Customer Reviews

The Koehler Method of Dog Training

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No training method works for all dogs, but the Koehler method comes close. I read this book thoroughly before using it to train my dog, an American Pit Bull Terrier. I recommend it on the basis of the results I achieved with my own dog. My Pit Bull is a happy, calm, sweet animal who is well behaved and trustworthy even in crowded, distracting public places. Please note the notarized statement in this book attesting to the author's success in training thousands of dogs. A well-trained dog is a joyful companion and something to be proud of. As for the "brutality" ascribed to this training method by its detractors, I "corrected" my dog with the choke collar only three or four times - always for something potentially dangerous (with a big and strong dog like a pit bull) such as running wildly on the long training lead. Most of the time, during the routine exercises, the dog corrects himself. Essentially he is given a choice between discomfort and comfort. If he makes the right choice he avoids discomfort. This does not assume the dog is human - it respects the dog's intelligence and ability to make choices. This book helps you to train a dog to be obedient off leash under highly distracting conditions. I knew my pit bull had graduated the day I was allowing her to run around on a 30' lead and another, loose pit bull appeared out of nowhere. This animal ran up on my dog, she surged after it, and the worn lead parted company with her collar! I called my dog to me, and she came and stood in front of me. I told her to sit, and she did so, allowing me to tie the broken ends of the leash together - with this maniac nuisance dog running circles around us all the while.

I tried using food to motivate my dog but she became intensely focussed on the food rewards in my pocket. In Koehler training, the dog is supposed to be attentive towards you, not your pocket! With the firm foundation of obedience training, I am now able to teach my dog all kinds of tricks. Trick training is FUN training so I have no problem using food rewards to teach tricks. My dog can jump through a hoop, etc. However, obedience training is serious business that can one day save your dog's life. I feel the Koehler method is particularly valuable with big, strong breeds such as pits and rottweilers that can cause so much trouble when they are NOT properly trained. I thank this book for the wonderful, reliable pit bull friend I have today.

Let's be straight -- Bill Koehler loved dogs. In fact, he loved and respected dogs a whole lot more than some of today's "big name" trainers who refer to dogs as stupid creatures, incapable of thought or responsibility, only able and willing to work for a cookie, because they are nothing but selfish "lemon brains."

I am a professional dog trainer who came up through the ranks of the "positive reinforcement" school of training. I was taught to use cookies and praise to get dogs to behave. And most of all, NEVER correct a dog -- that's cruel and outdated. Well, the "all positive" method of training does work -- to a point. But I found, time and time again, that only using positive reinforcement did not create reliable, 100% consistent behaviours. Where this was most obvious was on the recall -- let's say your dog is off leash at the park, and he takes off after a squirrel. And you're going to try to call him back and give him a tidbit? Most dogs would just keep on running. And to my mind, as a professional trainer, that was unethical and immoral, to send my clients out into the world, knowing full-well that their dogs were not safe, because their behaviours were not reliable.

The Koehler method makes commands reliable. And it does so without abuse, fear, or beating. Bill Koehler belived that it was far kinder to a dog to respect the dog's intelligence, to show the dog the clear contrast in consequences that occur when choosing between one course of action (say, heeling) over another (not heeling, and receiving a SINGLE forceful, well-timed correction). Correct the dog once, properly, the first time, and let the dog make his own choices after that. In fact, Koehler believed it was completely CRUEL to a dog to consistently nag it, over and over again. Witness the "positive only" crowd using gentle, nagging leash tugs, saying "Heel heel heel heel heel" in a chanting manner. Drive your dog crazy, it would.

The Koehler Method is a complete method of dog training that works on three parts:

1) show the dog what you want them to do, and praise him for making the right choice.
2) practice with the dog until you are sure he knows what you want him to do, and praise him for making the right choice. If he doesn't make the right choice while he's learning, then show him again.
3) once the dog knows what is expected of him (that is, after lots of practice), then "proof" the command by providing lots of distractions for the dog. If he chooses the right behaviour (and remember, this is only if he already KNOWS what is expected), then praise him. If he chooses the wrong behaviour, correct him firmly, correct him once, and give him the opportunity to make the right choice.

You'll read reviews that go on and on about hanging, drowning, and beating dogs. Yes, Bill Koehler DID say those things. He said those were methods to be used if the next stop for the dog was a one-way trip to the pound. They were never intended for your average family dog.

