clicker to teach my GSD, Kaine, new skills. This book also contains amazing interactive games that challenge his body and stimulate his mind. Our bond is now even stronger because of this book. No house with a dog should be without Control Unleased.
Woofs n Wags,
Ashley & Kaine |
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| How an MLA looks at dog training, June 6, 2009 |
| Reviewer: William Stavers |
Control Unleashed: Creating a Focused and Confident Dog.
As a dog trainer in Los Angeles for 26 years, I've read many dog training books.
Out of all the books about dog training that are published each year, few make an original contribution to the field. Thus, it makes sense that this sensitive, discerning, moving book, comes from an author who holds a Master of Liberal Arts from the University of Pennsylvania where she combined studies in Creative Writing, Folklore, and Cultural Anthropology. Also, Leslie worked with children as a museum educator, environmental educator, and humane educator. Her work with 'at-risk' kids, (you won't get 'buy-in' by ordering them around) and playing in a couple Irish bands helped develop her sense of teamwork, timing and rhythm; which have been great assets in her work with dogs and allowed her to create a unique perspective on the emotional and mental life of dogs.
Well organized, Control Unleashed is generous and helpful regardless of your interest in why and how dogs behave. I recommend anyone who has a interest in or works with dogs read this perceptive and original book. |
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| Reviewed on my blog!, August 26, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Chet Womach |
If you’re thinking about picking up a copy of Leslie McDevitt’s book, “Conrol Unleashed” I thought you might want to know what I thought of her book…
Simply put, if you have a dog who does not ALWAYS obey you, Control Unleashed gives you REAL, strategies for getting your dog to focus and obey in situations where he normally might fly off his hinges, get overly excited or is simply uncontrollable.
You can read the rest of this review on my blog:
http://www.thedogtrainingsecret.com/blog/control-unleashed-review/ |
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| THE problem dog resource, September 29, 2009 |
| Reviewer: C. Sobol |
After many years of going from resource to resource, I came across Leslie McDevitt's gem on a whim, and lo, it is THE solution to my behaviourally needy girl and me.
Entirely reframing dog training for me and for my dogs, Leslie's approach is indeed perfectly positive, reasonable, and logical and helped us to see behavioral training in a whole different way. The book assumes a basic understanding of behavioral science and dog training using positive reinforcement training. Some of the exercises, because Leslie uses them as frameworks then tailors their application to each dog and situation, can be a little hard to visualize, but they are intuitive and with a little background, easy to apply to your own situation.
One of the greatest things about Control Unleashed it that it gave me permission to let my dogs be dogs (instead of robots), and permission to do dog sports if they were happy doing so, not because they ought to be.
This book would be a good companion for Leslie's DVD (for the application and visualization of the exercises) and upcoming workbook (for those doing this without a trainer), and is applicable not just to agility folk but people with troubled dogs who can't walk down the street without melting down and stressed out high-level competitors alike. |
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| Must read for REACTIVE dog owners/handlers, December 23, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Amy G. Rogers |
My dog breezed through his pre-agility courses. It was when we got up to the big dog fields & he was around more movement that his reactivity showed up. Fortunately, our obedience instructor recommended the book. Without this book and methods, we would not have continued on in our agility training. I have also used these methods in other areas, i.e. rally & obedience trials, walks and in situations that usually set him or other dogs off.
My copy is highlighted and the margins are filled with the dogs in my household. There's literally something for every dog in this book. I wish I'd had it 5 years ago. A must read!
I've recommended it to others in similiar situations, recommended it to other owners and trainers alike. |
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| Must read for reactive or highly aroused dogs!, January 28, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Dana E |
| Loved the book so much I enrolled in the class. My dog is not reactive but he does get very easily aroused and the exercises I learned from the book and in class have made a big difference already. I encourage anyone who has a dog that has a hard time focusing in the presence of overwhelming stimuli (for the dog of course :-) )to read this book. |
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| Good Read, February 9, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Shannon Rickett |
| This is a great source of knowledge for all dogs- not only the reactive and overstimulated. |
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| Self-Control for dogs, July 8, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Bethany Crawford |
| I have Border Collies and have used many of these exercises to help my rescues and adolescents learn self-control and focus. From fear aggressive to reactive the exercises in this book can help your dog. A must for all instructors and owners of herding breeds. |
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| Well written, August 7, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Nick Hof |
I just finished this book. I originally got this because of my St. Bernard who is easily over stimulated but found much more knowledge then just for my dog.
The book is written in the way the author does her class, with each chapter as a different night of her class. The exercises are all well written in an easy-to-follow method.
