<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: Best dog training book EVER!
Review: "The Dog Whisperer" conveys with clarity and compassion how to train your dog using truly positive methods. Anyone who follows the step by step instructions should not only be able to get great training results, but will benefit from the holistic, relationship-improving aspect of the suggestions throughout. There will always be those who feel dogs must be punished in order to be well behaved. I disagree, and suggest you give the exercises described in this book a chance. They will definitely help to dispel those old myths. As a professional trainer, I am grateful to Paul Owens for this excellent resource. It is on the must-read list I hand out to my clients.
Rating:
Summary: Background needed...
Review: A. Neder from California said that the book recommends ignoring bad behavior. There's more to it than that. A little background in operant conditioning, like the book Don't Shoot The Dog by Karen Pryor can help. It's not that you allow bad behavior and allow it to continue. You instead learn how not to reinforce bad behavior. Sometimes you can do this by ignoring it. Sometimes other steps must be taken.
Rating: 
Summary: Yes, that's right, but also consider ...
Review: As an owner and trainer of many dogs and cats, and as a person whose Ph.D. is partly psychology-based, I loved this book, but ... The problem is that it best fits the person with ideal patience and ideal time-availability. It also best fits the person who does not have a very large, strong, determined, alpha-willed dog. There's really no secret here; education of animals (and people) includes both reward of desired behavior and negative reinforcement of unwanted behavior. It also depends in part on the genetic predisposition of the individual being trained. If there is enough time, and the dog is not a strong-willed alpha personality, working only with positive reinforcement can be effective. But many dog owners just don't have enough time, and some dogs are genetically aggressive, naturally domineering and stubbornly (even manipulatively) willful. My experience with dogs indicates that a few negative reinforcers are sometimes useful, and need not be harmful to the dog. For example, prong or choke callers need not be used harshly, but with dogs such as my 100 lb. male Bull Mastiff the extra control can sometimes be helpful because of his pulling strength and the toughness of his "bull" neck as he suddenly lunges after a bird or squirrel, etc. The book's insightful comments on developmental psychology, explaining aspects of canine emotional and cognitive maturation at different ages are, alone, worth the book's price. Dogs, like children, best learn certain attitudes and behaviors during growth periods that occur at specific ages which the author outlines. He mentions, for example, that dogs are especially sensitive to negative input from eight to ten weeks of age, which is due to the type of brain development that occurs at this age. The author explains that negative-conditioning mistakes that occur at this age often require months or years to attempt to undo. Those of us who have adopted dogs that experienced unfortunate treatment during that age know that these "childhood" experiences in dogs often leave lasting behavioral scars that sometimes barely, if at all, can be undone. Overall, this is an outstanding book, but the methods recommended work best for people with lots of time for patient training, and with dogs of relatively cooperative temperament.
Rating:
Summary: Yes, that's right, but also consider ...
Review: As an owner and trainer of many dogs and cats, and as a person whose Ph.D. is partly psychology-based, I loved this book, but ... The problem is that it best fits the person with ideal patience and ideal time-availability. It also best fits the person who does not have a very large, strong, determined, alpha-willed dog. There's really no secret here; education of animals (and people) includes both reward of desired behavior and negative reinforcement of unwanted behavior. It also depends in part on the genetic predisposition of the individual being trained. If there is enough time, and the dog is not a strong-willed alpha personality, working only with positive reinforcement can be effective. But many dog owners just don't have enough time, and some dogs are genetically aggressive, naturally domineering and stubbornly (even manipulatively) willful. My experience with dogs indicates that a few negative reinforcers are sometimes useful, and need not be harmful to the dog. For example, prong or choke callers need not be used harshly, but with dogs such as my 100 lb. male Bull Mastiff the extra control can sometimes be helpful because of his pulling strength and the toughness of his "bull" neck as he suddenly lunges after a bird or squirrel, etc. The book's insightful comments on developmental psychology, explaining aspects of canine emotional and cognitive maturation at different ages are, alone, worth the book's price. Dogs, like children, best learn certain attitudes and behaviors during growth periods that occur at specific ages which the author outlines. He mentions, for example, that dogs are especially sensitive to negative input from eight to ten weeks of age, which is due to the type of brain development that occurs at this age. The author explains that negative-conditioning mistakes that occur at this age often require months or years to attempt to undo. Those of us who have adopted dogs that experienced unfortunate treatment during that age know that these "childhood" experiences in dogs often leave lasting behavioral scars that sometimes barely, if at all, can be undone. Overall, this is an outstanding book, but the methods recommended work best for people with lots of time for patient training, and with dogs of relatively cooperative temperament.
Rating:
Summary: No other way to train
Review: As far as I am concerned, there is no other way to raise and train a dog. Hopefully you don't own a shock, choke, pinch or prong collar, but if you do, throw it away and order this book! This gentle, effective training method concerns the whole dog, not just a behaviour issue! I've trained all my dogs this way and I own two obedience (yes obd trials without aversive training!)and agility champions!
Rating:
Summary: A library must have
Review: I love this book- and call it a mandatory for those
who really want a well-behaved dog... stress free.
Buy it today!!
