The Power of Positive Dog Training

A good choice
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
There are so many dog training books out there — it is refreshing to find one with a really positive approach. It reminds me of another favorite, “Adam’s Task: Calling Animals by Name,” by Vicki Hearne. Combining animal training with philosophy and literary criticism, “Adam’s Task” offers excellent insight into how animals communicate and respond to humans. The Atlantic Monthly called it “A fascinating and often surprising discussion of animal-human encounters.” If you are an animal trainer– or even just an animal lover– it’s definitely worth checking out.

Next Gen Dog Training
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Having trained dogs for the past 30 years using choke chain and praise this book was enlightening

Using positive reiforcement, along with a clicker, really works enven for my single minded German Shorthare Poiter

The book is laid out in a straightforward easy to understnd format with helpful “realworld” insights.

Recommend it for any level dog owner

A well written, powerful and effective approach for ALL dogs and trainers.
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Rusty is a rescue from Mississippi shipped to a local shelter here in San Diego. He is now a very powerful and athletic 60 lb two year old. When we adopted Rusty at 7 months old he wasn’t house trained, was fearful and aggressive to most people, and had no idea how to play with other dogs. He was terrified of doors, hoses, and vacuums. When frightened, he would dart in, bite, and then dart away which made him dangerous.

I immediately enrolled in a traditional “positive” training class, which used force training. The “positive” aspect was praise after the dog complied. If the dog didn’t comply, he was forced using the leash and a pinch collar. Rusty freaked out at my attempts, and even more so at the trainers attempts to get him to lie down. The trainer’s solution was to apply more force, putting Rusty into a mindless panic. Not wanting Rusty or the trainer to get hurt, I withdrew from the class and looked for a more effective approach.

I discovered Pat Miller in the bibliography and recommended reading sections of several dog training books by animal behaviorists, especially Patricia McConnell and Jean Donnalson (I highly recommend both). Pat Miller’s approach is clear, scientific, sensible, and highly effective for ALL types, sizes, and ages of dogs.

One of her points, that I agree with, is that there are no vicious or “difficult breeds” of dogs. All dogs (and people) live to please themselves, to maximize reward and minimize punishment. Using reward almost exclusively to change behavior 1) is powerful because you can associate the reward consistently with the target behavior in the dog’s mind, 2) results in quick learning depending on the trainer’s skill in communicating to the dog, 3) builds the dog’s loving relationship with the trainer, 4) results in a balanced, calm, and confident dog, and 5) is fun. In contrast, punishment 1) is not very effective because it’s hard to associate the punishment with the target behavior (e.g. to a dog yelled at or hit for being on the sofa, “is he mad at me because I’m standing by the window, or because he’s dangerous and unpredictable?”), 2) usually results in learning the wrong lesson (e.g. only go on the sofa when the owner isn’t present) 3) creates a fearful and mistrustful relationship with the trainer, 4) results in a fearful, sneaky, neurotic dog (putting easily aroused dogs into the danger zone for attacking), and 5) isn’t fun.

The book is well organized, well written, and is all you need for a comprehensive training program. Rusty has learned remarkably quickly using Pat Miller’s approach. He walks well on and off leash, comes when called, likes people and other dogs, plays acceptably well (it’s hard to completely correct for no socialization as a puppy), knows many tricks, is well behaved, and loves and trusts me and my wife. He loves to learn because it’s fun and he always gets what he wants when he learns (a treat and a stoke). I love to teach him because it’s fun, because I love him, and I get what I want, which is a happy and well behaved big athletic dog.

Other books will help you understand dogs and the relationship between dogs and people better, but for training this is the only book you need. You and your dog will be happy if you follow Pat Miller’s approach.

A master at describing dog training
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
If you are looking for a easy to understand guide on how to train your dog, this book is for you! Pat Miller is a highly respected international dog trainer who knows her stuff.

The Dog Training Book Everyone Should Read
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Pat Miller brings you more than 30 years of experience training dogs and their people to this most excellent book…and what makes this book special is the author’s clear and straightforward writing style. Don’t pass up this comprehensive guide to training dogs through positive reinforcement.

Clicker optional, still a good guide
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I was disappointed that this book focuses on clicker training, as I just don’t find that practicle for me. However, when I used Pat Miller’s methods with praise in place of the clicker, I got wonderful results.

