Customer Reviews

The Heart of the Matter : Breaking Codes and Making Connections Between You and Your Dog or Your Cat

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I was a fan of their first book(Smarter Than You Think). Paul and Suzanne really made bringing up my three dogs so simple. These dogs are the envy of everyone who has met them. Their second book "Heart of the Matter", really helped me to further understand their methods. The reading is entertaining while packed with valuable suggestions. My dogs are part of my family. Because I feed them canned dog food and everything that I eat, they are beautiful and healthy. They do not smell and sleep in the bed with my husband and I. They eat everthing we do and don't have to beg for their food. What a pleasure having well behaved dogs. I can not say enough about their methods, they work and work fast. In a matter of hours, you can show your dog what is expected of him. In addition, the funny thing is dogs love it! I have read many books on this subject, but none as comprehensive and user friendly as this one. These are people who understand and love animals! My sister even used these techniques on her cat and it worked! BUY THIS BOOK, AND MAKE YOUR LIFE AND MORE IMPORTANTLY YOUR ANIMALS LIFE SO MUCH BETTER!

Paul Loeb's book takes an unduly complicated subject and makes it simple. When I read this educational and entertaining book I found myself saying "Of course, why didn't I think of that! ". I think every great philosophy and discovery has that element of recognition. Animals in the wild don't get fed canned mush, they eat natural foods just as we do. Why should we not allow our dogs to eat the way every other animal does? And why should we not use our human advantage (hands that can throw) to impress them and make them behave in a way that benifits us, our neighbors and therefore the dogs themselves? Absolute common sense, and it works. My dog is wonderful and much happier since she understands that I am in control. I can take her anywhere and be proud of her. Thank you Paul Loeb, when is the next book coming out?

All of our animals, dogs, cats and horses have been raised and nurtured with the healthy and humane methods of Paul Loeb over a span of 18 years. The unique method involves only and always a soft voice,a loving approach and common sense.All basic training took us no more than a week and was never difficult as the animals all responded quickly. Our animals,with the exception of the horses, ate "Healthy Food" and as a result spent very little time sick and visited the vet when the yearly notice came in the mail.We have had glorious years with our animals who are (and were) all gentle, intuitive and loving. All of our animals adjusted to "our way of living" and all became "family members" as well as life- long friends",without exception. We would never dream of owning any pet without applying "the Loeb Methods".It is a joy to live with all of our animals in a loving and peaceful family- and we are grateful that we found Paul Loeb so many years ago.

This book is amazing. I have three dogs. A beagle, a labrador and a rottweiler. They do exactly what I say when I say it and seem to love me all the more. I really understand them now, and see my mistakes in dog rearing in the past. I have never found a book like this. You do what he says, exactly, and it works. Period. No nonsense - a slap on the behind is effective punishment for some offenses. The "throwing technique" is the best. If your dog is doing something wrong, correct him verbally and if he ignores you, throw something at him! It doesn't have to hit him - I use sock balls with pups - and your dog will obey you immediately. This guy is Dr. Doolittle. Got a dog? GET THIS BOOK!

The technique works! No question about it. It makes perfect sense. We had a very aggressive dog as a puppy and now we have a loveable dog. She only reponds to the magic touch.

She hated crates from the moment she was a puppy and the tether was the perfect answer for her and us.

Fresh food is easy and she enjoys it. She will eat only what she wants and never begs from the table because she is eating what we are. She is healthy and happy. Isn't it curious as soon as your dog feels ill the vet quickly tells you to give the dog chicken and rice. Wow! why change their diet? - What is in the dog food that is so bad that our food is better. And isn't our food just fresh food! Why can't dogs have fresh food???

GREAT BOOK - Great Philosphy

The technique works! No question about it. It makes perfect sense. We had a very aggressive dog as a puppy and now we have a loveable dog. She only reponds to the magic touch.

She hated crates from the moment she was a puppy and the tether was the perfect answer for her and us.

Fresh food is easy and she enjoys it. She will eat only what she wants and never begs from the table because she is eating what we are. She is healthy and happy. Isn't it curious as soon as your dog feels ill the vet quickly tells you to give the dog chicken and rice. Wow! why change their diet? - What is in the dog food that is so bad that our food is better. And isn't our food just fresh food! Why can't dogs have fresh food???

GREAT BOOK - Great Philosphy

I love my dog, I love my cats, and I love them even more after this book.

I took my very hyper one year old dog (we walk 5 miles a day together and he's still hyper) to see a trainer. I was told to keep him (the dog, not the trainer) tethered to me for over 5 weeks, all the time. And the rest of the time, he was to be crated. We were to practice heeling in a triangle formation for 40 minutes a day. I had to pass through all doorways before him or he wouldn't respect me. He had to eat in his crate, and he couldn't go for a walk for the whole first week of training. In the trainer's words, "If you don't have a leash or tether on him at all times in the house, how will you correct him if he's doing something wrong?" I never went back to the trainer.

Enter Paul Loeb's "Magic Touch" (a silly name, I know, but whatever). It's the same thing that Koehler and many others suggest when they use throw chains. You basically just chuck something at the dog or cat when it misbehaves, and guess what? It stops the misbehavior. Then you actually hardly ever have to do it again because your pet knows you can enforce your rules even when you can't reach him or her. It's the same principal as an electric collar... control even at a distance, except it has less of a chance of misfiring, and it costs significantly less.

