Customer Reviews

Puppy Whisperer: A Compassionate, Non Violent Guide to Early Training and Care

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Paul Owens is well known as the "original" Dog Whisperer, and has always advocated gentle, compassionate training methods. Continuing on that note, his latest offering, The Puppy Whisperer, focuses on getting puppies off to a good start and preventing problems from ever starting.

I love that Paul not only discusses the importance of socialization (which is key to how that dog will relate to new people, places, and things for the rest of his life), but gives concrete socialization plans that owners can follow. He also clearly explains the developmental stages that puppies go through, which is vital to understanding behavior, and is not always covered in a puppy primer. Of course, there is also a nicely illustrated section on teaching basic obedience behaviors, complete with the proper use of food treats and how to wean dogs off them. (The tricks section will provide fun for new pups and their owners as well.) As a professional trainer, I highly recommend this book, not only for the actual information, which is invaluable, but for the tone Paul helps owners to set for the lifelong relationship with their puppies; one of respect, love, and compassion.
- Nicole Wilde, author Energy Healing for Dogs: Using Hands-On Healing to Improve Canine Health and Behavior

About a third of the information in this book is about trying to find the right puppy for your family and making sure you have the right kind of environment for the puppy you're going to get. If, like me, you already have a puppy then about a third of this book is useless to you. The actual training section of the book is not bad, there are some details that one might miss when it comes to teaching the basic commands, but the gist of the entire thing is just that you should condition your puppy using rewards and the occasional (but not severe) punishment. The "compassionate" part of the book is that it encourages the conditioning to be about the right kind of reward and claims that if done right this will allow you to use little to no punishment. But the training part of the book seems to assume you've followed the advice in the first part of the book and bought a puppy with the right kind of temperament. If you have a puppy who is acting aggressively, biting or nipping there is not a ton of advice for you in this book. Also, like most puppy books, there is not a ton of advice on puppies and children (except, again, in the buying a puppy section). Overall, not a bad book, but one I would probably only recommend to someone who was going to buy a puppy, not someone who already had one.

I used Paul's book to train my puppy and it has been one of the most rewarding things I've ever done! His methods are completely reward based and compassion driven so there's no using pinch or choke collars, something I am very opposed to. I have have had great success overcoming all the normal puppy issues such as potty training, nipping, separation anxiety, and digging by using Paul's methods.

All in all I can't say enough good things about this book!

I love this book because it seems so complete to me. He doesn't just tell you how to teach your dog a few things. He talks about the high level of commitment that is required to raise a dog and tells you about the things that you will need to do and to have for a healthy, happy dog. He brings up points and offers solutions that I never thought about. I found his training instructions very clear and helpful. He tells you just how to hold your hands and what to do. What is especially great is that he doesn't just say do this and hope it works. He gives you some what if's and how to adjust to them to get your puppy to do the right thing. When I was reading the instructions I thought, but what if my dog doen't respond like you say and sure enough sometimes he didn't. With his what if's I was able to figure out what to do and I am very happy with my success. He also breaks the training into different levels and tells you how much to expect from your dog as he grows. You don't need special skills or strength to train your dog. You just need commitment and you can make him or her your best friend, not a headache.

Once again, Paul Owens (and his team of dog lovers) have produced a thorough and exceptional book on guiding owners through their life with dogs. Paul's loving "no-fail" method is all here with detailed explanations and pictures. I've gone through his on-site courses with my puppies--what a difference just one lesson, one little instruction can make! If you want your puppy to grow into a behaved and confident "best friend" than READ THIS BOOK! All of Paul Owens' books and DVDs should be an automatic purchase when you get a puppy!!

Paul Owens addresses just about every topic concerning a new dog's needs - but some of them only very superficially. His play and exercise discussions in particular were quite lightweight on content. Not a comprehensive puppy-rearing guide by any means.

I have no problem with food rewards for early training (why are people more eager to scold a dog than to give her a piece of food?). That said, I HATE his overuse of food for socialization. Puppies should be encouraged to approach the world on their own. If they balk at something, it is best to lead by example by quietly interacting with that object yourself, allowing your puppy to approach at her own pace and giving her praise and support when she freely interacts ("what a brave, good puppy!"). Covering the world in food is not instilling the puppy with confidence. It is also a terrible way for puppies to view people. They lose their interest in interacting, and focus on begging or demanding food. Unless the pup has a big problem that requires counterconditioning, plying them with food in social situations is unnecessary. Calm confidence on your part will send the needed message.

I do like his training section. I love his description of "capturing" as "the magnet game" - good behavior draws good things. Easy to remember and enact. His methods are common for positive reinforcement, but they are well presented. His troubleshooting section is slight, but in truth, most common behavior issues can be addressed by redirecting the puppy into a preferred response. "Do this instead of doing that."

It is boring visually, but having tried to read "How to Raise a Puppy You Can Live With" (talk about BORING), at least I wasn't lulled to sleep by it. Still, I found Gwen Bailey's Perfect Puppy-Newly Revised & Updated: How to Raise a Well-Behaved Dog more enjoyable and thorough, and it remains my #1 choice among puppy books.

I recently got a new puppy after not having one for many years. I thought I'd brush up on new training techniques and "non-violent" sounded good. I read the book before I brought her home and everything has worked beautifully! All the advice, techniques and training have been fantastik and I would highly recommend this book. I've had my pup now for a little over 2 weeks and there has been 1 accident in the house - really! It has made puppy ownership a joy instead of a pain. Thanks Paul!

I am not a professional dog trainer and found this book to be very helpful in dealing with some basic behavioral issues I have been having with my goldendoodle. It gives good direct instructions on how to deal with specific problems. It is far better than a few other books I have read rectently, but you may want to look at "Puppy Perfect" by Sarah Hodgson as some of its training methods seemed more practical than this one.

This book is it! Five stars quality!
We got "The Puppy Whisperer" with the hope of getting an overall guide to training our new puppy full of energy. We were amazed at how detailed and full of great advice this book is. Paul Owens explains the bare bones of dog training technique while maintaining a style full of warmth and compassion which makes for a perfect combination helping to train the puppy to be an obedient and loving companion.
Definitely recommended for people who want an easy to use tool and a serious method.
Ruy Folguera

I thought that the book was very good. I have been using the training guides on our new puppys. It is a slow process but we are getting there.
So I guess you can say we are a work in process.
I know you will enjoy this book very much.And has some very helpful advise on working with your dog.
When I have a problem I refer back to it often.
Kathleen