Customer Reviews

How Dogs Learn (Howell reference books)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As a professional police dog trainer this book is the only dog training book that I have read that addresses the heart of in my field training. Late in life I decided to learn about the science behind training and now a student of behavior science. This book should be a must read for every trainer. Information here goes directly to applied behavior modification something every trainer should have at very least a working understanding of.

A very good book for the more technical reader. Ever since Pavlov got dogs to salivate when he rang a bell, man has studied dogs and associated their behavior with ours. This book uses all that great dog data (60-100 years)to tell us more about dogs instead of humans. Novel idea. I liked it. A little dry. I read most books and hope to get something good I can use. This book more than met my expectations. "Behavior Problems In Dogs" I think Bill Cambell was as good or better. Both must reads for the serious trainer.

Coming back into the world of dog training after a few years, I grabbed several of my previously owned books to review and redigest. I have only started to read "How Dogs Learn", and found the first chapter fascinating. It outlines, with just enough information without "too much" detail, the history of behavior and training from the scientists' and the trainers' perspective. I found it so helpful to have both histories and to be able to visually see how the two are now forming bridges to one another's vast databases of knowledge.
I also note that the author is very fair in her assesment of those "training forefathers", who though we as positive trainers might disagree with, truly made great investments in the dog training industry, and who deserve to be recognized for their contributions.

I recognized so many of the people involved, as well as the books, which are also mentioned (which is great- If I want to get into more detail, I know what to look for).

I still have much to read, but I am very excited about reviewing the principles of operant conditioning, and seeing more illustrations of how two worlds have begun to forge a united base of knowledge, which is sure to clarify and enlighten all of us trainers in the end.

Dawn D.
"NJHeart2Heart"

A very quick read, this book covers the science of behaviorism very accurately. While I personally didn't learn anything new here (but have read many books on the subject) this was the most concise book on the subject yet. It explains the important concepts without getting too technical but still telling you what you need to know.

This book covered most of what I learned in my undergrad Learning And Behavior psych course.

I reccomend this book to people not just interested in how to train, but interested in why these training methods work. I would also reccomend Pryor's Don't Shoot The Dog which covers the same concepts but relates it to humans as well.

A very good look at the fundamentals of behavior. This book uses the work of many top behavior reseachers and makes it easily understandable. A must for every animal owner, not just dog people.

This book was a little simple for me, since I have and experimental psychology background. However, I did discuss it with a few friends with dogs, and found that they had no idea that they were actually reinforcing bad behaviors in their dogs. There are very good suggestions for gradually encouraging wanted behaviors and discouraging the unwanted behaviors. I highly recommend this to anyone who has not previously trained a dog. It is also a good checkup for experienced dog people, like me, to make sure we remember all the mistakes we could make.

This book goes over timing, consistency and motivation, with these you can teach any dog any thing! Everything you need to know on how to train a dog is in this book! I am a professional dog trainer and every now and then I reread this book just for a refresher, there are a lot of new terms in it that might get a little bothersome at first, but after you learn them everthything starts to make sense... Almost like common sense, and you wonder why you didn't think of it in the first place

This book is stunning in academic detail... as well as offering various foundations on which to build one's own canine education program. This book provides explanations of the different types of training - positive & negative, reinforcement & punishment - as well as how the *why* each type will result in a change in behavior. After 35+ years of working with animals (from punishment based to positive reinforcement based) this book is a Gold Mine!

This is an easy to understand explanation of, just as the title implies, how dogs learn. The authors' discussion of Operant Conditioning is understandable by trainers and dog owners who are not trained behaviorists. Once you read this book you will not only understand how a dog learns but also how various training methods function. Read this book first and then find you favorite book on dog training. It will help you be a more effective trainer.

I have trained many dogs using only one method. This book showed me all dogs are different. If you carefully watch your dog you will discover what kind of rewards will work for him using operant conditioning. I finally understood the methods some trainers use such as the clicker which previously to reading this book drove me nuts! Also, the history of dog training with short biography on the persons who developed dog training from the beginning. Scientific evidence for types of training and different methods of operant conditioning. What makes a good dog trainer read this book and find out. Excellent book. Book from Amazon.com