Customer Reviews

It's Not the Dogs, It's the People! A Dog Trainer's Guide to Training Humans

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I love this book! As a trainer with three years experience, I know that training dogs is much harder than training people. I had heard great things about this book and loved Nicole's other books, so I ordered it. All I can say is it was worth every penny! Nicole's way of explaining things is warm and down-to-earth, and very humorous at times. She gives great pointers on how to work with people in group classes, which helped a lot, as did the section on family dynamics. She also talks about how to work with different personality types like Angry Agnes (I haven't run into one of those yet but I now know what to do if it happens), Unmotivated Mo (have had lots of those!) and a couple of others that were very helpful. I actually caught myself getting tense and frustrated with a client during a recent session and thought of the advice in the book. I changed my body language and vocal manner and the whole vibe of the conversation changed. I was able to turn an almost confrontation into a great communication. I think the reviewer who complained that this book didn't cover training dogs missed the point--it's not supposed to be about training dogs, but about training people. There are plenty of books on dog training but so few instructional books for dog trainers, particularly on this subject. I highly recommend It's Not the Dogs along with all of Wilde's other books!

I've been a professional animal trainer for 20 years and I still found this book very helpful. I was a psychology major in college and knew much of the stuff in the book, but I was fascinated by the way Nicole applies many of the principles for dealing with people, to dog training. Everybody can learn something new from this book, and the tips on dealing with the individual personality types was described in detail and applied to a dog training setting. Even the concepts I already knew about were enforced in this book and it helped me to refresh my memory and once again work on my people training skills...because as they say...it really IS not the dogs, it's the people.

Experienced dog trainers enjoy encountering the good, the bad and the difficult human clients Nicole Wilde spotlights with insight, kindness and good humor. Newcomers to the profession -- whether aware or not that, "It's not the dogs, it's the people," can benefit from Wilde's user-friendly advice. Maggie Blutreich, CPDT

I have been working with dogs for over 30 years and a service dog trainer for the last nine. I have just started my own private training business and this book was a refreshing read. Having worked with many people and their dogs, I could relate to many of the personalities described in the book. Reading this book was positive reinforcement for me and helped me realize that I have many of the tools to get my business up and running. It gives lots of helpful suggestions on how to work "with" people, encouraging them to understand and hopefully agree with you even if your suggestion differs from what they originally thought; making them think it was their idea. Expect the unexpected when working with people and their dogs. Relax and get ready to smile and learn.

A fun and easy read offering a vareity of useful tips for trainers of all experience levels. Wilde's book also provides the much-needed reminder that as dog trainers, our clients are still, of course, "only human"!

I am an assistant trainer on the track to become an instructor at the end of the year and this is one of our required readings. And I am SO GLAD! The book is AWESOME! It describes people I have seen in class perfectly and has suggestions for all sorts of situations. It's easy to read, easy to understand, and will be one of my most valuable tools once I become an instructor. (THE most valuable being high value treats, of course!). I have no doubt that I will be a more successful instructor because of this book.

This is a good book to help teach those at the "other end of the leash." Information can be direct but most communication is by perception.

This is an awesome book! If you have watched the Dog Whisperer at all, this book parallels Cesar's style and helps with the interview and talking to people one on one when figuring out what is really going on with the dog and human. If you truly want to help people and their dogs this a good book to get your confidence up and in their door.

I got this marvelous little book shortly after starting my business six years ago, and it has been invaluable. Lots of great info in a easy-to-read style with great examples and helpful solutions. I'll pull this out after a fractious class and remind myself that - look, Nicole has had this problem, too!

After 20 years in the military, it was really helpful to read about some ways to work with difficult client personalities. The reminders about positively reinforcing the owners, practicing good verbal skills, and even using the owner's names instead of 'Rover's owner...'(my biggest weakness), were, and are still, helpful.

This book abounds with suggestions such as "Continually assess your clients' skill levels and observe their movements as you would a dog's. Keep adjusting your program accordingly, and be patient." This has become a standard with clients and saved much frustration for both parties.

I teach at the local junior college, and have volunteer helpers. I have them read this book, especially the "Ten Tips For Keeping Your Cool" and write-ups on the personality types.

A must for any trainer's library!

Although I not a "clicker trainer" (I use those "mean methods"), I enjoyed this book. It has helped me to become a better group training instructor. The author and I might disagree on dog training methodology but we do agree on the people training methods. I have been able to manage the training groups better, with people and their dogs having better learning success. This is a good book for anyone who instructs the public in dog training no matter what method they use.