Surviving Your Dog's Adolescence : A Positive Training Program (Howell Reference Books)
Surviving Your Dog's Adolescence : A Positive Training Program (Howell Reference Books) In Praise of Surviving Your Dog's Adolescence
"Carol Benjamin has brought her usual wit and insight to bear on what is one of the most troubling phases for dog owners.... Whether you're having difficulties with a youngster or have a puppy who will soon be an adolescent, you can't help but benefit from reading this book." �Robert G. Maxwell President, The American Kennel Club
"A concise and practical guide Zthat] confronts almost every potential problem...with solid advice and good humor. It is destined to become a dog owner's next best friend." �Roger A. Caras President, ASPCA
A Howell Dog Book of Distinction
Customer Review: Not just bad advice -- *dangerous* advice!
I picked up this book looking to learn more about the adolescent stage of dogs. What I found instead was bad information, some of it downright dangerous.
The first chapter I turned to was on behavior problems, and here I read something that horrified me. Ms. Benjamin says that you should punish a dog if it growls at you to defend its food. This is, unfortunately, the perfect recipe to create a dog that bites without warning. If you do this, you don't punish the dog for being aggressive around its food -- you punish the dog for warning you that it is uncomfortable and will bite if pushed further. You stop the growling, but not the "feeling of threat" that the dog has. If you punish other warning signs, such as snapping, you will also cause those signs to disappear. Without the warnings, you will not know that your dog is not comfortable with what you are doing until it feels threatened enough that it has to bite -- and it will bite without warning.
Ms. Benjamin also perpetuates the terribly outdated notion that you can end a bad behavior by punishing the dog after the behavior has happened as long as there is a "reminder" you can show the dog. Reminder or not, punishment never works unless it is timed correctly -- that means that you have to punish during the behavior itself. If the dog has already stopped, it's too late, and you're punishing something else entirely.
Finally, Ms. Benjamin says that "positive training," that is, training without physical punishment, does not work. That is absolutely false. Considering that this book was written over a decade ago, I don't find this attitude surprising at all, but it is wrong. "Positive" traditional training works when used properly. Modern "positive" training works when used properly. Both sides can point to examples of failures from the other group, but that doesn't mean the methods don't work.
There is a little bit of good information, such as "anger has no place in dog training" and "dogs don't act out of spite." But the average dog owner cannot distinguish between the good information and the bad, and the bad is bad enough that I have to strongly recommend than an owner or novice dog trainer avoid this book altogether.
If you are looking for positive traditional training, find another author, one who understands the proper way to use punishment and understands how dogs learn. If you are looking for modern positive training, I recommend Dr. Ian Dunbar's books. He uses only non-physical punishment, and clearly explains how to be a benevolent leader for your dog. His methods debunk the false-but-popular myth that positive = permissive (as another reviewer mistakenly believes). His methods are strict but fair and without physical punishment. The results are amazing to watch and can be seen in his off-leash work with his malamute in one of his videos -- he has great control of his dog. (As an aside, his book "Before and After Getting Your Puppy" will prevent a lot of the problems dealt with in this book.)
Best Buys Zone, http://www.bestbuyszone.com
Dog Training Books, http://bestbuyszone.com/Books/5053/1.html
Dog Care Books, http://bestbuyszone.com/Books/5049/1.html
Animal and Pet Care Books, http://bestbuyszone.com/Books/5049/1.html
Home and Garden Books, http://bestbuyszone.com/Books/48/1.html
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