I’m all worn out this week, so rather than writing up a blog, I decided to cheat and use today’s blog for advertising instead. The following is a summary of books that I have written (either alone or with Deb Jones) and where to buy them. Take a look if you’re interested.
You may not have known that I have an online store, The Dog Athlete.
While I sell a range of dog toys specifically for competition dogs, the most important thing that I began selling after August of 2013 was THE BOOK.
That I wrote with Deb Jones.
The title is: Dog Sports Skills Book 1: Building Engagement and Relationship.
That book got us started and then..we won the 2013 Maxwell award for Behavior and Training Book of the Year!
BUT WAIT! That was a while ago, in August 2013!
The SECOND BOOK was published in August of 2014, and is available as well!
The title of that one is: Dog Sports Skills Book 2: Motivation.
and then…that one also won the Maxwell award for Behavior and Training for 2014. Wow; we were so proud!
And we just kept on writing. And so, as of July 2015, there came a THIRD book in the series.
The title of that one is: Dog Sports Skills: Book3: Play!
And then The Dog Writers of America honored us for the Third Year in a row. We won ANOTHER Maxwell award – also for Best Behavior and Training Book (2015)!
Around that time, I decided that the topic of “Distraction training” needed to be discussed in a book, especially for the pet dog market, so I went back to writing; this time by myself. The title is: Beyond the Back Yard: Train Your Dog to Listen Anytime, Anywhere!
This book (Beyond the Back Yard) will help you gain cooperation under a range of circumstances and with only about ten minutes of training time per day! You’ll be taken through a systematic and comprehensive plan to get you where you want to be: A reliable companion who cooperates off leash, away from home and….when other things are going on around you!
Because this book is written for the pet market, you’ll have to do some improvising if your goal is competition. The process is is identical, but the examples I chose to use and the types of distractions are geared towards the pet market. This book also comes with a comprehensive six week Instructor’s Guide so that professional dog trainers can teach classes based on the material. You simply download the instructor’s guide from my website (instructions in the book).
Since it is now clear that I cannot stop writing, I went back to my computer, and this time I wrote a book called “Blogger Dog Brito.” This book tells the story of Brito’s life – from Brito’s point of view. Reviews have been excellent on Amazon – check for yourself and you’ll see.
This book is designed to give children (and adults) an education about how to develop a relationship with a dog. The goal is that the reader will be so entertained by Brito’s adventures that they wont’ notice that they are receiving an education. And if the Amazon reviews are any indication, then I’d say it’s working. Check it out. Even if you don’t have any kids or grandkids – go ahead and take a look! You can see it here: Blogger Dog, Brito!
Now…let’s go back to the books written for the Competition market; the Dog Sports Skills Series:
The first book in the Dog Sports Skills Series, Building Engagement and Relationship, is about how to build the trust and mutual respect required for a really fabulous relationship with your canine partner. We covered relationship (what it is and how to get it), reading your dog’s attitude (and improving it if there are problems), and exercises that you can do to build your dog’s focus and love of working.
The second book in the series, Motivation, is about….Motivation! See, the title gave you a good hint! What motivation is, how to get it, and pages and pages and pages on the subtleties of motivation that most people really don’t think much about. For example, if you’re going to use a cookie and a toy – which should come first? Read the book to really understand this topic.
This all brings us to the third book in the series – the most shiny new one!
Book 3 is about: Play.
From an early reviewer: “In the highly anticipated third book in the “Dog Sports Skills” series, authors Denise Fenzi and Deb Jones this time turn their attention to this hot topic. Book number three lives up to the very high standard set by the previous two books, and fans of the series will not be disappointed. This is a fantastic addition which is sure to broaden your understanding of a crucial element of training performance dogs.
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 with your dog!
As the authors explain: ‘Each book in this series is more than a stand-alone resource. They are pieces of a puzzle that will eventually weave into a tapestry of concepts, ideas, and applications that create both excellence in training and a very deep respect for, and understanding of, another living creature.”
