Most Helpful Customer Reviews
131 of 131 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A great book that you probably don't need to buy., May 25, 2006
This review is from: My Dog Pulls. What Do I Do? (Paperback)
Turid Rugaas is well known for her expertise in dog communication and canine language. I highly recommend all of her material. But truth be told, you probably don't need to spend the $10 it'll cost you to get this booklet. The booklet is very small, filled with a lot of great pictures and a few paragraphs of instruction. If you don't need the glossy pictures and explanations then you can get all the same information for free on her website TuridRugaas.com. Just go to her Q&A section and look for all the articles on pulling.
If you do decide to buy this booklet, you'll find that the instructions she give are clear, concise and easy to follow. And most importantly of all, the method works. The best part is that there are no gimmicks, no special equipment to use, and no harsh corrections. There's also not really anything special to her method--which is basically the "stop and switch directions" method of loose leash walking, with lots of praise and some noise motivation added in to speed up the process. Understand that her goal is not to get your dog to heel on your side all the time, but just to walk on a loose leash. As long as the dog isn't pulling, she doesn't care if it's in front of you or behind you or walking in circles next to you.
I will say that she does seem to go a bit overboard (perhaps even exaggerating the negatives) in the sections where she explains why other methods and equipment don't work. Her hatred for halters, chokers, pinch collars, short leashes, no-pull harnesses, and corrections of any kind comes through exceedingly loud and clear. She encourages the reader to use just a simple buckle collar and lots of a positive praise and reinforcement. That works for me.
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38 of 38 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent method explained very well, January 29, 2006
This review is from: My Dog Pulls. What Do I Do? (Paperback)
A problem so common, it well deserves its own booklet!
This effective, pain- and gimmick-free method of teaching loose leash walking is not really a creation of the author - you'll find it in other positive training books under names like "Be a Tree" or "Red Light Green Light." However, Ms. Rugaas explains it very well and adds an element that will really benefit you and the dog.
I do think she needed to emphasize a bit more how absolutely consistent you must be to get this method to work, but that applies to any training. Another thing that I found to be of huge benefit is using a hands-free leash (to prevent the human from physically manipulating the dog into place; dogs, like people, learn best when they are allowed to figure out what works). Applause to the author for supporting the use of a harness, which in my experience dogs much prefer and better understand compared to a neck collar or a head halter.
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28 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A must-have for dog trainers, April 17, 2006
This review is from: My Dog Pulls. What Do I Do? (Paperback)
This slight little volume contains the most effective and clearly explained leash-walking instructions I have ever seen in print. A professional dog trainer can teach dogs how to walk on leash within five minutes of meeting him, but most fail to pass their skills on to their human students. Rugaas's technique requires little in the way of training "chops," no ugly training collars and can be quickly taught to even the clumsiest, most easily frustrated students.
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