Raising the Worst Dog Ever: A Survival Guide

by Dale M Ward

Overview

This book tells the story of two lives and how they randomly, magically intersected. It’s the chronicle of the Wylie One of Highbridge and her human, Dale, and their escapades and antics. But this book is more than that! It’s also a remarkable training book for you and your puppy – everything from your first night home with your new puppy to socialization, housetraining, puppy biting, leash manners, and much more. It’s all covered right here.

From big city corporate to the northwoods countryside, follow Dale’s path from hurt to healing and finding a lost connection with dogs as one dog in particular changes the course of her life forever. Finding herself newly married and living in a new country in unfamiliar surroundings, loneliness swiftly crept its way into her life, overshadowing everything and bringing up long-buried memories of a brutal past. This book weaves grief and growth together along with detailed advice on all-things-puppy. Every tale Dale tells about herself and her dog Wylie is followed by detailed guidance and instruction on how to handle those particular puppy issues. Don’t miss this one!

You will LAUGH. You will CRY. You will LEARN.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781733135009
Publisher:	Dale's Dog Training Academy LLC
Publication date:	09/01/2019
Pages:	346
Sales rank:	654,535
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.72(d)

About the Author

Born and raised in Ottawa, Canada, Dale M. Ward graduated from Carleton University in 1990, where she earned BA Honors and master's degrees. She spent the next ten years in the corporate world as an information technology consultant and senior business analyst, where she gained extensive experience in teaching and training adults. After moving to the US in 2002, Dale's focus shifted to working with dogs. As with everything she undertakes, Dale immersed herself in all things dog. She completed her academic training and then sought out ways to gain practical, hands-on experience with dogs in multiple environments. Dale worked in boarding facilities as a Kennel Manager, Playroom Supervisor, and Grooming Assistant. She also worked in an AAHA accredited veterinary hospital setting for 3 years. Dale was Head Volunteer Trainer for over 4 years at Portsmouth Humane Society (PHS) in Portsmouth, Virginia, an open admission shelter, where she designed and implemented training programs that demonstrated an incredible increase in the adoption rate. A staggering 100% of the dogs in her program were adopted out to loving families. Dale trained over 400 PHS volunteers in basic canine handling and training skills and implemented a highly successful program based on Karen Pryor's Bark Free Shelter protocol, that reduced kennel stress. She was awarded Trainer of the Year in 2012 in recognition of her work. Dale now has over 15 years' worth of education and experience in the dog training field. She is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer and a graduate of Animal Behavior College (ABC), a certified/licensed Victoria Stilwell Positively Dog Trainer (VSPDT), a member in good standing of the Pet Professional Guild (PPG), a licensed Family Paws Parent Educator (FPPE), a Certified Fear Free Professional Dog Trainer, a Certified Animal Trainer under ICAN (International Companion Animal Network) and was also certified in Canine First Aid and CPR by the American Red Cross. Dale opened Dale's Dog Training Academy LLC in 2007 and offers classes, behavior consultations, and private lessons. She is a contributor to the Positively Expert Blog on Positively.com. She is a noted presenter on a variety of topics including Volunteering in a Shelter: Win/Win/Win, Setting Up a Bark Free Shelter Volunteer Program, So You Adopted A Dog, Canine Body Language, and more. Dale's latest venture, her first book entitled Raising the Worst Dog Ever: A Survival Guide, has been in the works for over 5 years. This book is unique in that it weaves a memoir of Dale and her dog Wylie and the life they shared, along with essential training information for new puppy and dog owners. Each tale Dale tells about Wylie's antics is followed by advice on how to deal with that particular problem. This book is entertaining: funny, touching, poignant. This book is informative: practical, detailed, full of tips and instructions. The anticipated publication date is September 1, 2019. It will be available via IngramSpark's global distribution network in both eBook and paperback form. Look for it at Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, indie bookstores, and more. It will also be available on Dale's website, https://worstdogever.com​. Dale currently resides in South Mills, North Carolina with her husband Tim, and Rhubarb, their black Labrador retriever. Follow Dale on Instagram and Facebook. Watch for more news about her book here: https://www.instagram.com/the_worst_dog_ever/ https://www.instagram.com/daletrainsdogs_/ https://www.facebook.com/TheWorstDogEver/ https://www.facebook.com/DaleTrainsDogs/