Here's some examples of what I've been struggling with for the past YEAR, and how I solved the problems in two days.

a) My one cat has taken to licking everything in sight when he wants to eat. He does it loudly and repetitively, right by my face. If I try to stop him, he runs away, feeling surely rather smug at my slowness and his speed. I threw a small throw pillow. It worked. He looked at me, surprised, and came over. He hasn't tried again. Note that I said "small throw pillow," and not "five lb. dumbbell." My cat is not hurt, nor is he traumatized. He still comes to lie on my chest or lap. He still looooveeesss me.

b) My dog is allowed a few barks at the window, then he must stop. He is not allowed to jump on the screen. Yesterday, he did. I told him, "Buddy, stop it." He did not. I threw the same small throw pillow (he is a German Shep mix...again the throw pillow will not stun him into submission). He instantly stopped, gave me a very wounded look, went and sulked in the bathroom for fifteen minutes, then came back and brought me his toy.

c) My dog also bolts after animals when off-leash, and barks loudly and pulls my arm off when he sees another dog and he's on the leash. Growls and everything, because he was attacked as a pup and is mildly fear aggressive. He starts pulling and barking, I throw my flipflop down HARD on the ground in FRONT of him. Not on him. Woah. Stopped. Ever since I threw the pillow at him inside, he no longer bolts after animals. He know I can reach him with my keys, the leash, or my flipflop. Today, a chipmunk walked 4 feet in front of us across the path. My dog did not even try to run. A raccoon and her baby crossed our path. I called him from 40 feet away and he returned. He jumped in a pond and landed in the middle of ducklings and their mama. I called him back and he returned, even with the ducklings inches away from him. This from a dog who would usually take off and actually caught a few animals.

d) My one cat was nervous all the time, and kept peeing on my dog's blankets, my bed, towels, etc. Taking him off kibble entirely and just giving him raw meat (not suggested by Loeb, but anything's better than kibble, as he says) made him stop. I was going to give him to a farm because he peed everywhere. The food change made him calmer and less neurotic.

e) My dog now walks well next to me on the leash, whereas before he would pull and drive me nuts. No more. Everyone keeps telling me how well he walks on the leash now. This is after only a week or so's worth of time. We won't win any prizes for heeling contests, but whatever.

The best thing about this is that none of my pets are traumatized. They love me, they behave, and people like them. A man in the park told me how well-behaved and trained my dog was. If he had only seen him two weeks ago! My dog is very nervous. Getting stuff thrown at him all the time would make him neurotic. So, I always warn him, "Buddy, stop it." If he doesn't, he knows what's coming. Again, no painful items are thrown.

BUT, the diet part, although on the right track, is definitely missing a few key points, which is the only reason I took off a star. Both dogs and cats need WAY more calcium than they would get in a protein / veggie / carb mix. They need a calcium supplement or they can get skeletal and dental deformities and personality issues as well. Do some research on calcium, or get Solid Gold Bone Meal powder and follow the amounts recommended on the container. Also, cats MUST HAVE TAURINE. Taurine is only found in large enough amounts in raw meats or in clams. Cooked meats do not have it, and it is added to cat foods. You can mix taurine supplements for humans into your cats food. Cats get heart defects and blindness if they do not get adequate taurine, and they need a lot of taurine. The Pottenger cat experiment (google it) turned out the way it did because the cooked meat did not contain taurine, not because of the lack of live enzymes in the food. Taurine deficiencies show up over long periods of time. Supplement your animal's food.

(As for the trick about putting a match in the puppy to make it poop, I've never tried it. But I don't think it's animals abuse. It's a paper match, it doesn't hurt, and people with show dogs do it all the time so their dogs don't poop in the ring. It's not a wooden match, it's not a dowel rod, and, again, the animal is not traumatized. It's a puppy. The momma dog licks its behind to make it poop. Are you gonna do that? I'm not. If this works, great, use it if you need it.)

I solved all my dog problems and cat problems with this book. All of them. And I didn't need to keep anyone crated, kenneled, tethered to me, or whatever. I want dogs and cat, not goldfish to be kept in a small container on a shelf. I want interaction, love, sharing food and fun. And my dog does not think he's the boss of me just because he goes down a hallway first and doesn't sleep in a crate. Amen, Paul and Suzanne.

I can't say enough good things about Paul Loeb's training techniques. His methods are quick and effective and last a lifetime. He is constantly recommended by a lot of the vetinary community in NY because of his success rate. His stories are entertaining and are true and make the point about different training techniques. His philosophy of training comes from the fact he believes an animal should learn to live your lifestyle, not you theirs. This book and "Smarter Than You Think" make for interesting reading.

Paul's methods of behavior modification and nutrition helped me get better results in minutes, than years of obedience training. But, this book not only helped with my three dogs, it also helped with my eight cats. One cat had been on anti-depressants, steroids and antibiotics to help stop a spraying problem. Nothing had worked. My vet even recommended putting him to sleep. With Paul's help, I was able to stop his spraying forever - in just one evening. This book is not only fabulous, it's a life-saver!

I have been successfully training dogs for a number of years, all with positive methods, but I buy current books to keep up on new theories. My 6 dogs are happy, well adjusted house dogs, who have happily completed obedience, agility, carting and conformation events with joy. This is the worst book I have ever spent money on, in terms of animal training. It will do far more damage than good. Their suggestions are ridiculous, especially when they are based on the assumption that your pet thinks like a human. People will expect their pets to respond to these training methods and when they don't? The publisher should have checked the facts before letting this one go. It is just plain wrong, poorly written and offensive to anyone who loves and respects dogs and books. I suggest reading the Culture Clash by Jean Donaldson for real information that works to improve dog and human communication. And no, I am not related to her.....