Rating: 
Summary: A Few Good Ideas
Review: Strengths:
1) "Amichean bonding" (becoming the alpha member of your pack) seem absolutely right and very valuable.
2) Fennell advances a few simple-to-implement ideas about the right way to become the aphla member. She also communicates the theory of becoming an alpha that allows you to devise ways yourself.
3) The book is effective in communicating her points, working on an intellectual level through clarity and repetition and on an emotional level. It's not a book you will dismiss. Insofar as it teaches a few simple valuable lessons, it's worth the price and the time.
4) Fennell takes a humane and ethical approach to our relationship with dogs. The book borders on inspirational.
Weaknesses:
1) Stripped on the andecdotes (which become a bit repetitive) the book could be condenses to 25 pages. The 30-day manual repeats some material verbatim from the first part of the book.
2) I am sceptical that Fennell's apprach is the key to solving as wide a range of behavior problems as she suggests. Surely there moust be oter types of canine dysfunctionalities than a dog's thinking it's the alpha.
3) Her andectodal approach strikes me as misleading because she never mentions her failures (which I am sure must sometimes occur).
4) She's weak on science. As anotrher reviewer mentioned, Fennell seems to have picked up her knowlege of wolves from a few video tapes and some readings. At a minimum, she does not display great breatth or depth of learning.
5) Some of her methods, for example teaching dogs to stay and heel, seem to me simply a matter of operant conditioning: rewarding with treats good behavior. There's noting to new here.
Finally, I have not read widely in the field. Therefore I cannot comment on the book's originality. My "Idiot's Guide," for example, contained some of the same core advice, like eating before your dog. So you may already know what she has to say. As a layperson, I vaguely knew it, but still got a good deal out of the book.
Rating: 
Summary: Best book on the subject I have ever read
Review: This is the best book on dogs I have ever read! It is set forth in simple terms, with easy to follow case studies that illustrate the method. It begins with the author seeking solutions to "dog issues" everyone can relate to. We join her on her journey to solutions that work.There were actually things I learned I do right with my pack of 4. I would recommend this book as a first choice for anyone living with dogs or soon to be. Now if she would only come up with a book on cats.
Rating:
Summary: Best book on the subject I have ever read
Review: This is the best book on dogs I have ever read! It is set forth in simple terms, with easy to follow case studies that illustrate the method. It begins with the author seeking solutions to "dog issues" everyone can relate to. We join her on her journey to solutions that work. There were actually things I learned I do right with my pack of 4. I would recommend this book as a first choice for anyone living with dogs or soon to be. Now if she would only come up with a book on cats.
Rating:
Summary: No need to get any other book
Review: This is the only dog training book I have read. I don't feel a need for any other. And I couldn't put it down! I noticed "The Dog Listener" on a friend's bedside table and decided to purchase my own copy as I had just gotten my first puppy (my very own, as an adult out in the world- sure, my family has dogs in their home, but this was my first time with one on my own). I think Jan Fennell's book is great, whether or not a person decides to use her methods. If you love animals, you'll be fascinated with the stories the author shares, and you'll be blown away by the amount of unbelieveable pressures we humans can cause our dogs to contract.
I tried several of these very basic tecniques on my dog, as well as my parent's new puppy, their older dog, and my sister's older dog. I have no failure rate to report. The changes are so small and make such a big difference. My parent's puppy no longer "swats" us on the leg when we go into the yard, and he doesn't immediately roll over and present his belly for scratching- and all we did was start ignoring that behavior.
This is truly, truly an amazing book and I have bought it for each dog owner in my family and plan to buy several more as Christmas gifts. I like the "scenario" way of presenting a problem and teaching how to correct it rather than a textbook step-by-step method. It makes for an easy read.
Rating:
Summary: "The Dog Listener"
Review: We have three dogs; all three could have been the roll models for this book. They were hell on legs. Now after reading this very easy to read book and following Miss Fennell's "Amichien" process we have the most laid-back pooches you could ask for, and all with perfect manners. I have read all the other reviews and find that the only critiques are either clicker people who only want robots not a well-adjusted member of the family or people who have reviewed what must be another book entirely. I can and do recommend this book to every dog owner old or new. If everyone used Miss Fennell's process of communication with the canine world, I am sure there would not be the thousands of dogs in desperate need of re-homing all over this Great Country of ours. I am looking forward to the release of Jan's second book over here, as it has already been published in the UK.
Rating:
Summary: A must-have book
Review: What a great book. I'd go as far as saying it's a must-have for the true dog lover. I saw results in my dogs in just two days. Jan Fennell is an absolute genius of the doggy mind! I have read lots of books on dogs and this one is at the top of my list of recommendations for others.
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