Table of Contents

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING

AUTHOR'S NOTE

CHAPTER 1. THE BEGINNING: AND THEN THERE WAS DOG

Equipment and Supplies

Puppy-Proofing Your Home

CHAPTER 2. WYLIE COMES HOME

Puppy Preparation and the First Days at Home

Crate Training 101

Socialization Dos and Don'ts

CHAPTER 3. WYLIE PEES-A-LOT

Housetraining Tips and Troubleshooting:

CHAPTER 4. WYLIE HATES CARS

Systematic Desensitization and Classical Counterconditioning: The Basics

CHAPTER 5. WYLIE THE ALLIGATOR PUPPY

Puppy Biting Survival Strategies

CHAPTER 6. WYLIE THE SOCIAL BUTTERFLY

Canine Body Language

CHAPTER 7. WYLIE FLUNKS OUT

Treat Magic!

CHAPTER 8. WYLIE TAMES THE LAWNMOWER

How to Use Desensitization and Counterconditioning to Help Your Dog

CHAPTER 9. WYLIE THE KLEPTOMANIAC

How to Teach Your Puppy to Trade

CHAPTER 10. WYLIE THE NATURE FREAK

The Puppy ThunderCookie Game

CHAPTER 11. WYLIE EATS THE WORLD

Allergic Reactions and Poisoning

CHAPTER 12. WYLIE THE THRILL SEEKER

How to Teach Your Dog to Settle

CHAPTER 13. WYLIE MAKES A SPLASH

Boating Safety and First Aid

CHAPTER 14. WYLIE WALKS HER HUMAN

How to Teach Your Dog to Stop Pulling While on Leash

CHAPTER 15. WYLIE LIVES A WONDERFUL LIFE

The Premack Principle

Recall Training aka Coming When Called

CHAPTER 16. THE END

EPILOGUE

RESOURCES FOR YOU

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

INDEX

Editorial Reviews

“Raising the Worst Dog Ever: A Survival Guide is an honest and wonderfully entertaining look at the complex relationship between a woman and her dog. Readers will not only gain a better understanding of their own dogs by reading this book, they will empathize with all the challenges as well as appreciate the pure joys of sharing their lives with these incredible animals.” Victoria Stilwell – dog trainer and behavior expert

“For years I have been looking for the perfect Puppy Guide to recommend to my clients, and at last I have found it! The heartfelt, easy to read stories, along with the practical dog training instructions make this book truly exceptional.” Abigail Witthauer – CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA, VSPDT, Owner/Director of Training at Roverchase Service Dogs

"As a dog photographer who has had to help numerous rescues, animal shelters, and individuals rehome dogs with serious behavior issues that started because puppies were not sufficiently trained in the beginning, I sincerely wish this was required reading for every new puppy owner. So many sad cases could have been prevented with proper training in the beginning, and this book is a fun & entertaining way to learn about proper puppy training. This book is not your usual dry How to Raise a Puppy manual. Instead it is interspersed with personal heartwarming and hilarious tales about raising the worst dog ever. Everyone - from puppy newbies to experienced dog owners - can learn something from it." Hannah Stonehouse Hudson – public speaker, writer, old dog lover, Principal at HSH Communications.

“To know dogs is to love dogs; to have puppies is to need help! Ward will help you tame your puppy beast through professional, positive, relationship-based training chapters on the heels of her own experiences with her beloved ‘worst’ dog ever in an amusing and often poignant narrative. Raising the Worst Dog Ever: A Survival Guide is so refreshingly unique in both its format and utility. It is as valuable as it is matchless.” Rachael Benner – dog owner, dog lover, literary scholar

“My name is Tim and I am mentioned quite a lot in this book! Full disclosure, I am the writer’s husband and lived through most of the experiences that Dale talks about in Raising the Worst Dog Ever: A Survival Guide. Having said that, Dale would not share any of the details of her book with me as she was writing it and I did not get to read it until it was 99% complete! When she did finally let me read the book, I laughed, I cried, and I have no doubt that others will experience a similar range of emotions. Also, this book is arranged in a rather unique format that presents a great story that any dog lover will enjoy, but it also provides a wealth of training information, in separate sections, that can be referred to time and again. Definitely deserves 5 stars!” – Timothy J. Ward, husband and dog lover

From the Publisher