Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 21-22 of 22
 Fantastic Book! February 5, 2005
Mary K. Woodward (Wilmington, DE USA)
74 out of 78 found this review helpful
This book was recommended to me by a student at my obedience school and I believe that anyone who is knowledgeable with clicker training (and who has taken the time to read the entire book) will find it to be extremely valuable. The author first shares her own experiences, which are humbling yet very interesting, then proceeds to give incredibly valuable advice. Her "recipes" are clear and concise - refreshing for us experienced trainers and lifesavers for inexperienced dog owners. She covers so many topics relating to inappropriate aggression in dogs, including general dog-dog and dog-people (including children) aggression, resource guarding, and multiple dog households. She gives solid advice for managing the household and for training new behaviors. One of the best chapters is near the end, where she describes what some people in the dog world refer to as NILIF (or, Nothing In Life Is Free). This program, in which a dog learns that humans really do control everything important to him, and therefore he had better start complying, is proven and very, very effective. Yet the dog is never hurt... instead the dog-human bond is strengthened (or created!). Although most of what she wrote was familiar to me, I found myself really appreciating some of her insights.
My only criticism is that I didn't see mention of the importance of having a dog thoroughly checked by a vet for possible medical reasons for aggression, nor was there information on proper nutrition which can play a part in a dog's behavior.
Thanks, Emma Parsons, for adding to the growing list of books designed for people dedicated to working with our beloved canines in only positive ways. Since punishment only ever suppresses behavior, never actually extinguishing the desire for it, positive reinforcement is the only way to go if you are committed to working with your aggressive dog.
Mary Woodward, APDT
Greenwood Dog Training School
www.greenwooddogs.com
www.clickerlessons.com
 Clicker training is only one of many tools February 2, 2005
Debbie (Tennessee)
14 out of 60 found this review helpful
Did any other dog person see what I see with the author and her dog? I don't know what other dogs she was training, or what trainers she had at the time, but she admits to nervously tightening her dog's leash and accidentally "cueing" him for his aggressive behavior! This is a fault usually corrected in "Training 101", and why no one caught it before her dog was so far into this needless behavior, I have no idea. Also, was "NO!" never a part of his training? Clicker training is great, but the author was obviously not a naturally authoritative person, which may be why she went for a Golden Retriever, generally known to be a "soft" and easy breed. However, her "little boy" hit his "teens" and decided that Mommy should be all his, or that Mommy needed his juvenile protection, and Mommy had no idea how to command him otherwise! What a shame for this dog. And as for the trainer who "hung" him ("clueless" and "impatient" are a couple of adjectives that come to mind) he ought to have watched the owner work with this dog away from other dogs first, to assess his willingness, in which case he might have figured out that a major correction would not necessarily be the answer, since the dog was responding to Mommy's actions (and perhaps her needs?)quite faithfully. I disagree that the bungled timing of this major correction was a large additional problem; I think "growing puppy who was thinking he was a big boy" was just pushing the issue with soft Mommy after being dominated.
And that is all I read of this book. The author's attitude and lack of knowledge scared me; I don't believe her dog was truly aggressive or dominant, but that her mildness and pandering led him to believe he was the leader/protector. Any halfway-experienced trainer knows to be on the lookout for a little aggressive behavior as a puppy grows up; it is natural for pups to test limits, but a good trainer or owner is not so oblivious or paralysed that the behavior escalates as far as this pup's did. I fear that promoting clicker work and food rewards will not be the answer for many truly dominant dogs, and that people will get hurt. I'll look through more of it in the future and see if I retract my impression thus far, but meanwhile, people with aggressive/dominant dogs should learn what DOGS interpret as submissive vs. dominant behavior from people, and act accordingly. The "NILIF" program (Nothing in Life is Free) works well for them, and is humane. Nervousness and fearfulness are different - if the dog can actually think about a food reward, clicker training and positive reinforcement can help him with much less likelihood of harm to anyone.
By the way, I grew up dog-crazy, and trained dogs and groomed dogs professionally for over 20 years. I'm still working with rescued dogs of all temperaments and backgrounds. Even in the grooming salon I used to try to teach my staff about how to assess a dog, and one reminder to them is good advice for all "newbies" coping with aggression: If you think an aggressive dog is motivated by fear, you can reassure it BUT IF YOU ARE WRONG AND IT IS DOMINANT, it will repeat or escalate the aggression. Likewise, if you think its aggression is due to dominance, you may then be bossy instead of sweet - if you are right, it will likely listen (unless it is so pathological it needs more than the normal cues), and IF YOU GUESSED WRONG AND THE POOR DOG IS FEARFUL, you may get bitten due to your wrong assessment! It pays to be very, very observant when handling either of these types, and be ready to change approaches according to WHAT THE DOG TELLS YOU by his behavior!
Good luck to all.
|
