31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Classic Training Book, August 28, 2000
This review is from: Natural Dog Training: The Canine Arts Kennel Program - Teach Your Dog By Using His Natural Instincts (Hardcover)
Have you ever wondered just how those really good dog trainers do the things they do. Most of them will write books and explain that if you just hold the leash this way and say "good dog" that way then you can train you dog to come when called and sit when you've got him on a collar and six foot leash.
Kevin Behan is a good dog trainer. In fact he's an expert. And he's one of those gifted people who actually has an understanding of what he's doing to such an extent that he can explain it to someone else. This book is not superb writing. He does tend to ramble, especially in the first few chapters but he's fluent enough to get the point across to those who are willing to learn.
Natural dog training refers to working with a dog on the level of his most powerful natural instinct, the prey instinct. The instinct to chase and bite a prey object. Instead of trying to deny the dog access to this instinct through punitive training methods Behan suggests showing the dog what to do with his instincts within the context of his domesticated situation. This involves only allowing the dog to have access to his drives through his owner instead of the dog deciding what he's going to do them. Once this harmonic connection is established the owner is able to mold (train) the dog's character to fit his lifestyle and domestication in general.
The chapters on training puppies are excellent and nothing like you will read elsewhere. Most people just want to get a puppy under control and because of a puppy's natural submissive nature they are usually successful at first. Things generally fall apart as the dog reaches sexual maturity. In a classic quote Behan states, "A dog owner can win a thousand straight battles with a puppy, then, years later, lose the war."
This book has depth. It is not a one trick method training book. It is about working with the true nature of the dog within the necessary context and contraints of domestication. This not only allows the dog to be more of what nature intended him to be but also fosters a deeper understanding on the dog owners part towards his dog. A more harmonious relationship with man's best friend is the result.
I can personally vouch for Kevin Behan's training philosophy as I have raised my two dogs, now going on six and seven years old respectfully, using the training methods from this book. For me, his methods have been 100% validated.
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19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Best Dog Book Ever Written, June 28, 2002
This review is from: Natural Dog Training: The Canine Arts Kennel Program - Teach Your Dog By Using His Natural Instincts (Hardcover)
I read this book when it first came out. I was a dog trainer working in Manhattan. I was looking for a new way of doing things because I had this nagging suspicion that everything I had been taught about dogs and trainng was somehow off base. I read Kevin's book in one sitting and disagreed with almost everything he said, but I was determined to try his methods just to see if they had any value at all. The next day I began working with a pit-bull mix named Mickey, who had a problem with leash aggression. Within twenty minutes Mickey was cured of his aggressive problems on the leash. In fact, before I applied Kevin's method, the instant Mickey saw another dog coming toward him, he would go ballistic--lunging and growling, teeth bared. The only thing that prevented an all out attack on the other dog was the fact that I'm a fairly big guy and I had an iron grip on Mickey's leash.
After doing an exercise from Kevin's book three or four times Mickey's behavior changed so dramatically that as soon as he saw another dog coming toward us, he would actually look up at me and perform a perfect heel.
A week or so later I got a new client who owned a Jack Russell terrier. The experts at the Upper West Side training school he attended told his owner that he was untrainable because he wouldn't learn the down. They said (according to this client) that there was probably something wrong with the dog's breeding.
I took Mack (that was his name) into Central Park and applied one of Kevin Behan's techniques and within half an hour Mack was lying down on command and LOVING IT! In fact, the client later told me that whenever she went out for pizza at a little place on Columbus, she would tie Mack to a parking meter and go inside to order her pie. From inside the restaurant all she had to do was look at him, put her index finger in the air and then point it toward the ground and Mack would instantly lie down. And this was a dog that "could not be trained"!
I cannot praise this book highly enough. It's true that Kevin's prose style sometimes gets in the way. But when you apply the exercises he describes, and understand the underlying philosophy behind them (i.e., there's no such thing as an alpha dog), it's an amazing experience. Dog training becomes more than an enjoyable experience. In my case it actually changed my life.
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23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The ONLY Dog Training Book that You will ever need!!!, August 18, 2002
This review is from: Natural Dog Training: The Canine Arts Kennel Program - Teach Your Dog By Using His Natural Instincts (Hardcover)
I first found info on Kevin's dog training theory on the web ...
then I called him and made appointment for him to meet my so called "natural
born alpha" dog, who was classified as "dominant aggressive".Only after few
minutes of talking to Kevin I realized that ALL I was told to do by previous dog
trainers and animal behaviorist, was dead wrong, and nothing worked. After about
1/2 hour of seeing what he was able to do with my dog, using his theory on dog
training, I left my dog in his care to be train by him. I went back to see my
dog only after 5 days to find out what the progress was, and to my surprise
Kevin accomplished more in those 5 days than all the so called experts did in 2
years. I could see that my dog was happy and full of life, and when I looked
into his eyes they were finally sparkling, happy and filled with joy (for all of
you that have dog, you know what I am talking about)!!! So if you don't have
option of actually having him train your dog, I highly suggest reading his book,
which I also did just so I can keep up with my dog. If you have so called
"problem dog" or you just want to train your dog by your self, this is truly the
only book that you will ever need. This book explain everything from A-Z
on how to deal with your dog, how they think, and how you can use their
instincts to turn any dog around, and make him calm, loving friend. I seen
this theory work with my own two eyes, my dog ( that I was told to put down,
because he was classified as "unpredictable") was happily responding to Kevin's
every command, and following his every move. Kevin Behan is truly
the best dog trainer I know. Before you go to any trainer or if you are thinking
of putting your "vicious", "aggressive", or "problem" dog down, please read
Natural Dog Training book, it will defiantly open your eyes, and it will make
you realize that dogs are not the problem, but the way we train and treat our
dogs is.
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