Dogs: Books on training

If you want to buy a book, clicking on the book cover will take you directly to that book on the Amazon.co.uk web site.

See also:
Dogs: General
Dogs: Health and Nutrition
Dogs: Books on single breeds
Dogs: Origins, canine evolution and wolves
Dogs: Advanced training, including working dogs
Dogs: Behaviour and training philosophies
Dogs: Breeding and kennel management
Dogs: Fiction and biography relating to dogs

How to Train a Superdog

Gwen Bailey
Dorling Kindersley (1 May 2009)
ISBN-10: 1405332344
ISBN-13: 978-1405332347

 A very good first general dog book for people who want practical advice rather than lots of pretty pictures. The book does deal with training, as the title implies, but also provides help right from the moment when you decide you want a dog. There is help with choosing a breed, developing exercise schedules, teaching basic obedience, and more complex skills. The illustrations make it easy to follow the instructions. It is refreshing to read books which focus on what dogs can do, as well as how to prevent them doing things we'd rather they didn't do. Yes, it is true that manners training is the solid bedrock, but training can go much further than this, to the benefit of both dogs and owners. This is one of a newer crop of canine guides which draws on recent research to help owners develop dogs' potential. A highly recommended starter book for anyone taking on a dog.

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The Ultimate Puppy

Ed. Terry Ryan and Theresa Shipp
Ringpress Books
ISBN: 1860541739

Terry Ryan has been an obedience instructor since 1968 and has held seminars and lectures all around the world while Theresa Shipp has 8 years experience training, having run her own dog school for the past 5 (at the time of publishing), specialising in puppies and gundogs. She is also a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APBT), which was founded by the late John Fisher and is the only recognised dog trainers' organisation whereby members must abide by a strict code of conduct and have gained academic and practical qualifications. To learn more about the APDT click here.

In addition to their own input, the editors also draw on the experience and specialist skills of five experts from varying backgrounds within the dog world, including training, veterinary medicine, dog psychology, grooming and breed experts.

From the visual aspect, this book is all but irresistible! It is sheer indulgence for all dog lovers, lavishly illustrated with so many beautiful photographs that they actually distracted from the text; from the textual content aspect, I found this book very easy to read, so long as I could stop myself flicking back to look at my favourite pictures!

In all honesty, from cover to cover, I absolutely loved this book. Of all the puppy books I have read, this one has been the one that covers the most ground in not only the greatest detail but I also especially loved the little extras, for example in the chapter 'The Perfect Companion', not only does this book mention some of the things you can do with your dog should you have classes available locally, but it also shows you and gives you basic instructions on how to get started yourself at home.

My one criticism might be in that they could have provided a little more in the way of where to obtain further information for those who are in the research stage of buying a puppy, the people at whom this book is aimed. As an example, a good selection of basic breed profiles are covered but they would not be enough to help someone really understand the breed specific character of each. A web site addresses, where applicable, to breed clubs and forums, or at very least telephone numbers of the breed secretaries would help the reader to gain quick and easy access to the information that they would need to meet owners and breeders before making their final choice. At the same time, I appreciate that this book is aimed at an international market and that web sites and telephone numbers may change over the course of a few years. For a selection of breed specific web sites and forums, click here.

If you were in any way considering buying a loved one a puppy for Christmas, please don't. Buy this book instead, so that if your loved one really wants a pup, they can learn what to expect, about the joys and responsibilities involved, and the puppy will have the best start in life.

Review by Diana Attwood.

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Puppy Training the Guide Dogs Way

Julia Barnes
Ringpress Books
ISBN 1860542093

Guide Dogs for the Blind have been rearing and training puppies for the most demanding responsibilities that we ask of any dog, keeping careful records of each dog and its progress, over the course many years. In doing so, they have created a puppy training programme by which all their dogs are reared to ensure the highest success rates.

Beautifully illustrated with lots of puppy photos and interspersed with case studies to highlight specific points, this book takes you through every stage of puppyhood, from understanding the importance of choosing a puppy from health-screened and well-natured parents; puppy-proofing your home; socialisation with other animals and getting pups used to different environments; basic ‘good manners’ training; the dreaded adolescence, and sports and activities you can do with your dog.

Although the book lightly covers breed specific differences in behaviour and character, dogs chosen for guide dog work are naturally biddable, and the guide dog training programme has been designed around particularly biddable dogs. For breeds of more independent and wilful character, a little more depth into finding and building on your dogs motivation would help the reader whose puppy is just as happy to carry on sniffing around the room as take any notice of his owner.

The training methods in this book are all motivation and reward based and although the much over-used ‘dominance’ word crops up with regard to the adolescent dog, it is nice to read a modern training book that doesn’t suggest your puppy will want to rule the world. An added plus for this book is that all royalties from its sale are donated directly to Guide Dogs for the Blind.

Review by Diana Attwood.

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The Perfect Puppy (Revised Edition)

Gwen Bailey
Hamlyn
ISBN-10: 060061722X
ISBN-13: 978-0600617228

This is a revised edition of Gwen Bailey's best-seller, which is deservedly popular because of its clarity. It is very easy to follow, which is important if you feel a little frazzled, with few functioning brain cells, on account of the exploits of your pup. If you have to choose just one pup book, this is probably the best of the bunch.

