The Complete Idiot's Guide to Positive Dog Training, 2E [Paperback]

Pamela S. Dennison (Author)

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Pamela Dennison, owner of Positive Motivation Dog Training, has been training dogs since 1992. After switching methods from traditional punishment-based training methods to positive training, Pam has become an expert on working with dogs with various behavioral issues. She has written a monthly column, “The Barking Lot,” and authored Bringing Light to Shadow: A Story of Recovering an Aggressive Dog.

Product Details

• Paperback: 314 pages
• Publisher: Alpha; 2 edition (February 7, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592574831
• ISBN-13: 978-1592574834
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #750,053 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

NEW!!!! The Complete Idiot's Guide to Positive Dog Training now has an ONLINE class! So no matter where you live, you can now train with me! www.idiotsguidepositivedogtraining.com


I started out my writing career by accident. I adopted Shadow and for some unknown reason, decided to keep a diary on his acclimation into my household. After working with Ted Turner (not Jane Fonda's ex), he mentioned that I should turn that diary into a series of articles. And voila! Bringing Light to Shadow was born! It took me over a year to find a publisher for it though, but in the meantime, my agent found me another opportunity to write a book for the Complete Idiot's Guide series - and then came The Complete Idiot's Guide to Positive Dog Training. And the rest as they say, is history. Five books, four DVDs and 35+ articles later, I am still writing and in fact, would really love to delve into fiction, except I have no clue how to go about it.

Of course, I am still training dogs and helping people to help their dogs and create positive relationships. I speak across the country and across the ocean as well on many different topics - from positive training in general, to working with aggressive dogs, to free shaping, to Rally obedience and competition obedience. I went to Australia last year and spoke at the APDT conference - once I got over my fear of flying, I was thrilled to be there. I have some seminars coming up soon - in Chicago, IL, Richmond, VA and of course here at home.

I have a 7,000 sf facility in the wilds of New Jersey - yes there really are wilds in New Jersey and keep busy with my business and my own dogs. Shadow is still here - he is now 10 years old and doing great! He continues to surprise me with how "normal" he is. It used to take him months to warm up to new people and now, it only takes seconds. After earning his CGC (Canine Good Citizen certificate ) back in 2001, he has gone on to earn his CD (Companion Dog title), NA and NAJ, has a few legs of Open (agility), his ARCHEX and Level 3 titles in Rally obedience, (and he has been in the Top 20 for National Ranking for 3 years) his TSW (Team Swim certificate for Canine Water Sports) and is now working toward his certification for tracking. He could get it now if I were a better handler.

My other dogs at present are Emma and Beau - both rescued Border collies. I compete with them in most sports and are very successful. They have also been on stage and screen - Emma was in an Olympic Paint commercial, Beau was in a Mack Truck print ad and Beau and I were both in the movie "I am Legend!" Don't hurry out to buy it on my account - we are only in for 6 seconds (I counted) in the very last scene.

My complete listing of books:
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Positive Dog Training, 2nd edition, Alpha Pearson
Bringing Light to Shadow; A Dog Trainer's Diary, Dogwise
How to Right a Dog Gone Wrong; A Roadmap for Rehabilitating Aggressive Dogs, Alpine Publications
Civilizing the City Dog (a supplement to the above title), Alpine Publications
Click Your Way to Rally Obedience, Alpine Publications

My DVDs:
Positve Solutions for Standard Behavior Problems, Barkleigh Productions
Camp R.E.W.A.R.D. for aggressive and reactive dogs, Barkleigh Productions
The 2 above were seminars that were taped
The Magic of Shaping; Explore the Possibilities, Tawzer Dog Videos
Training the Whistle Recall, Positive Motivation Dog Training
The Magic of Shaping; Explore the Possibilities

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful book for the basics, June 21, 2006

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citywulf (Atlanta, Georgia USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Positive Dog Training, 2E (Paperback)

Pam Dennison is perhaps one of the best authors in terms of presenting positive training in an understandable way, that shows clearly why it works and how it fits naturally into a dog's "culture." I also love that she included not just one, but two chapters on body language - sorely lacking in many books. This one has knocked a couple other recommended reads a bit lower on my list. More approachable than Pat Miller (an excellent trainer but too much train-of-thought in her books) and less technical than Pamela Reid (excellent read if you want more depth, tho), anyone can use this tool to create a wonderful relationship with a willing, eager-to-learn companion.

This book is not for the more challenging issues. It is mostly manners and prevention - the basics. Pair it with Outwitting Dogs, however, and you have all you need to tackle most* issues (*barring aggression, which should be handled with the help of a behaviorist who uses counter-conditioning and desensitization).

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not enough useful practical information, May 5, 2008

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Comparison Shopper "KW in OC" (So. Cal.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Positive Dog Training, 2E (Paperback)

The author discusses positive training adnosium and yet she glosses over important points and techniques. Potty training is covered in a page and a half, which seems a bit scant to me in a book about dog training. This is not so much a book on how to train your dog but book on the philosophy of positive dog training.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simple, clear and concise explanation on basic training, December 26, 2010

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yelladog - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Positive Dog Training, 2E (Paperback)

I found This guide to be a clear and concise guide to training using non-force techniques. The principals are covered as are the basic steps for techniques for basic behaviors. When I was looking for a general book on positive techniques, this is one of few that covers the science as well as covers the "how to"-that being said, this is not a book on aggression or reactive dog techniques-this is a primer and as such, covers the bases better than most.