From Shelter To Service Dog

by Rick Dillender, Heather Dillender

From Shelter To Service Dog is a practical guide for creating a calm, stable state of mind in your dog that allows access to rehabilitation and advanced training. The information presented here is the culmination of years of experience working with hundreds of families for various issues. This method is also the foundation of our Service Dog training programs for a wide range of disabilities, including PTSD, epilepsy, diabetes, mobility needs, autism and others. Understanding how to regulate behavior and attitudes in a dog is a fundamental part of a healthy relationship, whether adopting a new pet, training a Service Dog or working to resolve a severe behavioral issue that has been with a family for years. Shaping behavior is about understanding that dogs have needs that have to be filled for them to give stable behavior back. Once their needs are addressed, excitement, stress and anxiety can be resolved to provide access to new behaviors.

209 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 11, 2013

Reviews

[Rykki · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was really more of a book on rehabilitating rescue dogs. It really is best suited to behavioral rehabilitation and the words "service dog" don't belong anywhere in the title. The book doesn't even discuss the process of becoming a service dog. I wouldn't recommend this book for anyone who is considering training a rescue as a service dog.

That being said, it got more than one star because there were some tips for behavioral rehabilitation that could help someone trying to deal with behavioral problems with their dogs. It could definitely help someone with challenges develop an understanding with their dog, and possibly build a better routine for their dog.

In other words, it's not all bad, but with Service Dog being the two bold words on the front and a picture of a vested service dog, I do think the marketing of this book is highly misleading and is preying on a population that may not have the funds to afford buying a book that doesn't cover their intended topic.

[Benjamin]

Very short, and very good, book about how to socialize your dog. Almost all other books about dog behavior focus, in the practical aspect at least, on obedience training, which is getting your dog to do things you want them to by making them focus intently for a short time. Most of the time, your dogs aren't focused on your commands (unless you want to give them commands all day), so this book -- a book that teaches you how to train your dogs to follow a social structure well -- is invaluable. It's not fancy writing -- Rick Dillender is a trainer, not a professional writer -- but the book is clear, the advice is useful, and the message is reinforced.

General thesis of the book -- teach your dog to be agreeable as well as obedient, and do so mostly by teaching your dog the way dogs teach other dogs.

[Rick Dillender · Rating 5 out of 5]

From Shelter To Service Dog - A Practical Guide To Behavioral Rehabilitation
By Rick and Heather Dillender

This book is a comprehensive guide for dealing with behavioral problems of all kinds in dogs, including aggression, fear issues, hyper-activity, destruction and house-training. This is also the core text of our Service Dog Training programs. This book has everything you need to create stable, reliable behavior in dogs. Give it a try. You'll be glad you did.

Rick and Heather Dillender