Customer Reviews

SMARTER THAN YOU THINK: A REVOLUTIONARY APPROACH TO TEACHING AND UNDERSTANDING YOUR DOG IN JUST A FEW HOURS

5 star:		(70)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(27)

 

 

Being a brand new dog owner I tried to read and research as much as I could about puppies and small dogs ( my dog is a Papillion ). I also enrolled her in obedience school when she was 3 months old. Most instuctors I found out use food as a reward and later praise to teach dogs.
My puppy would never come 100%.

When I first got her I tried the magic touch and threw a soft slipper at her. She looked at me quite hurt and hubby and I thought we may "damage" her cheerful, energetic nature papillions
are known for.

As obedience lessons continued she still didn't come 100%. So one day before lessons I got so frustrated I decided to try the magic touch again.

I called her, she didn't come and continued playing with her stuffed dog toy. I threw a 3 inch roll of bandage tape at her which smacked her in the side. From that moment she was a changed dog. She looked at me in disbelief ( I didn't physically hurt her- just her pride ) and came immediately. Since that moment she looks at me in a different light. She respects me, always comes now and still is the same cheerful energic dog.

Another topic I was interested in is diet since small dogs have skin problems.. I tried the supermarket brands and Vet recommended dry foods plus natural expensive dry food and yet my dog seemed to scratch despite no fleas.

So I decided to use a natural brand of "canned food" which worked out well. The book adviced canned over dry plus people food supplements at times. My dog hardly scrathes now.

So I recommend the book and despite many negative reviews I read about Mr Loeb's knowledge, writing abilities and character
the information in the book helped me and my dog.!!

This book finally puts into words the thoughts I have always had about dog training. Having recently raised a Standard Poodle puppy for a seeing eye dog organization, I can relate to the different puppy raising issues Mr. Loeb addresses. Although I was limited to training the dog according to the organization's rules, I can look back and see where the dog "outsmarted" me or learned an undesired behavior simply because he was confused. On the positive side, the puppy was able to learn many complex commands, such as finding a specific toy in a different room, simply because I spoke to him like he understood, which is something Loeb encourages. I think that many people underestimate a dog's intelligence and have behavior problems because they don't learn to think like a dog does. I incorporated many "think like a dog" solutions when working with the puppy, just as Loeb suggests. Or, maybe even more importantly, when training a puppy, think like the puppy's mother would.

The one idea from the book that I think is very important is that if you don't teach your dog, he will fill up the void with his own thoughts and behaviors. It is not cruel to teach your dog what he can and cannot do, it simply gives him a sense of security and freedom within his environment. I suggest that everyone who has a dog take a look at Loeb's ideas. As far as the nutritional part of the book, I think everyone should think for himself. In Europe, dogs and cats live longer because they get real food, not diseased parts of other animals that end up in commercial dog food. My mantra is that if you wouldn't feed it to your child, don't feed it to your dog. I don't know that a dog should have human sweets, but I can't see anything wrong with treating a dog with "real" food, such as fruit, vegetable, grains, and protein.

Reading through the reviews, here is the best way I can describe it.

Yes he is Cocky (why wouldn't he be he is very successful with his method)
Yes he says throw things
However he NEVER SAYS HURT YOUR DOG. If throwing a pair of socks, or a rolled up washcloth taped in the middle (as I used) ruins your relationship with your dog, I would suggest you have a bigger issues to overcome. Within 10 minutes, I had my 5 month old Boxer coming to me 100% inside the house, and withing days 100% outside. He mentions swatting your dog, NOT BEATING as many of you suggest. He makes it clear, your dog relies on you for EVERYTHING it needs. If you are providing it you will have little trouble getting your dog to act as you choose, if you are not, then your dog will show you in its own way that you are lacking. Everyone I have shared this with has been amazed with the results.

I completely forgot how difficult it was to have a puppy...
My first few nights were hell until I met a girl on the street who introduced me to this phenomenal book!!!! At first I thought she was nuts. How do I have time to read with an eight-week-old puppy, I had no time to go to the bathroom and now I am being told to read a book...? Well, after another two nights of no sleeping I decided it was time to try something different. I finished the book in a few short hours with new insight and felt like I was given another chance!!! Within a few days, I was back to sleeping and my hand was no longer being used as a chew toy!!! The crate was thrown out and the wee-wee pads became history!! By ten weeks, I was on the road to a well-trained puppy. Today, at five months, I have an angel!!! She walks off the leash, ignores other dogs on the street, and looks to me for guidance. I cannot recommend this book enough!! It was a lifesaver and allowed me to have a new best friend!!

I sneered when I opened my 50th birthday present this summer and saw the book, "Smarter Than You Think." How could Brit, a horse and dog person herself, and who always praised my relationships with animals, insult me by giving me this basic "so you have a new puppy" type book? Me, who studied so many dog training books and practiced them; who attended obedience classes; who retrained a killer German Shepherd not to kill farm animals; who trained the same dog to perform a half-hundred actions with either voice or hand signal; whose dogs always wait untethered for me outside of any building? Out of courtesy, I perused the book at bedtime. Next morning I was calling Brit to apologize, for sneering, and to thank her for what may be the best book I've read on dogs. Mr. Loeb's sensible (humorously written) ideas on training and diet work for me, and my 11-year-old Shepherd/Spaniel adoptee and I have an even better relationship now, not to mention how her coat is even sleeker and shinier than ever. She enjoys her meals so much now with the diet change, and is grateful; no more skin problems and allergic reactions. You can teach an old dog new tricks. I gave this book to several friends/family for Christmas, and recommend it to everyone I meet who praises my dog, and complains about their own. While I achieved good results with my old methods, I can get better results much more easily with Mr. Loeb's. Sincerely, Linda D.

