Dog Training For Dummies (For Dummies (Pets))

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 408 pages
• Published by: For Dummies
• Edition: 2nd Edition July 22, 2005
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0764584189
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0764584183
• Book Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.3 x 1.1 inches
• Weighs: 1.3 pounds

Product Description
That innocent face. Those sad, puppy-dog eyes. Let’s face it: puppies can make anyone’s heart melt. But without proper training, they can make even the most doting doggie moms and dads’ blood pressure soar. So before your new puppy has you jumping through hoops, stop and ask yourself, “Just who is the trainer here?”

Dog Training for Dummies, 2nd Edition, shows you how to select the right training method for your puppy or adult dog, based on his unique personality, to reach your desired goals. Whether you want to teach Spike to sit, or want to help Rover master retrieving, this book gives training for you and your dog—to ensure a mutually respectful relationship with your four-legged family member.

Discover how to:

• Understand your dog’s mind
• Recognize why positive reinforcement training is key
• Master basic training
• Survive the puppy period
• Deal with doggie don’ts
• Seek expert outside help
• And much more

With step-by-step instruction in basic commands, guidance on how to eliminate unwanted behavior, and tips for making training fun for you and your pooch, Dog Training for Dummies is packed with all the latest techniques and resources you need to make your pal a Top Dog for life.

Back Cover Copy
Latest training commands from sitting to retrieving

Find out why positive reinforcement is an effective teaching tool

Does your dog need training? Featuring new and updated information on popular training methods, this hands-on guide provides clear step-by-step instructions that show you everything from housetraining and socializing a puppy to understanding your dog's behavior to dealing with doggie don'ts. You'll also explore advanced training for competition and see how to find outside help.

Discover how to

• Appreciate the influence of nutrition on your dog¿s behavior
• Teach your dog basic commands
• Determine your dog's personality
• Make training fun and effective

Reader Reviews
This review is from: Dog Training for Dummies (Paperback) 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.