If I sound a little dazed or in shock as I write this, it’s because I am.
Today’s blog post is a guest post by myself, from my author blog. Please excuse me as I effervesce for a moment.
Monday morning my book Fired Up, Frantic, and Freaked Out: Training Crazy Dogs from Over-the-Top to Under Control released. I hadn’t really prepared much in the way of release; a number of people knew I was working on the project, I had mentioned it once, I think, to my KPACTP discussion list, but I hadn’t actually announced a launch date or done much hype.
But once it was out, it exploded. At least, for a niche non-fiction book, I consider that an explosion. My Facebook feed was filled with shared links.
Yesterday afternoon I glanced at Amazon and noticed that I’d hit the Top 10 of the Kindle Dog Training category! And yeah, sure, that’s a niche category, but I’m totally counting that as a success.
And today I’m in the Top 30 of all Dog Training books, print and electronic, and at this very moment #57 of all Dog books, period. ZOMG.
Now, I also am fully aware that isn’t quite as impressive as it sounds, because it’s fairly simple to game the Amazon bestseller system and it certainly doesn’t mean I’m going to stay this high or sell a bazillion copies. But I didn’t set out to try to game the Amazon system, it’s all been natural, and I’m quite pleased at even these achievements.
And then — and then! — the feedback started. Oh my gosh, I’m not even the melty type and I’m getting all squishy inside.
OMG! I’m going to love this book. LOVE your writing style. Already a few pages in over my lunch and it’s sucking me in!!!
I just emailed two clients and told them to buy it.
WOW!!! This book is awesome, thank you for writing it! I’m not the type of person who usually reads books, (ADD) I get bored, but since I decided to get serious with my training, I also decided to start reading. The last two books I read I had a very hard time trying to get through, I had to force myself but THIS book! This book is like a breath of fresh air to me! So thank you, thank you, thank you for getting me excited about reading again!
It just makes me feel like warm puppies inside. 🙂
In short, THANK YOU to everyone who shared links and tweeted and purchased. You guys are The Awesome. Please remember to post reviews on retail pages (one of the single biggest things you can do to help any book) and remember that you’re super. 🙂
(Missed it? Look here! Amazon Kindle | Amazon paperback | Nook epub )
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I bought this book for my kindle. I cannot wait to read it! I need some serious help with my crazy dog!
Thank you for being a part of this! And I hope you find it helpful. Let me know!
I got hard copy.. Still waiting for it to get here, but very excited!
Oh I am so excited!! I need help with my little pointy eared monster 🙂 thank you for writing this-I got the kindle AND the paperback since I can’t wait 🙂 yippee!
Update: it’s now at #9 for Dog Training and #23 in Dog Care on Amazon…. Just recommended it for purchase at my library, and Marian the librarian (that’s really her name) asked for your contact information–she wants the book AND to ask you about possibly scheduling a program here. I told her you are very busy so she better book well in advance!
I am currently working through your training plan – I recently introduced mat work and am about to start reinforcing relaxation behaviors on the mat. Should I have a goal for how long my dog will relax on the mat before I move to other locations and add triggers? I guess I am a bit confused about how I know when the relaxation training has been “successful” and will help in trigger situations. My guess is that having my dog relaxing on the mat for longer periods of time would be beneficial, but honestly I am not sure. Any clarification would be greatly appreciated!
Your goal would really depend on your need; for a dog who doesn’t know he *can* relax, I’d let him learn he can do it for several minutes (and look for him then actively enjoying just camping near you). For a dog who can turn on or off except during triggers, I just need to see that he knows to relax on the mat and that it’s a powerful cue before we start the “real” work, so it might be only a minute or two.
Learning to relax doesn’t automatically transfer to the trigger situation (in *most* cases, though I’ve seen a couple of owners get lucky!), it’s just enabling us to practice that same relaxation as we split the trigger exposure.
Does that help?
My trainer handed me this book two days ago – he hasn’t even read it yet himself, he just thought it seemed perfect for me and my Monster (my very reactive Cane Corso darling) from the title and cover photos alone. I’m not all the way through yet (and I haven’t tried anything, since I read everything through once before turning to practical application in the hopes of avoiding unnecessary mistakes), but so far I’m 100% sold! Barring any jarring fallouts between me and the text in what I haven’t read yet I’ll want to try this with my dog, and I’ll be posting the daily training records and observations on my blog once I do – I tend to trust in public shame to keep my laziness and scatterbrain tendencies in check. 😉
But seriously, this book looks incredibly helpful so while I haven’t formed a final opinion yet I still want to say an early thank you! I’d have gotten nowhere with my dog without the wisdom and experience of others, and I think your book is going to be a
very helpful step in the right direction. Thanks.
I also find this blog fascinating, but it’s taking time away from finishing the book so in the words of the poet: I’ll be back!
Thank you! I’m glad you’re enjoying it! and reading through before applying is definitely smart. If you or your trainer have any questions as you move forward, please give me a shout. Happy training!