Customer Reviews

Dog-Friendly Dog Training

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This book saved me a lot of head aches and money. I've tried many dog behavior classes and was at the end of my rope. I now have better control over my dog's behavior and can manage him without screaming at him. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants an easy to understand dog training manual.

I can not begin to describe how helpful this book was to me. Being the owner of an extremely difficult and what I thought was an unmanageable dog, I had almost lost hope. It was quite a relief when I learned that I didn't have to be harsh when teaching my dog basic manners. Many thanks to the author!

This book was fantasic! I had so much trouble with my dog and I didn't know what to do. Finally, I found a book that helped solve all of my problems. This book saved me so much money, it saved my hands and it saved my furniture. Thank god for this book!

Recently, I got my first ever dog! My whole life has been filled with cats and other creatures but I have always wanted a dog. Needless to say, I was at a loss when it came to dog life. Luckily, while filling (overfilling to be exact) my cart at the pet store, puppy in tow, I ran across Andrea Arden's book. Of course, I immediately read the section on toliet training. Puppy Max and I are following the crate method described which is going well.
I don't think I could have survived the first night without Andrea's advice. My pillow was very useful in covering my ears to the wails of Max from the crate but sure enough, he stopped.
Everything from socialization (Pumba, my Bengal cat, is just enthralled with Max and took off with his dog bone last night while my other cat is still adjusting) to teaching tools to feeding is covered throughly in the book using simple language. Loved the sections in purple on every page!
The positive reward system for training has already taken hold and Max loves praise for peeing out on the grass!
We have just started to work on the barking lately. Can't wait until 4 lb Max grows a little so we can start the leash!
Like I said, this book has been so important in my house (chewed edges and all). Highly recommended for a novice mom like me!
By the way, I would appreciate any other tips for great dog books!

This book was recommended to me by an animal behavior specialist for training an old dog I rescued from the shelter. He wasn't housebroken and had a myriad of other behavior problems that needed work.

This book teaches you how to train a dog using rewards instead of punishment. It works remarkably well. I was able to teach my dog all the basic commands ('sit', 'down', 'stay', etc.) in just a couple of weeks. I also taught him to fetch a ball which was fun for both of us. When I first got him and tried it he would not even look at the ball when I threw it so I thought it would never work. But it only took a few weeks before he was fetching like a pro - giving a great indoor workout for this senior dog.

The book is comprehensive but brief and includes nice illustrations that make the training easier. It is also written in a simple style that should appeal to children, too.

My only complaint about the book is the reward style of teaching is most effective using food treats and rewards. My dog has digestive problems and so this method is limited. Still, all in all, this is a great book and I can highly recommend it - especially to new dog owners or those who are still "punishing" their pets.

My wife and I have a 2 year-old Golden Retriever and this book was a life saver. Andrea Arden really helped us to change our approach to training and we've noticed drastic behavioral changes in our dog. Many many thanks to Ms. Arden!

I feel truly fortunate that this is the book I chose to give me an introduction to dog training when I got my dog. I feel like it has really steered us in the right direction for getting my dog to be happy, healthy, and excited about behaving well. We aren't done with training by any means, and I will have to train myself to continue training him, but I feel like this book was really on the right track.

The book teaches alternatives to the physical prompting that was so popular in the 70s and 80s. The two main alternatives are Reward training and Lure/Reward training. Basically, you are doing Reward Training if you just wait for the dog to do what you want him to do and then give him a treat and praise for doing it. Lure/Reward training goes a little bit faster and may be the best way to teach positions like sit, stand, and (lie) down. You hold a lure like a treat or piece of kibble in your hand, and depending on how you move it, the dog's position changes. The book also gives guidelines on physical prompting, though the guidelines are very gentle and tend to be combined with rewards and lure/reward training.

The best news is that you can start any of this training no matter how old your dog is. While a lot of behaviors and habits are learned in the puppy stages, an old dog actually can learn new tricks when properly motivated with rewards like treats, praise, attention, and toys.

This was the second dog training book I bought and even today ( 1 year later) I still go back to it as a reference. I use this book and Dog Training for Dummies as resources, after all training is just as much for me as it is my dogs - hence I have to study and learn in order to teach them.

I recently got a second dog and neither of these book delve into this domain so I needed more specialized books. But this book was an excellent beginning!

My Boston Terrier puppy was a bit of a handful so a friend recommended this book because she said it was really helpful with her Rotweiller puppy. What I like about it is it is very simple, but also thorough. The writing is great and the illustrations are perfect for making the instructions perfectly clear.

To the poster with the Dalmatian....you should read the book again because you are doing all the things that Andrea tells you not to do. A walk should not be time for potty. It should be a treat. Now back to the book, I have read a number of books on puppy training and Andrea's is very simple to read and entertaining. It is right on target. I take my puppy to her classes in NY and her techniques (based on guru Ian Dunbar's SIRIUS puppy training). Great for beginning trainers and experts alike.