Dr. Ian Dunbar writes with the voice of authority because he truly is the authority. Read this book and learn from the source because most of the more current dog training guidance you will find elsewhere is following Dr. Dunbar's lead (or it is 40 years behind).
The content presented in this book and the expertise of the author deserve more than a five star rating and easily outweigh any shortcomings of this book. I think I understand why the information is presented in the book in the way that it is, but it may not lend itself to easy reading and easy acceptance by some people.
I read a little bit about dog training from several sources before deciding to get my first new puppy in 16 years. I came away a bit confused by the various approaches many of which were not at all consistent with successes I have had on my own with many dogs over the past 40 years. Then I read this book and all of the successes and failures I've had on my own suddenly made perfect sense.
Initially this book may be a bit difficult for some people to digest. It seems overly rigid at first, but the specific procedures that are described are offered as an ideal approach for the most typical scenario. Don't let that prevent you from reading on. The sense of humor may not be easy for some to grasp and the degree of emphasis that is placed on the urgency and importance of some aspects of training may put off some people. However, if you hang in there and read the whole book, I think you will come away with a very solid sense of what you need to do, when you need to do it, and why you need to do it even if you don't do it in the exact manner suggested in the book.
I am convinced that Dr. Dunbar genuinely wants to get his readers to succeed at training great dogs and avoid the creation of troubled dogs first and foremost. He points out that 75% of dogs that end up at a shelter because of behavior problems will never be adopted and will instead be euthanize ("put to sleep"). And, of the 25% that do get adopted, half will end up back at the shelter very soon after adoption and will likewise to be put to death. If he started the book with those statistics, the emphasis he puts on the importance of getting it right from the start might seem more immediately justified.
I read the small number of bad reviews of this book before I bought it and I'm glad they did not dissuade me. Anyone who has not read this whole book does not have the full perspective on it. Those who don't value a scientific approach to dog behavior and dog training may not be persuaded by it. Most who believe they already know the best way to train a dog probably will never read it.
I think some people will be a bit put off by the heavy sense of responsibility Dr. Dunbar throws on the readers head very early on in the book. Those people probably shouldn't own dogs.
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About the author
I raised a near perfect dog after reading this.
Read this BEFORE you get a puppy if you can. I didn’t find this book until I had my puppy for about 3 months. The information it contains trains you as much as it does your dog. Other reviewers have likely pointed out that the author’s tone is a bit abrasive and to that I would say, “get over it”. Discipline comes before praise. The overall message is this: if your dog is misbehaving it’s YOUR fault not the dog’s. I must say I agree. My dog is now almost 14. She doesn’t bark excessively, jump, nip, chew or destroy anything and doesn’t get on furniture unless she has been invited. She isn’t perfect; she’s had accidents and gotten in to her food bin, but that was MY fault for leaving her home alone for too long. The training methods and psychology I learned here has allowed me to raised the most well behaved dog I’ve ever owned. People have asked me for advice countless times over the years and nearly all of my responses were learned from this book. I have gifted it to new dog owners about 6/7 times over the years. It’s a wonderful book if you don’t need a sugar coated method.
Top reviews from the United States
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Top reviews from other countries
- ElisaReviewed in Spain on April 14, 2014
some good but mainly strange ideas
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase - G D Happy in Montreal!Reviewed in Canada on July 6, 2013
Every one should read this book. It has worked just like Dr. Dunbar says!
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase - BizibeeReviewed in the United Kingdom on March 13, 2015
A brilliant, first rate dog training book
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
