Most Helpful Customer Reviews
61 of 61 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bridging the Inter-species Communication Gap, January 24, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: Dog Talk: Training Your Dog Through A Canine Point Of View (Hardcover)
John Ross is vastly under-rated and under-cited; at least it seems that way with other trainers I've spoken with on the East Coast of the USA. This book provided the foundation for my training with my first dog that has led to my entry into professional dog training. While many people looking for house manners for their puppies seem to turn to the Monks of New Skete book, a fine work in its own rite, those who I encounter who chose *Dog Talk* typically seem to have better working relationships with their dogs. Perhaps it is his clear, concise, and straightforward method that makes the difference. Not only does he talk about his successes in dog training, he offers examples of his own failures in dog training to clearly demonstate to the reader better methods that he acquired as a result. Personally, I like to learn from someone who is likewise interested in learning, as well--I tend to be wary of those who seem to have never made mistakes. Not only does he get a dog owner through the basics of house manners, he includes solid instructions for expanding into a working relationship with a canine, and that includes a few fun tricks. This book is divided into two sections--the white section includes general stories, and anecdotally describes how to speak to your dog on a level he understands. In the central grey section he tells, step-by-step, how to train a particular behaviour (e.g., "Sit," "Stay," etc.), what to expect as your dog begins to learn, and how to address specific problems as they arise in the training process. He doesn't expect one to read his mind when he describes a process--he gives one all the necessary information, including photographs, so one will know if one is going about something the right way. The only potential drawback to this book is that he does incorporate a traditional dog training collar in some exercises. I contend, however, that if one has firmly followed his instructions on how to engage a dog--in language the dog understands--one will find that the dog performs such that corrections are not necessary. This is especially true if you begin work with a puppy (a dog under the age of two). If all humans engaged their new pups in *Dog Talk* from the day they brought them home, the dog shelters/dog pounds would no longer be over-flowing with discarded pets, and there would be virtually no such thing as a "bad" dog anymore. This book really is just that good.
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42 of 42 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Pleasantly surprised, October 20, 1999
This review is from: Dog Talk: Training Your Dog Through A Canine Point Of View (Hardcover)
My wife and I had to interview for our labrador (twice), and were REQUIRED to purchase this book before we took ownership of our dog. I was kind of irked by this, and purchased this book to pacify both my wife and this kennel owner. With this as a background (I began reading this book with a bad attitude), I was amazed at what I read. Everything about the book made perfect sense. One reason this book is so different from all of the others is that it makes the reader stop and think in terms of a canine -- something that many people who just want a "dog" refuse to do. This book will not disappoint anyone whose dog is top priority in their life (which is hopefully the case).
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36 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
*THE* companion dog training book, August 10, 2001
By A Customer
This review is from: Dog Talk: Training Your Dog Through A Canine Point Of View (Hardcover)
Dog training has recently gone through a metamorphosis, churning out a whole new slew of "positive only" training methods. Clickers and food are the new tools of the trade. Well, let me tell you - don't go for this "ersatz" training. You will only be in for frustration - both for you and your dog. Train your dog properly - in a way that is both easy and that your dog understands - without the use of gimmicks like treats and noisy toys. _Dog Talk_(and John Ross's book on puppy training)are the way to get there. He teaches you how to train a pet dog for real life. The "down-stay" is focused on immediately in his step-by-step training program, as he understands how this simple command can make or break your relationship with your dog. You teach all the commands in steps that introduce the dog to what you want without harsh corrections. You mold the dog into position, instead of correcting upwards sharply for a sit, gently place the dog in a down - no dragging with the collar. When your dog begins to understand, you up the criteria until your dog understands fully enough to "test" her. You place the leash and training collar on and give the command. Due to the work you have put into teaching the meaning of the word, you dog will almost certainly do as you ask. If not, a gentle correction is used to guide the dog into the proper position. If you had to use a correction, you go back and work on understanding with your dog. This is a completely comprehensive and fair way of training a dog. The author also teaches you how to solve all sorts of behavioral "problems" like food stealing, leash pulling, and jumping up in a fair and comprehensible manner that the dog understands very well. You correct using your dogs own natural corrections - a scruff shake, a harsh "Naaah" growl, a nip on the snout. This is what a dog understands. A dog doesn't understand that if it stops eating the cake on the table it will get a click and treat - it understands that if you don't stop her, she gets to eat cake, and that eating the cake is perfectly acceptable. If you growl "naaaahhh" as your dog is thinking about jumping up to eat the cake, you dog thinks "uh oh, that behavior is not something that Pack Leader will allow" and leaves the cake. Possibly she will try again, and you(pack leader) would follow up with a harsher "naaaah" and possibly a scruff shake. Again, and a nip on the muzzle. This is what a dog understands - the growl warns the dog that repercussions will ensue if she continues on that path. She understands that if she continues, she will be corrected. A dog learns this while with their mother. Its the natural way to train your dog - using your dog's own language. This is what you learn using Dog Talk. I have had many dogs. This book has helped me teach them each how to be exemplary companions in every way. We can go to baseball games - my dog will lie down and stay, her leash in her mouth. We can walk down busy streets - depending on local laws, she can wear her leash, or she can walk beside me carrying it in her mouth. She listens when I speak, and is continuing her education so that she can compete in obedience trials. When I first got her, she was overweight, aggressive, had separation anxiety, more energy than should be possible in a single dog, and the ability to pull me off my feet on walks. Now she is one of the best dogs I have ever had, because I learned to talk to her in her own language.
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