Rating:
Summary: Learn a New Approach to Training Dogs
Review: If you only read one dog training book, The Dog Whisperer should be it. I have stacks of books about positive training on my coffee table, but this is the one that is wrinkled and dog-eared and splayed open from repeat reference. Not only is it a very practical reference with logical chapter sequence and an excellent index, but it's also an entertaining, informative, and eye-opening read. Raising a puppy or second-hand-dog can be very stressful at times, and Paul Owens emphasizes positive, non-violent approaches to eliminate this stress and make raising and training your dog fun, and surprisingly easy. Even more importantly, Owens offers thoughtful, comprehensive solutions to problem behaviors such as chewing, excessive barking, jumping up, and mouthing. What makes The Dog Whisperer so different from all the other training books I have is that Owens offers multiple solutions to each problem, recognizing that different things work for different dogs (and people!) For instance, Owens offers 12 approaches to barking, and 13 approaches to mouthing (puppy-nipping). I quickly identified which worked for my puppy and I, and used a combination of the techniques. My rescue puppy responded immediately and loves our training sessions. Within only 3 days, friends, family and strangers were oooohing and aaaaahing over his impressive "tricks" (sitting, lying down, and staying). Having trained 2 other dogs as a child with traditional techniques, it quickly became clear that this positive, non-violent approach is so much faster, more effective, and a million times more pleasant, fun, and stress-free. Working with The Dog Whisperer book and DVD is the very best gift you can give yourself and your dog.
Rating: 
Summary: Extremist point of view!!! NOT a fast training method!
Review: This book allows for absolutely NO kind of correction in dog training..It teaches that the slightest correction is abuse!! It is very extremist.(Not that that is bad. Its good in the fact that it makes you aware that HURTFUL violence should NOT be a part of any dogs life.) The methods taught in here would most likely benefit either a dog who has been sorely abused (and therefore cant take any correction) or a person who is extremely sensitive and wants to try a radical new approach in dog training. (Techniques in here take way longer than the normal "leash correction" training.. Do not get this book if you are looking for a way to get your dog trained in a few months!!!) This book did provide good reading, and it does make good points in the fact that you should spend wonderful, decent, quality, loving time with your dog and prove to him you're there to protect him--BUT it goes in the opposite direction of the basic dog instinct. Anyone who has studied dogs of the wild, has learned of the "Alpha" dog--the one in the pact who "is in charge," giving security to the others in knowing there is someone there to lead them. This book contradicts that and says its NOT true--going against everything people have learned about typical dog pact roles!!! It states that there is no such thing as a "dominant dog" (except in emergency situations) and that in the household, you and your dog are "existing together as family", and you should never try to show dominance over it--undermining any power you have to show your dog that you are a capable leader for him to follow..setting the stage for your dog to start thinking that HE runs the show (and we know how aweful that can be!)!! Now, anyone with a dog knows that dominance and submissiveness ARE a part of a dogs pact life..and the human family is looked upon by the dog as part of his pact--someone HAS to be the dominant one.. and you dont be it, your dog will!! This book is on lines with giving your dog rewards, rewards, rewards.. and praising him for every little thing. WHICH IS GOOD.. however, if a dog needs correcting for something, the book goes against it! You are not allowed to correct your dog for anything-- not even a tiny leash tug when your dog wanders the other way!!!! I highly disagree with the fact that you can't correct your dog. Dogs can and should be corrected..not abused, mind you.. but corrected. GOOD Correction, when done the right way, and not abusively (such as the terrible teaching of rubbing your dog's nose in excrement) is very helpful. I firmly believe lots of love, praise, and affection should be giving to your dogs (I baby my 2 adorable collies!!) and have never hurt them or hit them or any other drastic thing--but I would have never gotten them trained if I would have followed the techniques in this book and never corrected them! (Have you ever seen a dog jump in a rose bush twice? NO ..immediate correction has its place in a dogs life!!) The good things about this book is the wonderful blanket teaching of being kind to your animal and respecting it, the wonderful chapter on nutrition that it includes (even recipes!!!), and the deep breathing/get in tune with your dog exercises!! For that I gave it 3 stars.. otherwise I would have given it 2
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic, well thought out book.
Review: This book manages to do what many training books fail - instill in the reader a PHILOSOPHY of how to treat and train a dog. The philosophy involves patience and positive reinforcement. There are no choke chains or pinch collars to be found here, no shocking of the dog. Instead, there is the building of trust and respect, as well as an attitude of cooperation. If you feel that you should hit your dog, or yell at your dog, or push his face into any mess he makes, then you should either get this book or give the dog to someone who will treat him right.
Rating:
Summary: A Must Have
Review: This is a must have book for true animal lovers. Based on a philosophy of "Raise With Praise", Paul's approach is all about love... and let me tell you, it works! Paul covers every facet of caring for your dog, including: training, a truly healthy diet, and great insight into how dogs think. I've read alot of books on dogs and this is by far the most original and compassionate approach I've seen. He really makes it fun! We trained our dog to sit, stay, come, crawl.. and absolutely had a blast doing it. His biggest asset seems to be that he really gets animals, he knows how they think and this has allowed him to develop a way to communicating with them that is positive and effective. Enjoy.
<< 1 >>
|