Buy the book, read it. Find a reputable trainer through the International Association of Canine Professionals, and get someone familiar with the Koehler method to help you out. But don't let the "positive only" crowd make up your mind with ranting and rhetoric. If you care about your dog - if you care that your dog will be able to respond to commands reliably, and therefore be safe -- you owe it to yourself to check out this book.

Jill Skorochod, CPDT
Member, APDT, CAPPDT and IACP
Time and Patience Dog Training Ltd.

This is a very easy to follow, effective book for training dogs. This is NOT a book for owners with dog problems (or dogs with owner problems). If you just want to train your dog by using proven, conditioning techniques, then this is the book for you.

In a nutshell, this book teaches you how to ensure that your dog is paying attention to you at all times, and either obeys your commands, or suffers the consequences of his actions. This is NOT punishment. The dog decides. The dog learns. The dog obeys because he decides to obey. This not only gives him self-confidence, but also gives him a feeling of security because he knows he is doing the right thing. Dogs crave this. They WANT to please you.

Basically, you start with a long leash and a choke collar. You start walking in one direction. Of course, your dog will bound off ahead of you. At that point, you reverse direction, and walk the other way. The dog learns pretty quickly that he better keep an eye on you if he wants to keep from getting jerked around.

It goes on from there, and the lead gets shorter and shorter. The dog learns to HEAL, SIT, STAY etc., but basically you are conditioning the dog to think he is on lead all the time, and has NO choice but to obey or come when called, and, he is always paying attention to you. This is KEY!

If your Jack Russell sees a rabbit running across the road in front of an oncoming car, do you think he will come if you have a treat in your hand? Is he going to look both ways before crossing? No way. But if he has been conditioned to think that if he doesn't come, you'll just jerk his chain, he won't hesitate. He'll stop in his tracks, turn, run back to you, run right around behind you, and sit down right beside you... No kidding.[Keep in mind that to get to this point takes months and months of training for at least 30 minutes a day. This is not a miracle training book]

I have used it and it works, plain and simple. Also, you can stop at any time, and still gain some control of your dog on lead.

There is no punishment involved as part of the training of the dog! The dog gets to decide what he wants to do.

I trained my first dog this way, and it worked perfectly. I never hit, drowned, beat, etc., because that's not part of the training!

All the negative comments on this book have to do with either the last chapter or just plain ignorance. The last chapter deals with a subject the author probably should have left out, that is, dealing with problem dogs that are on their last chance before being put to death. Don't bother reading it. If you have a dog that bad, you've got a problem you can't solve on Amazon.com!

Others try to equate a dog's mentally with that of a human. Dogs do not perceive, process, or analyze information the way humans do. Comparing how you would feel if you were treated the way a dog is treated is incorrect.

I just got a new dog, and I want it to be happy and love life. The Koehler method helps set expectations the dog understands and can achieve, which in-turn keeps him happy and safe at the same time.

Good Luck!

We have gone too far. If you were to smack the hand of your precocious 5 year old just before she stuck the metal hanger in the electrical outlet, she could, if she knew the law, call 911 and report a case of child abuse. I suspect that most municipalities would ignore the call after the parent demonstrated to the responding constable that there was, in fact, no abuse going on, but who knows. In a time when an establishment can be sued for serving hot coffee that's "too hot" you can never tell.

Enter the Koehler Method.

The book uses "corrections" and not rewards. Very non-PC. That's it in a nut shell. Food versus corrections. Honestly, they both work for "most" dogs and I use both in training. And I would even go so far as to say that if it's just tricks and games that you are interested in, than go with food and forget this book. BUT if your dog pulls you down the street, if you hear yourself saying, "Fido, come... come... come... come... come... or Fido down... down... down..." then please consider the Koehler method. It could save your dog's life. (I'm assuming you won't be saying "Fido" if that's not your dog's name, but you get the idea.)

The mistake people make when they criticize any dog obedience program that uses corrections is confusing obedience with training. Obedience IS NOT training. I would never use nor would I advocate using any corrective measure on a dog that didn't know how to perform a given command. Imagine your 8 year old is learning the times table. You ask her what's 4 times 4. She says 12. You slap her in the face. Horrible. What kind of a parent are you? No, what you do is patiently go over them, using whatever works so that she learns the times table. Now change the game. She's 16 and just flunked her history test, because she didn't study. (Yes, she's smart, has had good grades and chose to play war games across the internet with her friends until 2 am instead of studying). What do you do, withhold a piece of cheese? No, you ground her. No TV, no malls, no weekend. (Assuming you are a good and caring parent.)