Ok. You are now officially up to date as far as books that I have written, either on my own or with Deb Jones. I hope you’ll find something that appeals to you!
If you order from me, I ship fast so you’ll have it in a couple of days. Plus, if you put in coupon code: books before the end of the this month (April 2016) you’ll get a 10% discount on books. Only exclusion there is multiples of the same titles beause they are already discounted. Note that I have “package deals” so if you order several books you are best off ordering from me if you are in the US. My website is: www.thedogathlete.com
If you’re outside the US, you’ll need this info:
For Orders in the U.K and Europe, please contact: www.dogbooksonline.co.uk. E-mail inquiries may be sent to: enquiries@dogbooksonline.co.uk. or…Order from http://www.positiveanimalsolutions.com/Dog_Sports_Skills_Book_3_Play_by_Fenzi_and_Jones_p/dogsports3.htm
For Orders in Canada, please order on-line at: http://dog-books-canada.myshopify.com/
For orders in South Africa, please contact: http://www.performancedog.za/
For Orders in Australia, please order at: http://www.politepaws.com.au/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=142_147
and if you don’t like ordering from smaller websites, you always have the option of Amazon.com
And while you’re at the Dog Athlete website, go to the “Free Downloads” section and pick up whatever you can find!
I just wanted to take this chance to tell you how your Dog Sports Skills books, especially #3 “Play”, have changed my life. I have a very-mixed-breed dog, adopted as an adult with an apparent history of running away, who is a marvellous family dog and (when focused) tremendous backyard fun in agility, but has HUGE challenges in the confidence and attention departments any other place. Nobody but me really believed he could ever trial.
Your first two books got me headed in the right direction with him — relationship and state of mind really are everything with this dog — but I still had instructors constantly telling me “well just play with him!”. Problem being, I did not grow up with dogs and after several years of failing to engage him in play, at all ever in any way, I had concluded that I was just missing the “play with dogs” gene.
But your third book, because it is so detailed and has so much troubleshooting type material for people like me, has finally enabled me to figure out what I was doing wrong (mainly, being too continually intense, not pausing and waiting for the dog to return the play action if he wished) and learn to do things in a manner *HE* considers good fun. That has been the key that started turning all the other necessary locks. He got his first agility title this past weekend — at age six, but better late than never! — and our relationship is amazingly different now, even in strange places. As a bonus, my other dog has also been thrilled to have me start playing successfully with HIM, too!
So I wanted to thank you, and HIGHLY recommend the Play book (especially to anyone having trouble getting their dog consistently engaged in playing with them).
THANK YOU, and please hurry and write more in the series :),
Pat (and Copper and Russell)
Hello Pat,
Thank you so much for letting me know! That makes me happy :). And if you’re feeling inspired, head over to Amazon and copy/paste this there. It helps me a lot!: http://www.amazon.com/Dog-Sports-Skills-Book-Three/dp/0988781840/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1462202779&sr=8-1&keywords=denise+fenzi+play
The next book should come out later this year. It is also extremely detailed and will focus on the topics of trained Focus and Engagement that will hold up away from home – so possibly right up your alley.
rats, I’ve just spent most of an hour and a half trying to get the Amazon review page to load (all I have is slow dialup) and it just isn’t working. Or maybe it’s b/c I didn’t buy my copy from Amazon, I don’t know. Sorry! I do *recommend* your books frequently to people at agility trials tho!
Pat
well thank you for trying! I know that people can review on amazon no matter where they buy, but it sounds like your connection must be hard to work with.
I ordered two books and can’t wait to get them…Monday can’t get here fast enough.
I love the idea of the training academy and I am anxious to take a course. I understand the “classroom” environment and think that is an awesome unique feature that people really enjoy.
I still wish that course material could be purchased for “home-study” at anytime. I’m sure I’m not alone in feeling that way. I would still enroll in “live” classes for the interaction but home study courses would get new students in faster and hook more people into your wonderful program.
If you ever reconsider this rule, please let me know ASAP! I would buy a course immediately!
Keep up the great work!
Mike