I trained dogs with a correction method years ago. With my first new puppy in a decade, I decided to check out the “positive training” books, just to see what they were about. I am such a convert!

The other book I really love is “Treats, Play, Love” by Burnham. Just excellent. She also examines different methods, including the history behind them and when correction methods may be appropriate. Pat Miller seems a bit more opposed to correction on a moral basis, so I appreciate Burnham’s approach to the topic. One of Pat Miller’s strong points is practical suggestions and an almost stet-by-step approach to basic training.

Great Book
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Very interesting book. I wish I had read it before I got my puppy. It explains dog behavior and gives very specific steps for training.

Great Dogs Start Here
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Based upon reviews I bought this and 101 Dog Tricks. Both are excellent and complement one another.

Positive Dog Training explains the whys of positive dog training through the author’s experiences. And goes into great details about the hows, including suggested weekly charts to help you plan the training for your dog.

Dogs want to be good citizens in our worlds. These books show us how to help them to be so.

Great Companion to Obedience Class
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I found this while we were in the middle of our first 6 week obedience course. It’s an easy read and gave great detail to all the concepts we learned in a positive training class with some fun extra tricks and interesting anecdotes. An excellent resource to refer back to especially if you’re taking a class!!

Easy read and quick results
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Easy to read and reference. I was able to quickly implement the positive training approach and clicker training with my 3 dogs. It really works. This book has a good 6-week training section which is helpful for training at home and keeping your dogs on track. I read this along with “The Other End of the Leash” and “The Dog Listener” to better grasp why dogs do what they do, and how to effectively communicate and train them.

No more yelling
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
No more choke chains, no more yelling.

The last time we had puppies was almost 30 years ago. The puppies were taught with choke chains, correction jerks, and loud, assertive commands. I hated it and was never very good at the training methods we were taught, but these methods were considered the only way to show a dog who is boss and get obedient behavior back then. The puppies eventually learned and behaved fairly well. They lived into their teens, and then we got our first adult shelter dog, an already well-trained dog with beautiful manners whom we loved dearly until she died too early from malignant melanoma.

When we brought Jazmine home from the shelter, it was another experience altogether. She had been a stray and in the shelter system for a while. She came to one of our local shelters on a lab rescue program–she is part lab and part ???

She was around two years old, and very active, but a challenge. Fearful at first, she eventually relaxed into a bit of a wild child–very sweet but a handful. Fortunately, the shelter gives a one hour home visit from their trainer who uses positive training methods.

She taught us the very basics, and we attended her classes. Jazmine has too poor an attention span to do well around other dogs, but we wanted to continue the training at home, so she recommended this book. I was so happy not to have to deal with choke chains, yelling and jerking the dog. I was amazed to see Jazmine learn things immediately, with soft, calm commands and a gentle, positive approach.

The book is great. It explains the theory behind the approach so well, that I was later able to apply the principles to some of the behavioral challenges Jazmine presented. She loved to steal things, especially socks and run into the other room to chew on them. We would chase her and grab the object, and you could see the little wheels turning in her head while she decided what object would be next. Using what I learned from the book, I analyzed what reward she was getting from this behavior. I finally realized how much she loved the chase and attention. So the next time she stole an item, I totally ignored her. She came back with the object to taunt me–”lookie what I have!” she seemed to say. I ignored her. She dropped the item and went to lie down in a corner of the family room with a puzzled look on her face. We have learned to chase her only when she has her own toys, she loves that. Now, when she wants a chase, she chooses her own toys and leaves our stuff alone. I didn’t have to yell, punish, or swat–all things we would have been told to do by trainers in the “old days”.

I enjoyed the chapters and worked through them with Jazmine. She seemed to really enjoy the training sessions as well. We used clicker training at first, but were gradually able to move away from that. Now a simple “yes” will do most of the time and we don’t have to carry a pouch of treaties either. Unfortunately, there are still certain behaviors she will only do with a treat–more my fault than the method’s I think. We lent the book to a neighbor who brought home a new puppy, and I’d like to get it back so I could learn more.

I buy this book for friends and relatives with new puppies and they give it good feedback as well.

One of the Best training books
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Pat Miller explains how to enhance the human-to-canine relationship using a positive training philosophy. She makes plain the differences between reinforcement, reward and punishment; describes how to use a clicker; and lays out the steps for a 6-week basic training course. I’ve read a lot of dog books, and this is one of the best handbooks I’ve seen about how to communicate with a dog.