Customer Reviews

The Canine Good Citizen: Every Dog Can Be One

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a must have for every dog owner. If you own a dog then you need to teach your dog some manners. Every dog has the potential of being a well behaved canine citzen and the Volhards teach you how to motivate your canine to become one. They break down the steps into an 8 week course and thoroughly explain each step. This has become my bible of dog training. The book is centered around taking the Canine Good Citizen Exam, however even if you do not attempt the exam you and your dog will highly benefit from its instruction. It will become an enjoyable time between you and your dog as they promote motivational training. You will be happy with your purchase of this well written book.

Excellent book, easy to read and understand. This should be a manual given out to everyone planning on getting a new puppy, as well as anyone wanting to have a well mannered companion dog of any age. One of the best books I've ever read, well worth the money.

I am a dog nut, a diehard fan of Job Michael Evans and Mryna Milani, owner of more dog books than I can lift at one time.

This is *the* dog book I recommend most often.

I've been a champion of the Canine Good Citizen program since I first heard about it. I expected to read this book and enjoy learning more about the program. I did not expect to be blown away by the practical and compassionate approach of the authors. There are many other dog books out there that I consider useful, helpful, even brilliant... but this is the one book I believe *every* responsible dog owner should make the time to read.

The things I like best about this book aren't in most other books. I found the personality test for the dog both interesting and helpful, and the distinction between dogs who react to fear with flight and those who react with aggression is important.

The discussion of the test itself is detailed, and the training programs, particularly the ones that last several weeks, are helpful and practical. This test requires your dog to perform consistently, and that means practice! Learning how to structure a "Stay" program that will take 4 weeks to complete is critical if you really want a dog that can pass the test.

However, the book was written more than 10 years ago, and the specific techniques rely heavily on physically moving the dog into place. There are some master trainers who can do that, but these days most humane societies and group trainers don't advise amateurs to use those methods unsupervised.

For example, the book says that with some dogs, when teaching "Sit," "You may have to physically place them. With your left hand, stroke down the entire length of the back, over the tail all the way to the stifles, and with equal pressure of the right and left hands, fold the dog into a sit with the command 'Sit.'"

I don't know of any book written in the last 5 years that would recommend this method for home training. Instead, the preferred method is shaping and patience--reward the dog for each effort towards the desired behaviour. Almost all dogs will eventually get there, and the shaping method is usually safer and more reliable for amateurs.

This book uses similar physical manipulation techniques throughout. That's really the only reason I can't give it a higher rating.

I recommend that you get any other good recent book on training for ways of teaching the individual Sit, Down, Heel and Stay behaviours. Then use this book for working out a training schedule specifically to prepare for the Canine Good Citizenship Test.

Most other books are going to talk as though your dog will have Heel mastered in a session or two. And it's true the dog will learn the basic command that quickly. But to truly MASTER it, you will need something like the 8 week training schedule that the Volhards lay out in this book.

There's a lot to learn from this book, and some very practical tips. But you'll also need a current book specifically for amateur trainers to teach the individual techniques--or take a class from your local humane society or work with a local trainer to get the basics.

This book is a step by step, week by week training book. It's not a "Train your dog in 2 hours" book. Any dog owner know that it take time, patience and more time to train a dog. There is an exercise at the beginning to teach your dog who is in control. It takes 30 minutes to do and you need to do it 5 days a week for 4 weeks. If you don't have that kind of commitment this book isn't for you. If you do, then you're in luck. I could see a change in my dogs after the first week. During the 4 weeks that you are doing the control exercises, you will also learn a new command each week for 8 weeks. If you have the time and commitment, BUY THIS BOOK. You and your dog will be good citizen!

This book centers around the American Kennel Club's Canine Good Citizen test, outlining the purpose and content of the test, and providing training information to prepare your dog for the test.
It also provides a useful way to determine the best methods to train your dog, based on your dog's individual drives (a test is provided to determine the level of prey/pack/fight/flight drives in your dog). I found it very helpful in preparing for the CGC test, as well as providing insight into understanding my dog, and ideas to work with her in a productive manner - it includes a very helpful section on stress & training. It does not go into much detail regarding more severe problem behaviors, but covers the basics in a clear & easy-to-understand manner.

