Dog Training for Dummies Description:

Dog Training for Dummies review:
4 stars (Not just for Dummies) - This book was both useful and interesting for old hat dog owners and new ones as well. I initially found it at a friend's house and while flipping through the chapters I decided I needed one for myself. Though I am very familiar with dogs, the behvioural sections helped me get a handle on my new puppies' quirks and demands, particularly the section on typing your dog's profile. They were a new breed for me, and rescues, so I appreciated the explanation of behaviours I was not familiar with. I liked this book enough to send it on to my parents when they recently got a new dog as well. I did not find the homeophatic information very helpful at all, however I don't think the inclusion of that information outweighed the potential benefit of owning the book.
3 stars (Mixed bag) - I thought the parts of this book that talked about training were, for the most part, quite good. The authors give clear instructions and reasons for their practices. For example, don't say "no" to your dog; tell him what you want him to do instead. If he's jumping, say sit, for example. Be consistent. Reinforce commands. Say commands only once. I could give more examples, but you get the idea: sound, sane, and humane advice. The advanced training sections started to lose me a bit. I found them tedious after a while.



Although the authors are very experienced with all aspects of caring for dogs, I thought they were reaching a bit with their nutritional and medical advice. They talked about homeopathic remedies as though they're proven treatments. They're not. Anecdotal evidence is not the same as statistically significant results from controlled studies. Their opinion on vaccines seemed dangerous and unbalanced. They have too much confidence in their alternative nutrition and treatment methods -- maybe they have some effect, but they're not perfect. A well-fed dog could still get fleas and infections and communicable diseases. After a while, they sounded like shills for the company that makes the supplements they use. Finally -- and I hope you'll excuse the e-shouting, but I cannot emphasize this enough -- DO NOT FEED YOUR DOG RAISINS, EVEN FOR A TREAT! Scientists haven't yet identified what it is about grapes and raisins, but they've been implicated in acute toxicity and even death in some dogs.



And as someone who makes a living from the written word, I have to say it seemed to me that the copy editor gave up on this book around Page 200. The text in the last half of the book is full of typos, errors, and repetitive writing -- not repetitive as in emphasizing a point, but repetitive as in restating the content of one paragraph in the next. Ugh.



The training advice was sound. Read this book for that, and disregard the rest.
5 stars (Great guide for any dog owner) - This book has very practical and effective techniques for training your puppy. I have found it very helpful during my first efforts at raising a family dog. Although the authors tend to get "New Age" now and then, it didn't take away from the overall message. I tend to ignore these passages, however some people may find them useful (making your own dog food for example).



I will be passing it to everyone I know who has a dog, young or old.