America's most beloved dog trainers are back with brand-new training techniques in the definitive guide to raising a happy, obedient puppy. Photos.
My Smart Puppy (TM): Fun, Effective, and Easy Puppy Training
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Book Description
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Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Sarah Wilson is the author of many books on living with and educating dogs, including My Smart Puppy, Childproofing your Dog and Tails from the Barkside. She lives in Connecticut with her dogs, Pip and PJ.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
74 of 76 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
As with all of Brian and Sarah's books, My Smart Puppy is a delight to read. Easy to follow, personable, and full of helpful suggestions, this book is both motivating and encouraging. While reading it, I kept wanting to stop and do the various exercises with my dogs. Packed with information, this is an easy-to-apply, practical, and FUN book on dog training. The stories about Pip, the authors' puppy, are engaging, and the many photos illustrate the principles and training games beautifully. The space games are a new and much needed addition to the world of dog training, as they teach owners of both puppies and adult dogs how to communicate easily, effectively, and clearly with their dogs in an enjoyable and non-confrontational manner. Through them, a strong, positive relationship is established as the foundation of all training, so that your dog learns built in habits of trust, respect, and obedience. I highly recommend this book for anyone with a puppy or dog of any age. It will help you and your dog understand each other better and have a lifetime of fun together.
52 of 52 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Hi! I got the My Smart Puppy book on Friday and read the whole thing by Saturday! Hudson and I have already played all the Level I games. He is perfect at some already (since we've already been training), but we will continue to improve at others.
What I want to say is that it is, hands down, the most wonderful book on training I have read since I decided to get a dog pal. I read Good Owners, Great Dogs and Metrodog too, and I loved them both, but there is something about the tone of MSP that beats all.
The whole thought of looking at training as a series of "games" is awesome. And, you know what? The best thing was the included DVD. I had read about half the book, and then watched the DVD. I realized that while I consider myself an effusive person (especially with Hudson), I really could stand to be a lot more joyful and playful with Hudson during training. I was being very businesslike about it. I really needed to see Sarah and Brian's attitude with the dogs to understand what they mean about showing enthusiasm. My relationship with Hudson improved THAT DAY! I have been trying to mimic the tone in the DVD, and we are both enjoying our time together so much more. Hudson is suddenly so much more responsive, and now I realize that treats aren't even necessary anymore for the behaviors he already knows.
Hudson and I are having a GREAT time. I'm amazed at how responsive he is when I step into his space or block him with my body. I couldn't believe it would work, but it does. We are already close to having him sit every time I stand in front of him!
Oh, and the words "Smart Puppy" really help too. When you say "What a Smart Puppy!!!" to your dog, you can't help sounding happy and believing it!
What I want to say is that it is, hands down, the most wonderful book on training I have read since I decided to get a dog pal. I read Good Owners, Great Dogs and Metrodog too, and I loved them both, but there is something about the tone of MSP that beats all.
The whole thought of looking at training as a series of "games" is awesome. And, you know what? The best thing was the included DVD. I had read about half the book, and then watched the DVD. I realized that while I consider myself an effusive person (especially with Hudson), I really could stand to be a lot more joyful and playful with Hudson during training. I was being very businesslike about it. I really needed to see Sarah and Brian's attitude with the dogs to understand what they mean about showing enthusiasm. My relationship with Hudson improved THAT DAY! I have been trying to mimic the tone in the DVD, and we are both enjoying our time together so much more. Hudson is suddenly so much more responsive, and now I realize that treats aren't even necessary anymore for the behaviors he already knows.
Hudson and I are having a GREAT time. I'm amazed at how responsive he is when I step into his space or block him with my body. I couldn't believe it would work, but it does. We are already close to having him sit every time I stand in front of him!
Oh, and the words "Smart Puppy" really help too. When you say "What a Smart Puppy!!!" to your dog, you can't help sounding happy and believing it!
35 of 35 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
My Smart Puppy is one of those books you want to tell everyone about. The training exercises are short and simple (and fun!), and the training is done in stages (levels). Each exercise is prefaced with a Goal, then how to get there in beautifully explained detail. The details of each exercise are not long and drawn out, because they don't have to be. There are 2 to 4 steps in each exercise. The concept of dog training in this book is a common sense approach and works toward the overall desired results, which is a puppy who learns to behave well and a bond that is formed between you and your puppy. It comes with a DVD that shows exactly how to do some of the exercises (very cute to see puppies learning new things for the first time). A puppy loves to learn and these exercises give it that opportunity, and the mental stimulation all puppies and dogs need, as well as learning that you are his gentle and fair leader.