That's what obedience is all about. Obedience is teaching the dog to perform an action (or to stop performing an action) on command, and NOT when the dog chooses to.

First, you teach your dog an action. You do this patiently, in short lessons. You can use food, petting, favorite toys, whatever you want during the training phase. You want to make sure that the dog really knows what you are asking them to do (or not do).

But after you are sure they understand the command that you are asking them to perform, they need to be corrected when they don't do what they are asked to do. In fact, they actually learn to perform the action on command by not doing what they are asked to do and receiving a correction. Praise is important. Studies show that dogs don't' do things for praise. But you are going to praise your dog after the correction and AFTER they have done what they are supposed to do to eliminate any feelings of fear. And make the praise loud and clear when they've done what you ask. If your dog's ears are flat against her head and her tail is down, she is not happy. When I am working with a dog, after a correction, my intent is to get that tail wagging and her ears up (which of course is impossible for beagles, but again, you get the idea)

There is the mistaken belief that you're "hurting" the dog. Annoying the dog yes, but a properly performed correction doesn't hurt as much as it gets the dog's attention. Some dogs have problems with their esophagus, e.g. Pomeranians, so corrections with these dogs have to be done very carefully, but for the majority of dogs, their necks are quite muscular. In fact, it is the muscles of the neck that a dog uses to kill it's prey by forcefully whipping it back and forth and ultimately breaking it's prey's neck or spine.

I mentioned "properly performed" corrections. Anything done poorly produces poor results. The Koehler Method is simply a collection of descriptions of technical actions that have been used on thousands of dogs. It is these descriptions that are the entire purpose for reading the book.


Ask any K9 officer how his dog was trained. Food is not a reliable obedience technique. Period. Especially for recall (the official name for "come.").

Why do I mention this to people who just have pets? The entire reason, the ONLY reason to buy this book is to protect your dog. If you live in the city or the suburbs and your dog can wander out into traffic, then you need the dog to be obedient.

On the other hand, if you live on a hundred acre farm, your dogs are smarter then most (and won't run in front of your tractor as your tilling the fields or mowing the lawn and you really just want your dog to learn how to do back flips, play dead, or bring your slippers, this book won't be for you.

One more thing. There are techniques Koehler suggests for "misbehaving" dogs that I won't use. I am sure they will work, but I choose not to do them. I can live with some mischief. (My dogs love moving my hand when I am typing - I pet them, tell them to stop and of course, they don't.)

And while I am at it, let me be clear about "most." Most methods work on most dogs and that goes for the Koehler method, as well. But there are certain dogs that it won't work on. You probably won't have one of those, but if your dog is people aggressive, even slightly, or your dog is fearful, you need a professional. For those dogs, you need an animal behaviorist. Check out http://www.animalbehavior.org/Applied/CAAB_directory.html

This is pretty much the only obedience book you'll ever need. And I unabashedly recommend it even in this current environment of political correctness. So read all about learning how to teach your dog how to walk peacefully on a lead, the "automatic sit" (which appears amazing to people), turns to the left and right, stay, down, and the long down. Skip the chapter on the throw chain and pick up on the "light line" which introduces recalls and commands from a distance.

If your dog does all of these on command, she will be happy and you will be happy...and you can even get a diploma from the AKC when "Fido" passes the Good Canine Citizen test. http://www.akc.org/events/cgc/program.cfm

Save the cheese for you.

The tried and true Koheler method works every time. This book has been around and in print for many many years... because it works. While the touchy feely clickers & dog whisperers come and go like yesterday's news, the Koehler method has stood the test of time. Click n treat may be fine for the cream puff dogs, but for large breed high drive aggressive dogs, a clicker won't stop your dog from rushing past you out the door to bite the mail man. If you want animal control to impound your dog and a leave you with $$$$$ fines and a nagging carpal tunnel cramp, by all means keep clicking. If you want happy obedient dog THAT LISTENS TO YOU, read Koehler.

"The Koehler Method of Dog Training" is both one of the foundation texts of modern dog training, and one of the disciplines most controversial books. Fans claim that the book is sensible, clear, and - above all - effective. Detractors claim that the book is cruel and outdated, as well as invariably detrimental to the relationship between handler and dog.

