Marty Becker - From Fearful to Fear Free: A Positive Program to Free Your Dog from Anxiety, Fears, and Phobias

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available through the Library of Congress

2018 Fear Free, LLC

ISBN-13: 978-07573-2079-8 (Paperback)

ISBN-10: 07573-2079-1 (Paperback)

ISBN-13: 978-07573-2080-4 (ePub)

ISBN-10: 07573-2080-5 (ePub)

All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.

HCI, its logos, and marks are trademarks of Health Communications, Inc.

Publisher: Health Communications, Inc.
3201 S.W. 15th Street
Deerfield Beach, FL 334428190

Author photos pages 222223: Joel Riner/Quicksilver Photography (Dr. Marty Becker), Courtesy Dr. Lisa Radosta (Dr. Lisa Radosta), Jeff Paulson (Wailani Sung), Jane Sobel Klonsky/Project Unconditional (Mikkel Becker)

Animals have always played an important role in my life. When I was eleven, I started volunteering with our local veterinarian, cleaning cages. I also started a mini-farm on my parents property in Tennessee with my brother and sister, raising pigs, goats, chickens, and horses. I even brought a donkey to college with me and marched him in the homecoming parade! Animals are my life, no matter what species or size. However, there is nothing that can compare to the meaningful relationships Ive had over the years with my dogs.

My first pets as a child were two Collies named Lance and Vandy. They taught me so much and led me toward a career path by which I am still truly inspired every day. After I graduated college, my wife, Suzi, and I continued to work with animals, and I went on to become the director of the Central Florida Zoo and then the Columbus Zoo, where Ive have spent the last thirty-eight years. Animals of all kinds have been a central part of my life at work and at home. Suzi and I have always emphasized the importance of caring for our family dogs while raising our three daughters, Kathaleen, Suzanne, and Julie. The girls always had a dog in the housewhether it was our Old English Sheepdog, Daisy, our Mastiff, Ben, our Golden Retriever, Brass, or our yellow Labrador Retriever, Tasha, you didnt have to look far until you found a four-legged friend.

Our family dogs were always treated as members of the family, for better or for worse! And I truly believe that pets, dogs in particular, have a way of teaching us about so many thingsconstant care, responsibility, loyalty, unconditional love, and inevitable lossthat serve as a gentle introduction to the parallel experiences we all have as humans.

Dogs are called mans best friend for a reason: they provide humor, companionship and lovesome of the things we need most. However, we sometimes overlook the things that our furry friends need in return. Dogs can suffer silently from a variety of issues because effectively communicating with our pets is one of the most difficult hurdles to address. Dont you wish your dog could just open his mouth and speak the same language as you? He could tell you when he was in pain, when he was hungry or nervous, or when he just wanted to play. Instead, we must rely on a variety of context clues and observations about our pets to point us in the right direction.

One of the biggest issues dogs can face is fear. Fear of the veterinarian, fear of bad weather, fear of abandonment, and even fear of loud noises, such as fireworks or a car backfiring, are all common issues that dogs experience. Fear is overlooked in many dogs simply because we, as pet parents, dont know the signs. However, every pet owner knows how mentally and physically painful it can be to witness his or her dog struggle with an unknown ailment.

I am thrilled that my friend Dr. Marty Becker, along with Mikkel Becker, Dr. Wailani Sung, and Dr. Lisa Radosta, came together to write From Fearful to Fear Free, which addresses not only your dogs issues with fear but also your own well-being as a concerned pet owner. Most of the time, your dogs fear is not your fault; it is a product of genetics and environment. And while your dogs contentment is important, you also cant forget how important it is, as his owner, to live without feeling shame or guilt.

I have been lucky to have meaningful connections with animals all my life. I feel even luckier to be able to continue to learn new things around every turn. From Fearful to Fear Free provides a variety of positive-reinforcement pointers, training tips, and easy-to-follow techniques to improve the well-being of both you and your furry friend. I hope that by the end of this book, you will be able to look back and see the wonderful journey you and your dog have taken together and perhaps make some adjustments to your interactions that further improve your relationship.

Jack Hanna, Director Emeritus,
Columbus Zoo and Aquarium; Host, Jack Hannas Into the Wild and Jack Hannas Wild Countdown

With this book, Ive authored or co-authored twenty-five books that have sold around eight million copies. Three of them were New York Times bestsellers. And Ive never written a book that I felt was so important for every pet owner to read.

My reason is simple: You should read this book because your pet cant. Dogs need their owners to understand the information in this book so they can help their beloved pets live not just healthy, but also happy, lives.

This isnt a recycled version of the same health and training information covered in many other books (including some of mine!). It features some amazing new information and is the definitive source on helping pet owners remove fear, anxiety, and stress (FAS) from their pets lives, and it gives positive, proactive ways to keep dogs happy and calm.

We call it the calm instead of the storm, both literally and figuratively. Thats because pets do not have to suffer FAS from thunderstorms and other noises, ranging from Fourth of July fireworks to alarms, gunshots, and vacuum cleaners. The same goes for separation anxiety, the pet equivalent of what a human child feels at being lost and separated from family in the bowels of a mall, at a large fair or festival, or on a camping trip.

To ease that suffering means that we, as veterinarians and as pet owners, can no longer ignore FAS but instead must realize that emotional distress is not only damaging in itself, but it also causes physical damage to pets and undermines their health, happiness, and longevity. There are proven tactics and tips in this book that can help your pet become independent and relaxed while youre away at work or play. We also showcase dozens of holistic solutions for FAS, including chill pills, calming music, pheromones, compression garments, and therapeutic massage.

Know that we practice what we preach when it comes to our mandate to consider sedation as a first option, not a last resort. Thats why we also give you some specifics on how to talk productively with your pets veterinarian about proven prescription solutions for stubborn or chronic emotional problems. This book also taps into the decades of experience of the coauthors to provide proven solutions for doggy fears ranging from fear of people or other dogs to fear of inanimate objects, including the exam table at the vets office and the vacuum cleaner at home.