I first read this book two years ago when I was anticipating getting a new puppy. Since then I've read most all of the dog training books currently on the market -- from Bill Koehler to the New Skete monks to Karen Pryor, and everything in between. But I keep coming back to the principles and techniques Paul Loeb explains in this book. I have two Rhodesian Ridgebacks, which are big headstrong dogs and known to be difficult to train. This book has helped me more than any other I've read, and it also has the most palatable approaches for me. I want my dogs to be my buddies without being spoiled brats -- and this book really shows how to achieve that goal! Sure, I use some other techniques as well (for example, I do crate my young female; she doesn't mind and she's too strong to be tethered and left alone.) I have also used a paper match on a puppy to stimulate its "I-gotta-poop NOW" reflex when I have to train it to go on a tiny piece of ground in the city. That's an old show ring handler trick and doesn't hurt the dog at all -- just makes sure the dog eliminates before going into the ring so something like what happened on TV at Westminster last year doesn't occur! Loeb's advice on feeding is also excellent, simple, and follows the most recent alternative veterinary writings on the best diet for a dog. I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone who is not comfortable with strict, military-like training techniques and yet wants a responsive and well-behaved companion.

I work alot in the obedience circuit and am tired of trainers with ALL the answers. Recent trends in dog training employ many techniques that reduce man's best friend to a well-oiled machine, most notably "clicker training". In my household, our dogs are our children and they are treated as such. Author Paul Loeb does the same. He teaches you how to talk to your dog, discipline your dog, train your dog, and feed your dog. I read every book I can get on dog training and was very skeptical when beginning this one. (Particularly because Paul Loeb professes to be such an expert. In order to fully appreciate this book, you must ignore his rather pompous attitude.) The book is very easy to read, almost like listening to a seminar. After trying his techniques for only an hour, my two smart dogs (german shepherd and border collie) were responding like they never have before. Additionally, we've tried Loeb's suggestion of avoiding DRY dog food and our shepherd's dry skin and 'seperation anxiety' have disappeared. I sound like an info-mercial, but I promise it's true. Some people may find that they have to pick and choose items from this book that will or won't work for their family members. In my family's case, this book was like a religious experience!

I have read Smarter Than You Think and I liked it a lot. Some people give it a one star rating because they do not agree with his method of training. Others, love this book and say it works great! I agree and disagree on some things said. For example I agree on not feeding your dog "some" commercial dog foods because it can make your dog bloated and possibly kill him. I disagree though, on some things, such as, always having to throw something at your dog. If you maybe toss a pair of socks occasionaly then fine, it won't hurt the dog. But people MUST remember that just because the methods don't work for them doesn't mean that it is a bad method. Some people tend to work better with animals than others and "get along" better with certain dogs. This book, in my opinion, works great depending on what you are teaching your dog. My dog used to be wild and misbehaved but after teaching my dog some of the things showen he was one of the best dogs I've ever met. I strongly recommend this book to those of you that treat your dogs just like humans.

This book is wonderful!
I recently adopted a 1 yr old pit bull/lab mix. he had been abused in 2 previous placements, so I was a bit hesitant to toss things at him, but it worked. comes when he is gently called. The amazing thing was the leash training techniques. At about 70 lbs, he was a handful to control. every distraction sent him running and me to the ground, or dislocating my shoulder. Tonight we spent about an hour following the leash "snapping" routine. 15 minutes to go 10 feet... but I stuck with it, and so did he. 45 snaps out, 5 back, and he came and reset himself next to me with all 5, even with a rabbit and a yappy untrained dog crossing our path.
The book does jump around a bit, and he is housebroken so I did not delve much into that, but I am more and more amazed as I read on. I like the idea that imparts responsibility to the owner, just like a parent. That is what I am, and this book really helped me to see things from my "baby boy's" point of view. Highest possible rating!

I wanted to recommend that everyone read the book, and read it with attention to the details. My first dog was raised on Paul Loeb's first book and my own thoughts, and was the best trained, most delightful "non-obediance" dog I knew. While never formerly taught to heel, she never pulled, was not a barker, never touched food left on the floor without permission, and even once escaped while we were at church during her puppy housetraining days and pulled newspaper from a table to go to the bathroom on! And yes, she was a terrier.
The point was the dog had respect for humans and her place in the pack. With Paul's new book, I only wish I had my dog again to see how much better she could have been. My cat is trained with his methods, and all you have to do is say her name in a displeased tone. You are obviously not going to throw a dictionary, but my cat has had pillows, etc. thrown at her, and not once has this previously skittish cat been afraid of me afterward. If you read the book closely, and follow the advice in the order he gives, with out prejudging and"modifying", you WILL get results.
About diet, I have another anecdotal case in point. A friend's dog was fed people food everyday of her life, except when the family went on vacation. It either speaks highly of the method, or these people's own eating habits, but the dog lived to eighteen, and she was a medium to large sized dog. If nothing else, this book will emphasize to you the poor quality of commercial dog food even from "good companies", and hopefully inspire you as it did me to read other people food dog books to get a real insight to the problem of dry. I recommend Pat Lazarus's "Keeping Your Dog Healthy the Natural Way."