The truth, in my opinion, lies somewhere between the two extremes. When Koehler's book was published, it was one of the best and most logical dog training manuals on the market. It was revolutionary in many ways, and in fact still contains suggestions often neglected by modern texts. For example, Koehler starts his obedience programme by teaching the dog the value of being attentive to his owner even under distraction. Most modern "positive" manuals gloss over this all-important foundation step, resulting in dogs that know the meaning of obedience commands but only comply when they feel like it.

Koehler also pioneered the use of a longline in dog training, and the Koehler Method does not let the dog off the line - at all - until he has thoroughly mastered a bombproof recall. This step is also often missing from modern "positive" trainers, who advocate letting the dog make his own choice between freedom and a treat, and are surprised when the dog then becomes dangerously unreliable off leash.

Koehler explains the importance of good obedience, and why it is not optional - again an area often neglected by modern texts. It is indeed far kinder to use a few corrections to ensure the reliability of a wayward dog's recall, than to either prophylactically keep him on leash his entire life, or let him run off only to be hit by a car.

Koehler also explains the important distinction between punishing a dog, and allowing him to learn from the consequences of his own actions - a difference that all good trainers understand, but often fail to enunciate. It is the difference between yelling or jerking a pulling dog (upsetting and often relationship destroying), or calmly allowing the dog to decide that keeping his owner in sight will improve his own comfort. Despite what Koehler's detractors claim, the majority of "punishments" contained in this book follow this pattern of simply allowing the dog to learn from the natural consequences of his own actions. True "punishment" is only advocated for cases where the dog has already demonstrated his clear understanding of the exercise multiple times, and is refusing to comply.

Where is this book lacking? As can be expected due to its vintage, it lacks all mention of operant conditioning, training in drive or food training. Many of the new methods introduced by operant conditioning - bridges/markers, free shaping, back chaining - that are extremely effective at teaching a dog complex behaviours cannot be found in this book. Many of the great modern contributions from ethology are also missing from this work. These include the modern way trainers mimick "alpha wolf" behaviour to painlessly enforce day-to-day obedience, and the use of training in prey drive to gain enthusiastic compliance from high-drive "problem" dogs.

Most importantly, I would not recommend the final section of the book to a modern day reader. This section - ominously titled "problems" - was designed for dogs whose bad behaviour was not corrected by the 13 weeks of basic obedience outlined earlier in the book. Although the methods may seem quite harsh to a modern reader, it is important to bear in mind that people in the 1960s did not have access to professional dog trainers or behaviorists. Koehler himself states several times that the methods in this final section are only for use when the other option for the dog is euthanasia. However, the modern reader would be better advised to take his problem dog to a professional trainer than to try any of the methods in this section. You have been warned!

In short, this book is a good simple primer on basic obedience, but is itself incomplete. To flesh it out I would recommend books by Patricia McConnell, Shelia Booth and Steven Budiansky; as well as the excellent free articles on the websites of Shirley Chong and Suzanne Clothier. And please note that "The Koehler Method of Dog Training" is not an effective guide for dealing with true behavioural problems - with a real problem dog, you will be much better off investing in a consultation with a professional dog behaviourist than resorting to this book.

I first read Koehler in 1979. I didn't get where he was coming from at first. Then on one page about how to use the leash and choke collar, "I got it." From that point on I found myself able to train and control my dog without pain. I recently used it on my papillon. Within several weeks he would come from any distance when called, and walk on heal without a leash.
I have read some people say that his techniques are cruel. What is cruel is that I read stacks of dog training books only to come back to Koehler's basic chapter on getting the dogs attention. What is cruel is having a dog hit by a car because he won't return when called. Read any book you want, just make sure to come back to this one...all else seems to be fluff.

