The dog whisperer: Pet trainer to the stars reveals how he gets yapping animals to stop barking

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A celebrity dog trainer has revealed how he transforms agitated, barking pets into calm and friendly animals eager to make friends. 

Nigel Reed, a UK-based canine behaviorist, has worked with thousands of dogs and their owners around the world including celebrity magician Derren Brown.

He believes the key to correcting bad behavior is understanding why the dog is acting out and addressing it calmly. 

Having studied dogs for 15 years, Reed has released a how-to book for dog owners to emulate his techniques.

Among his case studies is Jazz, an energetic German Shepherd whose owner was on the brink of giving her away because her incessant barking was hard to cope with. 

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Canine behaviorist Nigel Reed trained German Shepherd Jazz to stop incessantly barking 

The dog was so noisy her owners were on the brink of giving her away before Reed stepped in

The large dog yapped angrily at the window and front door as people walked past, yanked her owner off her feet during walks and could not be trusted to roam its back yard without a leash.

Her angry barking and jumping around stopped her owner's young grandchildren from visiting and she was unable to interact with other dogs calmly.  

Reed was called in as a final attempt to improve her demeanor. 

After spending some crucial bonding time with Jazz, he tackled her constant barking by first making sure she felt safe and protected by the humans around her. 

This eased her feeling of defensiveness. Instead of scolding her whenever she barked, Reed issued positive commands like 'good girl' or said thank you whenever the animal barked. 

If she continued to make noise, he placed her in an 'isolation' zone to calm down. 

His next challenge was to improve how she related to other dogs while out walking. 

Jazz couldn't be trusted to roam her back yard without a leash because she constantly jumped in the air to look in on neighbors and barked 

The dog would almost pull its owner off her feet during walks when it became agitated at the sight of other animals 

At first, Reed changed direction whenever another dog came their way. Having already built up her trust, she allowed him to take the lead and followed him without a fuss if another animal approached them. 

Eventually, he introduced her to a friend's dog, leading her away slowly to calm down if she panicked before attempting to get the dogs together again. 

Once she had conquered her first meeting, she became more relaxed encountering other animals and her 'aggression' turned in to 'curiosity'. 

The key was making sure the dog felt safe and protected enough by the human leading her that she could trust his decisions. 

It is a common mistake by dog owners to try to discipline a dog out of bad behavior by punishing them, said Reed.  

Reed slowly established a bond with Jazz, first ensuring she felt she could trust him at home and in the garden before venturing out together 

Eventually she began following his commands because she could trust him. During walks, she was soon able to interact calmly with other animals knowing that he was there and had deemed it safe

Jazz was soon confident enough to roam off the lead and get close to other animals without fearing them 

Instead, owners should try to understand why the dog is acting in a certain way first and respond accordingly. 

Nigel Reed has studied dogs and their behavior for 15 years

'The biggest problem with our modern day approach to nurturing dogs is that their needs are widely misunderstood. 

'As a consequence, behavior issues arise and trainers and the internet arm us with techniques to control, distract and tire out the undesirable behavior without understanding why it occurred in the first place.

'We wouldn't do this with children yet it has become common practice with dogs.'

Among his celebrity fans is Derren Brown who considers him an equally-skilled 'magician'. 

'He transformed our wayward and difficult pup into a delightful companion,' he said. 

Reed's book, The Dog Guardian: Your Guide To A Happy, Well-Behaved Dog, can be boguth on Amazon for $12.99 in the US and £10.66 in the UK.

Books are also available to purchase on Reed's website.