Customer Reviews

Dog Tricks For Dummies

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Sarah Hodgson does a great job of giving step-by-step instructions for training tricks, something that is harder to do than it looks! Everything in here is dog friendly and fun. I taught my dogs several of these tricks, and we made up a few new ones based on what we'd learned.

I wish that there was more content to the book, though. Perhaps 75% of it is filler. There are whole chapters on feeding, medical care and basics like sit, down and stay. Certainly, all of these topics are important, but they have only tangential relevance to trick training.

There are several other filler chapters about dog sports. Why fill 50-odd pages with brief overviews of skijoring, carting and flyball? Each of these sports has more than a few good books that readers can refer to if they're interested. Being a Border Collie owner in Texas, I have no use for info on the Iditarod!

I would much rather have a smaller volume filled with stuff that I want to read. All of this filler dilutes the book, and makes it harder to pick out the valuable info.

I have read through several dog training books all to be disappointed at the lack of a "trick" training section. I have my 2 month old Aussie in obedience classes in hopes to have her compete in Agility and Obedience shows however they are not teaching any fun tricks, just-sit,stay,down,etc. I am very glad that I purchased this book because it covers everything lacking from class and the dog training books I have.It teaches you tricks to teach your dog that I didn't even know were posible. It covers opening and closing doors, putting away toys, jumping through hoops,counting and much more. You won't be disappointed with this book.

In the past I've stayed away from any book whose title made such a negative statement about its reader's intellegence, but when I went searching for information beyond the basic "sit, stay, down, heel . . " commands this was the only one of the shelf. It was actually worth the embarassment of walking through the store with a big yellow and black volumn that seemed to scream, "the woman carrying this is an idiot." Looking back, anyone watching me juggling the book, my squirmy chihuahua puppy, Jesse (obviously in bad need of SOME kind of training), my purse, and a bag full of doggie paraphernalia wasn't thinking I was the smartest person in the store.

The first lesson I learned after buying this book, was to do my shopping online! Beyond that, this book clearly and concisely explains the steps to teaching an amazing array of tricks, many that are fun and clever, but also others that are extemely practical.

The method the author uses (breaking complex tricks into a series of smaller, easy-to-teach skills) is both effective and fun. She also is very frank and kind in explaining that not all dogs are good at all tricks. Her discussion on breeds and their natural abilities helped me identify the tricks my little guy would most likely learn and excell at.

Right now we're learning the 7 basic commands and, at 4 months, my puppy is already getting compliments on his intellegence and good manners. Jesse and I highly recommend this book.

I recently purchased this book to assist my training of Chowder, our 5 year old Aussie. This book varies from basic commands (sit, come, stay, down) to extraordinary tricks such as fetching a soda from the refridgerator. This book provided information on different dog breeds, dog moods and emotions, and ways to stop your pooch's naughty behavior. I think this is the best dog book I have purchased, and it has helped me transform my Chowder into a obediant, lovable dog.

Dog Tricks for Dummies has good detail for the tricks that it has, but I think that more tricks should be explored. Most of the tricks that are in the book are very basic, though there are a few more complicated ones. If this is the first time that you have raised a puppy I would recommend reading this book.

I have learned so much about teaching a pup easy tricks with this book. My dog learned to ring the bell to go potty. It was easy for this dummy to pick up the concepts and pick the ones I was willing to commit to (cuz it does take practice). The pups love the attention and the stimulation. I wish my mom had a book like this to train me....Really..the book gives great tips on training tricks, but also gives information on understanding and managing dog behavior in general. I highly recommend it.

I'm teaching my dog some of the tricks from this book. The book helps you understand how dogs learn and develops the tricks quicker than I thought my dog was willing to learn. The only disagreement I have is the author uses a clicker, but nothing in the book says you really have to have one

As a breeder of labrador puppies, I have been consistently impressed with Sara Hodgson's knowledge and approach to training. She makes even advanced topics easy to understand, and very effective. I recommend her books to every person who takes one of my puppies home and have always received positive feedback. If you are looking to teaching any breed of dog new tricks, this is the book.

This is a great book for beginners to clicker training. The book works its way up from basic commands to elaborate tricks like getting a soda from the refrigerator. And it actually looks easy. There are some great reference websites listed so you can look into the clicker training in more depth. I know how well it works because I have an old dog learning a lot of new tricks! She's a little havanese girl who is just so much fun. She is so excited to be able to please me. And because she is older (5 years), she is often bored and sleeping. This is a wonderful way to get her moving and having fun with me. I recommend this book highly. It works without the clicker too.

From simple everyday obedience to tricks for the stage this ook teaches it all in an easy to understand way.