This book is perfect for all trainers, especially group class instructors, as these are easy to implement exercises that can help many dogs to calm down.
I highly recommend getting both the Foundation Seminar DVD set and the Game Demonstrations DVD set to get a better understanding straight from the author in more visual method. |
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| A dramatic change, June 8, 2011 |
| Reviewer: Carly Stevens |
| A friend has been using this book to help with agility training. She's also been using it for general behavior for the rest of the dogs. Wow, what a difference! They're so much easier to handle now. They know when to play and when to stop and listen. Daily life has really changed, all for the better. |
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| Amazing Success, August 19, 2011 |
| Reviewer: Christine Beavers |
| The book was amazing and very helpful. I train for obedience, but my dog was not the type that could tolerate other dogs in his face. Also, when showing he would shut down when off leash. This book gave a very different twist on training. The methods paid off for my dog, helping him to cope with his anxiety, that I thought was something else all together..enlightening and effective, Leslie has helped me turn my dog around in group situations and his recall and behavior on leash is greatly improved. Thank you Lisa..for helping me see my dog's weaknesses instead of trying so hard to get performance. We are both so much happier working together due to the methods outlined in simple easy to understand terms. A must read for trainers and dog owners! Five paws indeed! |
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| Amazing!, February 21, 2014 |
| Reviewer: Michelle |
Control Unleashed by Leslie McDevitt is a fantastic book and has been a great aid to me. Though targeted predominately at agility competitors, the concepts in this book stretch so much further. I've always had trouble keeping control of my big boy Ringo the dobermann, he is such a beautiful and affectionate dog whose joy in life is PLAY and lots of it! His downfall is that he also has anxiety and reactivity issues which when all put together don't lead to much fun (pardon the pun).
This book is not just a training book, it is a behavioural program. McDevitt introduces a range of exercises which work on building your relationship with your dog, changing his/her attitudes to stimulus and teaching your dog that listening to you isn't the end of his fun, listening to you gives him access to so much more in life! It deals with the anxious, fearful and reactive with well thought out explanations on how and why the techniques in the book work. It's goal is to end up with a dog that loves to listen, learn and work with you through all sorts of distractions and excitement and still be comfortable and in a relaxed/stable state of mind.
McDevitt's explanations are very professional but also very easy to read and understand. I loved the basic concepts section (chapter two) which is just a powerhouse of information. The information on thresholds, biofeedback and the premack principle were very enlightening for me. I started using the premack principle constantly and it works really well for Ringo. The personal stories that are included are also very relatable and put the concepts and exercises into practice.
I found this book so helpful I got it as an ebook and a hard copy, and paired with some other great books such as Behaviour Adjustment Training by Grisha Stewart and a range of Patricia McConnell's books, I think Ringo's on the road for a complete recovery! |
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| Fantastic for reactive dogs!, November 17, 2014 |
| Reviewer: L. B. |
| Control Unleashed is a must-read if you have a dog that is reactive or easily aroused or distracted. This book will help you to train your dog to remain focused, calm, and controlled even in very stressful or arousing environments. |
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| A must-have for reactive dog owners, March 4, 2015 |
| Reviewer: Johanna Bouchard |
| A definite must-have for anyone with a reactive or high energy dog. This book primarily focuses on go-to-mat training, which I have found extremely useful for my aggressive rescue dog, however the rest of the exercises are designed for training classes with a group of several dogs, so is not very practical for owners without access to such a resource (hence the 4-Star rating). Still, for the mat work discussed in this book alone, I would highly recommend this book, especially when combined with the training techniques discussed in Click To Calm by Emma Parsons and Behavior Adjustment Training by Grisha Stewart. |
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| Mixed thoughts, March 22, 2015 |
| Reviewer: ask_away68 |
I really like the techniques that Leslie McDevitt teaches in this book. I just wish it was more organized as it was sometimes hard to follow. There's also a lot of reference to agility and other competitive dog sports which made me feel a bit out of place. Sometimes there are more stories than necessary and, instructions were lacking. I bought this book foremost for the Look At That Game and to my surprise, the instructions are different than what is shown in the DVD (I found out later). This a very useful book but being a pet parent to stubborn terriers, some of the 'games' are not producing the response that is expected according to the book. For example, if I sit in the backyard with my dog, I could sit there all day and she wouldn't check in with me. It looked so simple in the DVD but in real life, not so much.
But all in all, the content itself is very valuable and I am determined to use Leslie's techniques with my dogs. |
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