5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Dog Trainer in print at last! Thank you!!!, December 6, 2011
Jolanta Benal has put together a fine comprehensive book on dog training and behavior. She does a great job of mixing theory and practice, with an eye always to the science behind the methods, and the general great fun it is to live with and train a dog. I am a first time dog owner whose adoptee has caused me any number of headaches and feet that are bloody stumps from all the walking, and I have to say if it weren't for Ms. Benal and her contemporaries who look at things from a scientific perspective, I may well have given up hope on my little guy improving much, or I'd be off with a voodoo doll or something, trying some magical cure for all my ills.
Listeners to her Quick and Dirty Tips podcast will be familiar with much of the material in this book, but it is well organized, and put together in an easily digestible and quickly accessible format, which is very helpful. Those familiar with the podcasts will also feel like they are sitting down with a good friend, whose sincere tones and clever wit are ever present and ready to help. I can't tell you how many times, while reading the book and she is discussing an owner's reaction, I would say "That's me!" or a dog's issue, I would turn to my dog, and say "Hey! She's talking about you!"
As must be the case, the book offers no magical cures and no mystical techniques to solve or communicate with your dog. It offers, rather, a detailed discussion of what dogs actually do, the best we understand about why, and how we can deal with it, modify behavior and understand that dogs are real beings, just like us, and always with a sound, scientific foundation. In addition she discusses all aspects of life with a dog, and the long road to teaching her/him manners, and how to deal with problem issues.
The few gripes I have about the book are more about dog books in general, or, perhaps more precisely put, about general dog books. The problem is that there are a LOT of general dog books from gifted trainers and writers, and I have to slog through pages and pages about puppies (for example), when I don't have a puppy! I will likely never have a puppy (and if I ever do, I'll buy a puppy book!) I have a 2 year old adolescent rescue dog who is energy insane! With all the emphasis out there on adult adoptions and rescues (I have a hard time calling my dog a "rescue" as he's so cute and playful there's no way someone wasn't going to adopt him. I think of "rescues" as the saving of a dog on death row), I think we need more books that address more specific issues dealing with rescues, and that are a little less general. But here, Ms. Benal succeeds as much as possible, with constant references to other fantastic resources for those of us with more specific problems. But I know she's so knowledgeable that I would love to see her put out a series of very specific books (or even mini-books < 100 pages, but larger than pamphlets, which never have enough background) that address specific issues. For example, she points out repeatedly that people like me need to give their dog a good hour of aerobic exercise first thing in the morning, which I think serves mostly as a warning on adopting a high-energy dog, but I already have one, and I could use some tips on how the heck to get that hour of aerobic exercise when there are precious few off leash areas in my town and fewer that are "open" first thing in the morning, and even if I risked brushes with the law, his recall isn't honed well enough yet that I trust him off leash in the great outdoors, and it could be a year before it is rock solid. How about tips on training a dog run while I ride a bike? Special fetch/keep away tricks that keep them going in the smallish back yard? I can't even imagine how tough apartment dwellers would have it. Anyway, all of these gripes are mentioned only in hopes that we'll see a lot more from Ms. Benal.
Again, this is a great and entertaining read and reference whether you are new to modern dog training methods or want a refresher. I can't thank you enough for all the help your book and podcasts have been to me!
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This has a place on every bookshelf, November 10, 2011
This review is from: The Dog Trainer's Complete Guide to a Happy, Well-Behaved Pet (Paperback)
This is a great book. The writing is good (some borderline witty snark, at times, but listeners to her podcast are familiar with this), the information is both experience & science-based, and she does a good job giving the dedicated dog person the tools to create their own solutions. This is not a step-by-step hand-holding book which you can use to look up and fix problems; rather it's got general advice on everything from choosing a dog to where to turn when you feel overwhelmed. There are some step-by-steps in the book as well, but I think the main value of this book is in teaching you how to communicate and teach your own dog. If you're dedicated to teaching your dog, this book is the "teach a man to fish" method that you're looking for.
Unlike many authors, she doesn't ignore the existence of small dogs and she also takes time to mention the frustrations that people can experience while training. She confronts outdated training techniques and myths head-on and without apology and for that alone I applaud this book. Ms. Benal has a habit of pointing out things that should be obvious to everyone but somehow aren't, so in the end she's not convincing you to see things in another way, you're just going with what makes the most sense to you.
For anyone outside of the NYC area, Jolanta Benal is well-known for taking on some of the worst cases of aggression, OCD, etc. She's been "in the trenches" with the worst cases, and based on the references cited in this book, apparently spends the rest of the time reading scientific journal articles. As someone in the sciences myself, I appreciate Ms. Benal for having a science-based approach that has been extensively field tested. Any flak she gets from those still promoting "dominance theory" should be seen in the light of both the science and the results.
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