Dog Training Books That Work
16 Aug 2010
How do you choose from all of the dog training books out there? It’s easy to fall into the trap of trying to cherry pick– listening to too many different people giving conflicting advice, using a bit from one and a bit from another, then ending up confusing your dog… and yourself.
The first thing you need to decide is whether you want a general dog training book, or one dealing with a specific training issue like crate training puppies or dog housebreaking. Puppy potty training is a very common problem, for instance; but if you have a house training problem, then you wouldn’t necessarily want to buy a book about clicker training your dog. There have been dog training books written on just about every problem imaginable… from digging to aggression to pulling on the leash.
The e-books above are both general training guides. For more specific dog training problems, see the other pages on the website: dog housebreaking, crate training puppies, and puppy potty training.
You may find that as you learn more effective techniques for general dog training, some individual behavior problems start to fade on their own. This is a result of a dog’s increasing respect for his owner, and is a powerful and often-overlooked side effect of general obedience training (when done right). In the wild, wolves and dogs live in packs led by an alpha individual who makes decisions for the whole group.
When people add dogs to their human “packs”, they often fail to realize this. If an assertive dog with a laid-back owner decides that he is the alpha dog in the relationship, then behavior problems are an almost inevitable result. Good dog training books will show the owner how to regain the alpha position quickly and humanely, making the dog more amenable to the owner’s direction and wishes, and restoring harmony to the “pack”.
In general, people should beware of dog training gimmicks, like shock collars and specialized leashes. That said, there are a handful of tools which can be helpful for children, the elderly, or small people who have large, strong dogs. The most useful of these is the Gentle Leader
Other than that, beware of books that urge you to rely on gimmicks. Stick to a sensible collar and leash, a pocketful of treats, and dog psychology, and you’ll find your relationship with your dog becoming what you’d always hoped it would be.