The first time I read through this book, I was very new to dog training. I had no idea how valuable the information in this book is. After having trained a few dog, consulting with dog trainers and reading just about every book about dog training and behavior that I can get my hands on I now have a new appreciation for The Canine Good Citizen.

This book contains the basic information that every dog owner should know and understand. It's a great book for someone just starting out and it's a good review of the basics for those of us who have been there, done that. The simple trainig methods work and the added information about how your dog views the world will help you to understand why some of the things you might currently be doing aren't working.

I would and do recommend this book to anyone who has dogs.

This little volume is pure gold. Some may criticize this book as not being advanced enough, or not containing new information - they are missing the point. Ultimately this is a book about educating people about how to help their dogs learn good people manners.

While the context is preparing for the American Kennel Club's Canine Good Citizen test, really this book is for any dog owner. If you have a family dog that needs a little help in learning good people manners, this is the book for you. If you are already involved in competitive dog sports, such as obedience trials or have experience in dog training, this book has not really been written for you.

The Canine Good Citizen test involves 10 individual tests, all of which allow the dog to show that she well mannered in everyday situations. For example two of the tests include the dog must sit politely while being petted by a stranger, and walk politely on leash through a crowd.

Whether you ever test your dog or not, teaching these skills to your dog will result in a dog that is well behaved, a joy to be around. Isn't that what everyone really wants for their family dog?

For me, the best parts of the book are those that coach you on how to work with your dog, how to understand the dog's psychology - how dogs learn. This has been invaluable to me. Early in the book, the authors introduce the idea that dogs are, of course, pack animals. Our human family becomes their pack, and someone has to be the leader of the pack. For everyone's sake, the leader of the pack must be one of the people - not the dog. The Volhards help you understand how to be the pack leader. This is not hard to do and certainly does not require you to be unkind to your dog. Our dog has learned these lessons well enough that she even cheerfully takes commands from our 3 1/2 year old son.

There is plenty of good advice here about preparing for the actual CGC test and what to expect. If passing the CGC test is your goal, the easiest approach is to enroll yourself and your dog in a hands on obedience class and use this book as the companion text book you almost won't get otherwise.

For those without ready access to obedience classes, this book does provide guidance on how to train your dog by yourself. Having been through several obedience classes with our dog, I believe that if you followed the Volhards' advice carefully - and actually practiced the skills as they suggest - you really could train your dog on your own using this book.

I have set myself a challenge - to have our family dog (a 2 year old shelter rescue Australian Shepherd mix) take and pass the CGC test at the local dog show in about a month. As the local dog show is VERY large, this will be an extremely distracting environment and a real challenge for our dog. I am convinced that when our dog takes the test she will pass. This book has helped me understand how to get her ready and how to help her be pretty much the perfect family dog.

In the year-and-a-half since the kids wore me down and convinced me we really "needed" a dog, I have bought several dog books and skimmed many more at bookstores and libraries. This is the one book I would enthusiastically recommend for any dog owner in the early stages of teaching good manners to their dog, even if they never plan on having their dog take the Canine Good Citizen test.

Great stuff, and highly recommended.

Update - our dog has now taken, and passed the Canine Good Citizen test. I am still convinced that the Volhard's book is great stuff. Their advice equipped me to teach our dog to be a well mannered member of the family. Following their advice, she aced the test.

I just received this book a few days ago, but sat down and skimmed it cover to cover. I realized a few things that we were doing with our 4 month old GSD puppy that we should change. The book was easy to understand. The drawings/images help demonstrate proper techniques. There is a great 8-week training schedule to help get any dog trained and manageable. The book also goes over the elements of how a dog is tested for the Canine Good Citizen test and ways to approach the 10 different elements to prepare him/her for the examination. Additionally, it lets you know what you can or cannot do during the test - such as constant verbal contact with the dog being acceptible and no use of food for motivation. I'm excited to start this training and hopefully get our girl her CGC certification.

Once again the Volhards motivational method of dog training is applicable to not only show dogs, but also your household pet. This book also provides preparation for the AKC's Canine Good Citizen test. This test is available to mixed and purebred dogs and alot of fun. This is a fine intro to training a dog for both the home and the ring. The Volhards help you to train by teaching you to see things from the dog's point of view. This method WORKS!!!!