Dog Training For Dummies [Paperback]

Jack Volhard (Author), Wendy Volhard (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 20, 2010

Make training fun and effective

This friendly guide shows you how to select the right training method for your dog, based on his unique personality, to reach your desired goals. Whether you want to teach Buddy to sit or master retrieving, you'll get expert training tips and techniques for you and your dog — to ensure a mutually respectful relationship with your four-legged friend.

• Concentrate on canines — discover why your dog acts the way she does, understand her nutritional needs, and ready yourself for the task of training your dog

• Prep for your pup — prepare your home for your puppy's arrival, discover the importance of socialization, and get started on housetraining

• Put your best paw forward — teach basic commands like Sit, Stay, and Down, and get the scoop on how to deal with doggie don'ts like chewing, digging, and excessive barking

• Take training to the next level — get involved in organized dog activities and competitions, where you'll both show off impressive tricks like retrieving, figure 8s, and much more

Open the book and find:

• Step-by-step instructions for teaching your dog basic commands

• Helpful advice on crate training

• Safe ways to address aggression and separation anxiety

• Tips for teaching Buddy to behave himself around people and other dogs

• Techniques to keep your senior dog feeling young

• Health issues that can interfere with training

• Experts to turn to for training help

Learn to:

• Use positive reinforcement as an effective teaching tool

• Select the gear you need for training success

• Teach the basics including Sit, Stay, and Down

• Eliminate unwanted behavior

Editorial Reviews

Review

"this book will give you practical information on and understandable explanations of your dog's behaviour and how to train him." Dogs Monthly August 2008 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Back Cover

Latest training commands from sitting to retrieving

Find out why positive reinforcement is an effective teaching tool

Does your dog need training? Featuring new and updated information on popular training methods, this hands-on guide provides clear step-by-step instructions that show you everything from housetraining and socializing a puppy to understanding your dog's behavior to dealing with doggie don'ts. You'll also explore advanced training for competition and see how to find outside help.

Discover how to

• Appreciate the influence of nutrition on your dog?s behavior
• Teach your dog basic commands
• Determine your dog's personality
• Make training fun and effective

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 408 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies; 3 edition (July 20, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470600292
• ISBN-13: 978-0470600290
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #21,010 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #43 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Agricultural Sciences > Animal Husbandry

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

132 of 139 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Mixed bag, June 16, 2005

By 

Debbie the Book Devourer "dletour7" (Waltham, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dog Training for Dummies (Paperback)

I thought the parts of this book that talked about training were, for the most part, quite good. The authors give clear instructions and reasons for their practices. For example, don't say "no" to your dog; tell him what you want him to do instead. If he's jumping, say sit, for example. Be consistent. Reinforce commands. Say commands only once. I could give more examples, but you get the idea: sound, sane, and humane advice. The advanced training sections started to lose me a bit. I found them tedious after a while.

Although the authors are very experienced with all aspects of caring for dogs, I thought they were reaching a bit with their nutritional and medical advice. They talked about homeopathic remedies as though they're proven treatments. They're not. Anecdotal evidence is not the same as statistically significant results from controlled studies. Their opinion on vaccines seemed dangerous and unbalanced. They have too much confidence in their alternative nutrition and treatment methods -- maybe they have some effect, but they're not perfect. A well-fed dog could still get fleas and infections and communicable diseases. After a while, they sounded like shills for the company that makes the supplements they use. Finally -- and I hope you'll excuse the e-shouting, but I cannot emphasize this enough -- DO NOT FEED YOUR DOG RAISINS, EVEN FOR A TREAT! Scientists haven't yet identified what it is about grapes and raisins, but they've been implicated in acute toxicity and even death in some dogs.

And as someone who makes a living from the written word, I have to say it seemed to me that the copy editor gave up on this book around Page 200. The text in the last half of the book is full of typos, errors, and repetitive writing -- not repetitive as in emphasizing a point, but repetitive as in restating the content of one paragraph in the next. Ugh.

The training advice was sound. Read this book for that, and disregard the rest.

44 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Worthy of a Spot on Your Bookshelf, January 1, 2004

By 

Starry "evenstar7139" (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dog Training for Dummies (Paperback)

This book gets put down a lot because it has a couple of flaws. However, overall, it is a great book on Dog Training, and it contains a lot of information the person trying to train their dog really needs to know. This book helps you get inside your dog's head and understand why he does and does not listen. It puts the world as your dog sees it in perspective and shows you how to communicate on his level so you can help him understand exactly what is expected of him.

If you read this book you will become someone who can control their dog and have a happy, obedient canine companion.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not just for Dummies, September 16, 2005

By 

houses - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dog Training for Dummies (Paperback)

This book was both useful and interesting for old hat dog owners and new ones as well. I initially found it at a friend's house and while flipping through the chapters I decided I needed one for myself. Though I am very familiar with dogs, the behvioural sections helped me get a handle on my new puppies' quirks and demands, particularly the section on typing your dog's profile. They were a new breed for me, and rescues, so I appreciated the explanation of behaviours I was not familiar with. I liked this book enough to send it on to my parents when they recently got a new dog as well. I did not find the homeophatic information very helpful at all, however I don't think the inclusion of that information outweighed the potential benefit of owning the book.