These exercises are for foundational training beyond just the sit and down and walk. There's the "Leave it", "Mine", "Space", and many many more. There's also a chapter on Understanding Training. The book gives you an understanding of how puppies think and learn.
The book also deals with behaviorial problems (that we all encounter with our pups) and not only references the exercise that needs to be done for a certain behavior, but the page number as well. I can't say enough about the well written style of this great book and the effectiveness of the exercises. If people would do these simple training exercises with their puppies, there would be a lot less dogs with behavior problems in the shelters. I don't see any reason why these exercises can't be done with adult dogs also, who are in need of basic foundational training that they never got as puppies.
These exercises are for foundational training beyond just the sit and down and walk. There's the "Leave it", "Mine", "Space", and many many more. There's also a chapter on Understanding Training. The book gives you an understanding of how puppies think and learn.
The book also deals with behaviorial problems (that we all encounter with our pups) and not only references the exercise that needs to be done for a certain behavior, but the page number as well. I can't say enough about the well written style of this great book and the effectiveness of the exercises. If people would do these simple training exercises with their puppies, there would be a lot less dogs with behavior problems in the shelters. I don't see any reason why these exercises can't be done with adult dogs also, who are in need of basic foundational training that they never got as puppies.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Missing DVD
In the product description, it was not clarified that the DVD was not included. The main reason for my purchase was for the DVD, as I have the kindle version of the book. Read more
Published 2 months ago by C. Bonds
common sense solutions that I keep forgetting
Really enjoyed this book, practical but with effective insight into tricky situations. I highlighted parts for future use for the next puppy.
Published 3 months ago by Leanne
Book great, DVD who knows
We love this book and have been a fan of authors for yrs, however the DVD wont play on a Mac platform. Too bad they didnt think of that when they burned it. No PC's in this home.
Published 5 months ago by L. Caswell
Excellent Read for New Puppy Owners
What a great down-to-earth book. Brian and Sarah communicate simple step-by-step instruction on training and explain what your puppy is thinking/learning when you do things wrong. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Janice Koss
Excellent book, can't print anything
This book is easy to understand and fun to read, with a wonderful setup for the training exercises. However, you can't copy anything to a document to print out for easy access... Read more
Published 6 months ago by bmanlove
Training My Smart Human
What great teachers! These are simple, easy to follow steps to make the transition with a new puppy. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Robin Walukonis
Lots of good info
I am getting a new puppy soon. I have not had a puppy in many years because I prefer to adopt adult dogs, but my Dad is giving my son a puppy so I needed some puppy advice. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Gerrie
treats and more treats
I think what has helped me the most is teaching my puppy to walk on a leash and draining her energy....she loves it and is such a good pup!
Published 6 months ago by Jordan L. Hays
comprehensive puppy training
I looked at several book reviews for puppy training and also checked some out from the library and this was the best one I found. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Meg
My Smart Puppy
Hey folks, I highly recommend this book for training a puppy. It is a simple, matter of fact book and video which shows older puppies than mine in the video. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Ellen
Inside This Book
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Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs):
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puppy leaps, puppy person, good puppy, teaching your puppy, puppy jumps, dog professional, most pups, head halter, puppy class, flat collar Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Having Trouble, Guided Down, Space Games, Simple Sit, Check It Out, Catch My Drift, Wait There, Placement Sit, Left Circle, Touch Games, Finders Keepers, Demoting Demanding, Trust Games, Difficult Dogs, The Daily Dozens, Say Hello New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Surprise Me!
puppy leaps, puppy person, good puppy, teaching your puppy, puppy jumps, dog professional, most pups, head halter, puppy class, flat collar Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Having Trouble, Guided Down, Space Games, Simple Sit, Check It Out, Catch My Drift, Wait There, Placement Sit, Left Circle, Touch Games, Finders Keepers, Demoting Demanding, Trust Games, Difficult Dogs, The Daily Dozens, Say Hello New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 11
books:
See all 11 books this book cites
- The Anger Management Sourcebook by Glenn Schiraldi in Back Matter
- The Dance of Anger: A Woman's Guide to Changing the Patterns of Intimate Relationships by Harriet Lerner in Back Matter
- The Dance of Intimacy by Harriet Lerner in Back Matter
- Beyond the Mirrors: The Study of the Mental and Spiritual Aspects of Horsemanship by Jill K. Hassler-Scoop in Back Matter
- Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life by Martin Seligman in Back Matter
See all 11 books this book cites
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