I have used the Koehler Method of Dog Training for over 20 yrs. I've used it on terriers, gsd's, dobies, beagles, hounds, & misc. wild energetic dogs, shy and fearful dogs. My dogs are strays, shelter dogs, & free-to-good home dogs. Each dog has a past that I can never really know about. They don't come to me puppies with clean slates. EVERY DOG learned to be good canine citizens under the Koehler Method. Not one of my dogs has EVER been surrendered back to a shelter because "I couldn't train him to not to jump, bite, pull, growl, etc." I don't have to make excuses for any of my dogs like those who insist "Fluffy will sit for me at home but not around distractions" or claim, "this breed can't be trained like other breeds because they are so independent." None of my dogs runs off, get hit by cars, chases or kills other animals. I credit Mr. Koehler for the success of my dog family. Today in America millions of dogs are killed each year in shelters because their owners "tried" all the P.C., lovely dovey, have a treat, I'm your best friend methods to train their dogs. In these methods the dogs are isolated for years in crates, the furniture and cats are doused in bitter apple to save them from being chewed on, and treats are dispensed like coins into a slot machine everytime Fluffy encounters another dog or heaven forbid--a uniform wearing delivery person. When these modern, humane methods don't fix the problem, Fluffy may be drugged into submission. Finally, when none of the modern P.C. expert advice works, Fluffy makes that weepy ride to the shelter and the owner is assured they did everything they could but "some dogs just can't be saved." Mr. Koehler knew that for dogs to live in our world, they would have to conform to our rules or they would die. That is how it was in 1950 and it is even more so in 2004. Communities have grown even less tolerant of the family dog due to so many tragic or annoying situations caused by dogs. If you read the book and follow the steps as written for basic obedience, the dog LEARNS, it is not forced or beaten to comply. The training exercises are clear and concise. Easy to follow for anyone. If the method is followed as written, the corrections everyone rages about are never even necessary. They are there to deal with severe behavior problems. Some people need a way to deal with severe behavior problems. The average dog does not require these corrections. Folks, think about it. In 2004 our world has more professional dog trainers, training books, t.v. celebrity dog trainers, videos, and training gadgets and gizmoes than ever before to help people raise a dog and yet millions of dogs are killed each year due to SIMPLE behavior problems. Not for the big stuff like mauling children, but for house soiling, chewing furniture, pulling, jumping, barking, growling. If the modern ways are as effective as claimed, should the death toll continue to rise at this rate? In 2004, only spay & neutering should be reducing the dog population. Again, Koehler is very clear, dogs that are not taught to conform to the ways of the human world will be destroyed. He created a method to address that and spare dog lives. A method to train the dog easily and quickly. Those of us that use it have dogs that live full, active, interesting lives. They go to parks, to beaches, to work, on vacations. Veterinarians give us discounts because they can actually examine our dogs, give them vaccinations and dear I say, pet them! I have had over 15 dogs in my adult life and all were trained using the Koehler Method. They have lived past the ages of 12 yrs and some up to 16 yrs. My dogs were strays, shelter dogs or unwanted, unruly family pets and not the ideal brand new, 8 week old, temperment tested, from the best breeder in the world puppies trainers recommend we start with. Many of those poor pups end up in shelters too when they don't respond to modern training methods. No, some of my dogs can be traced back to puppymills. Mr. Koehler WAS the best dog trainer in the world. His method is for all dogs born in to the real world. If you are having problems with your dog, don't give up, get The Koehler Method of Dog Training by William R. Koehler. Thank you Mr. Koehler for giving me a wonderful life with my dogs and for all the dogs you have saved with your method.

Koehler's methods are considered unusually harsh and counterproductive by some modern trainers. On the other hand, his methods do have a history of success with dogs that have "hard" temperaments. It's worth nothing that modern-day competitive obedience dogs are not trained with his methods anymore.

In general, after my own experiences with training dogs in general, and helping others learn to train, I believe that Mr. Koehler had a gift for timing and for unemotional corrections. However, for many, trying to utilize his methods can lead to psychological abuse of some dogs (especially softer and more sensitive ones) when their trainers do not have a good sense of timing or allow their anger to take over when correcting.

I consider this book of historical interest, and of interest to the serious and experienced dog trainer. I, however, would never recommend this book for a first time trainer or the novice dog owner.

This is an excellent book. I rate it four stars only because Mr. Koehler could have reached so many more people if he had toned down his writing style, but I scored it with five stars to move the average closer to what is deserved. I do believe his methods are for people who take training seriously and approach it in a professional manner.

Those of you who have seen "Uncle Matty" might not recognize the fact that he is using many of Koehler's methods, disguised by his classic "Matty's so proud!" I don't see any claims that Uncle Matty is a cruel trainer. Please do not be mislead by the emotional responses of some reviewers.

Mr. Koehler's writing style might encourage unthinking people to over-react when correcting their dogs. If you follow the recommended actions, carefully considering the correct time for a correction, you will likely get the results you want. However, if you get angry, impatient, or are cruel (or careless), you can easily misuse the information in this book. I recommend you email as many people as you can who have used this and other methods and discuss their results. I have never spoken to anyone who used these methods correctly who was disappointed with the results.