I bought this book to read when an extremely shy border collie pup entered one of my dog training classes. The dog was fearful of everything and everyone and we needed some help! This fantastic book by Deborah Wood was a great resource and having read the book gave me a good back ground for when along came the fearful puppy of my own (Sage!) who spent her entire first puppy preschool course hiding under the chair and refusing to come out.

Deborah makes some great points about handlers who are unknowingly "enabling" their shy dogs behaviour and explains about reading canine body language, understanding pack structure and the benefits of basic training as ways to help your dog overcome its fears. She provides a wealth of knowledge and advice on how to handle fearful or timid dogs and how to handle a variety of situations, coupled with some amazing success stories of fearful dogs that have gone on to great successes in the obedience ring and life in general.

Most of us at some stage will find our self in a situation our dog is not comfortable in, especially as we begin our journey as Pet Partner Volunteers our dogs are going to be exposed to unusual environments they are not familiar with. This book is the perfect resource for advice on how to handle these situations to ensure our natural desire to protect and comfort our canine friends during these times doesn't in fact escalate and reinforce the problem. I think the book is also a valuable resource for all dog owners, even as the owner of the friendliest and outgoing of dogs, you will come across dogs when out walking that are fearful, timid, or reserved - as responsible dog owners it's important to know why dogs react the way they do and what we can do to dissolve situations and ensure the safety and comfort of all dogs. A great book! The book can be purchased from www.amazon.com