Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 6-10 of 10
 Oldie and Goodie May 24, 2002
Robin D. Hamerdinger (Jefferson City, MO United States)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
I have trained dogs for many years (service dogs, obedience dogs, hunting dogs, people's pets) and this is always the first book I recommend. It is clear straight forward and effective. A great book for students to take home and practice with or for a new dog owner.
That is not to say there are not other ways to train, but this works. My own personal style includes food motivation especially with puppies and play training with older pups and dogs. Other favorites to read with this are Mother Knows Best and Play Training Your Dog.
Humane Training By the Best! January 12, 2002
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
Hello! I'm An obedience trainer and instructor for obedience titles at AKC Obedience trials! This book might be older than some but take my advice! This book is written by an experienced trainer and handler. Most of all, I have trained several canine's by the methods listed in this book, and they do work. I have shown canine's, and won CD tiles at AKC events by using these methods, and have documented proof! Mrs. Fisher, which is one of the authors, holds a degree in animal psychology and gives you an in depth look into the mind of the canine...The book has great details in the why's of different methods of, reading your dog, and trying to understand why he thinks the way he does! On my very first obedience trial for an Obedience title, the dog got his first Qualification for CD Title when he turned 6 months of age. By using the methods in this manual he recieved his CD Title by the time his 3rd Show rolled around. It's a very good manual for both, the beginning trainer, and experienced trainer alike!!! My highest recommendations go out on this book!!!
Still one of the best November 7, 2000
JN Trotter (Pittsford, NY United States)
14 out of 15 found this review helpful
This is an "old fashion" dog training method - give a command once, physically place dog in position, and if required physically hold dog in position until released. It seems harsh to some people, but it is working for me where gentler methods have failed.I picked this book up because it is used in the 8 week obedience class I just started. I tried home obedience for 6 weeks after reading 2 or 3 "treat/praise motivational" method books (no hands on the dog), including "Teach Your New Dog Old Tricks". For MY DOG the "treat" methods were really frustrating for both of us. After weeks and countless hours of training she would sit (not on command) and look for a treat - she new she got a treat when she sat but not what "sit" meant! After only 1 hour of class and 3 days of "homework" (about 30min to 1 hour a day) out of this book, she sits (right away), holds the sit for 1 min+ until released, holds a down for 5 min+ until released and is well on her way to heeling and holding a "down" for 30min. If you are having trouble with the "modern" training methods, this book is a MUST. (by the way, my dog is an extremely submissive, some what timid English Springer Spaniel)
 Harmless, but outdated methods. December 16, 1998
Elizabeth TeSelle (eteselle@geocities.com) (Nashville, TN)
26 out of 37 found this review helpful
The Volhard system isn't particularly harsh, but the corrections involved in it are unnecessary in this day and age. We're better able to use learning theory now, and books like this are useful only as historical documents. There is a reliance on physical prompts in this book and others by Volhard that result in a dog who waits for the collar pop before he responds.In addition, the so-called motivation of the "motivational" method isn't motivating for most dogs at all! I've seen dogs trained this way, and results are a long time in coming. For many dogs, they don't come at all. Give me something the dog really wants, and I'll get the same behaviors in days it takes months to get with this method! Better choices, available from Amazon.com, are Andrea Arden's *Train Your Dog the Lazy Way,* Ian Dunbar's *How to Teach a New Dog Old Tricks,* Karen Pryor's *Don't Shoot the Dog,* and Jean Donaldson's *Culture Clash.* Again, it's not a harmful book. It's just not very useful. Elizabeth TeSelle, Paws Plus Dog Training
Excellent guide to understanding and training your dog. December 14, 1998
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
I first purchased this book in 1984 on the advice of the breeder from whom we purchased a Bernese Mountain Dog. I have used this book as a guide for my past 4 dogs and still find it useful. It is an easy manual to follow and use while giving an excellent, easy to understand insights on your dog's point of view and your dog's natural instincts. It is interesting to note it has not been updated since 1983, but is still topical and fresh.
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