This is a good, down to earth training guide for anyone unfamiliar with dog behavior or a first time dog owner. This book was written by a team of veterinary behaviorists and offers a more scientific approach to understanding a dogs behavior and creating a desirable behavior. The chapters are organized by specific behavior, so it is easy to research the information you need to know. However, the first few chapters about dog behavior in general are very informative for everyone to read.
There were a few little scientific quirks in here that I disagree with, they don't really impact the overall content of the book, but may impact your attitude. There is a small discussion about "Are Wolves Smarter Than Dogs?" The authors state that "Wolves can't be all that smart a species or they wouldn't have become endangered." I don't think intelligence is an issue so much as evolutionary differences in relationships with humans. Dogs have evolved to take cues from humans and wolves have evolved to rely on instinct. This is the way it should be since wolves are wild animals. The authors also tell owners to not fear that their dogs will ever act like wolves, while this is true most of the time for well trained dogs, I always remember the Bernd Heinrich quote "A wolf is never a dog, but a dog is always a wolf."
With that being said, I actually agree with most of the training methods in the book which focus on positive reinforcement and clear, concise commands.
This book was provided for free in return for an honest review.
There were a few little scientific quirks in here that I disagree with, they don't really impact the overall content of the book, but may impact your attitude. There is a small discussion about "Are Wolves Smarter Than Dogs?" The authors state that "Wolves can't be all that smart a species or they wouldn't have become endangered." I don't think intelligence is an issue so much as evolutionary differences in relationships with humans. Dogs have evolved to take cues from humans and wolves have evolved to rely on instinct. This is the way it should be since wolves are wild animals. The authors also tell owners to not fear that their dogs will ever act like wolves, while this is true most of the time for well trained dogs, I always remember the Bernd Heinrich quote "A wolf is never a dog, but a dog is always a wolf."
With that being said, I actually agree with most of the training methods in the book which focus on positive reinforcement and clear, concise commands.
This book was provided for free in return for an honest review.