Sometimes, it's true, Gwen Bailey seems to forget that owners may have non-dog lives, and cannot devote 24 hours out of 24 to their pups, however much they adore them. She is perhaps a little over-optimistic on how often owners can reasonably be expected to take their pups out for a wee, for example. The general principles are important though, and in this case, obviously the more a pup goes outside when he is likely to need to perform, the quicker he will learn to perform outside. You can also pick out the tips, such as staying with your pup when you take him out to wee, and praising your pup when he has performed.

The most useful time to start using this book is, of course, when your dog is still a pup, but you can also use it as a source of ideas for remedial education, both for dogs you have had since puppyhood, and any dog you may take on as an adult. True,.sometimes the tone is a bit hectoring. You may feel that you are a complete failure because your dog is long past puppyhood and is still not perfectly obedient. Don't be put off, just persevere, keep a training diary, and look back on the progress you have made, rather than trying to measure yourself against perfection.

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Puppylopaedia

J.M. Evans MRCVS with Caroline Ackroyd-Gibson
Ringpress books
ISBN 1860542395

Puppylopaedia sets out to equip the new puppy owner with the basic understanding of the way in which dogs learn and how we should harness this in order to create the 'ideal' dog by the time the puppy has reached one year of age.

The first chapters go into good depth with regard to appreciating the personal commitment involved in owning a dog, and the responsibilities we have towards the community around us before explaining the importance of choosing a puppy from a good breeder and choosing a healthy puppy. As you read on, it becomes very clear that the author is a vet! The book goes into great detail with regards to health care and parasite control and it also has a very comprehensive glossary, and I particularly liked the inclusion of the useful contacts and further reading chapter. From this point of view, I feel that is a very useful book.

As a training book, I'm afraid to say I felt that it was a little old fashioned with regards to its dealing with dominance and suggestions towards asserting your dominance over your dog, and its ways of dealing with 'dominant' dogs. More up to date thinking is that much of the behaviour once perceived as dominant behaviour, is in fact little more than resource guarding, which of course is something you want to avoid and discourage. The Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors (APBC) has a useful article which explains changes in views on dominance in more detail: Canine Dominance Revisited

The book suggests that you should never allow your dog on your bed or furniture, or even upstairs so that he learns to appreciate his role as being subservient to that of his family. If he is a 'dominant' dog, there are some illustrated exercises that show you how to hold his muzzle shut for a few minutes every day and how to stand over him and lifting his chest off the ground. By all means it is important to desensitise your dog to being handled all over from an early age, just as much if he is of a pushy character or more the shy and submissive type, but I would really wonder that a dog sees any particular significance in these exercises other than that his owner is proving himself to be a bit barmy!

Dog like being close to people, and personally I love to snuggle up with my dog on the sofa and she is allowed to come upstairs and join us on the bed for the last hour of the morning before we get up - on the strict condition that she settles quickly and will move or get off if we need her to, otherwise she is sent straight back to her own bed! It is also a fact that in this day and age, most people have to go to work and so dogs are left alone for much longer periods than they were in the past. Being close to their humans at night goes a long way towards compensating for this.

It also suggests not allowing your dog to walk through doorways ahead of you, settle in high places, or lay in your path. Rather than walk over or round him, you should make him get up if you want to walk past. The view used to be that dominant dogs try to control you, for example, by lying in high places. But I know that my dog likes to lie at the top of the stairs in the landing because that's where she finds a nice breeze through the house on a hot day, and on a cold day she'll find a cosy corner or a radiator to stretch out alongside! As for making your dog move every time you want to walk across the room, if you like to take your dog to pubs and social gatherings where people are always on the move, it pays to teach your dog to stay still as people walk past him rather than get up every time!

By all means being allowed upstairs and on the furniture should be a privilege, not a right and earning the right entails being polite and well mannered. Rather than denying the privilege, control the rights and your dog will be just as well mannered as the next.

Puppylopedia is a useful addition to a dog owner's library, especially for the veterinary advice it contains, but new owners of pups will need to supplement it with more up-to-date guidance on training and behaviour.

Review by Diana Attwood.

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Puppy Training for Kids

Sarah Whitehead
Barron's Educational Series
ISBN: 0764119400

Sarah Whitehead is a UK behaviourist and trainer who has a particular interest in training puppies. This book is geared to children. It has a lot of information on dogs, and puppy care, such as feeding and grooming, as well as instructions on training pups. Young readers from about age 9-years-old upwards will find it enjoyable to read, while younger children will enjoy having it read to them. Kids will have fun trying out the games recommended in the book. They can teach their pups tricks as well as basic obedience with the help of this book, and teach their friends. This book is well worth getting for kids when a pup arrives in the family, since it means they will be able to take some responsibility for the new arrival, and they could go on to be champion dog handlers.

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The Rescue Dog

Gwen Bailey
Hamlyn
ISBN 0 600 59691 5

A very useful book for anyone who needs to re-educate an adult dog, not just people who have taken on a rescue dog. The book is well illustrated, the tips are easy to follow, and their rationale is well-explained. Anyone taking on an adult dog will find this book helpful. It's also useful for people who have raised their dogs from pups, and found them to be a bit of a handful as they grow up. If you feel you bought 'The Perfect Puppy' too late, try this book! The story of Beau, a dog with serious behavioural problems, is told at the end, to show what can be done to re-educate dogs. This success story is heartening, though novices should be wary of taking on such dogs. Generally, this book is highly recommended.

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Living with a Rescue Dog

Julia Barnes on behalf of Dog's Trust
Ringpress Books
ISBN 1860542247

The Dog's Trust, founded in 1891 and formerly known as the National Canine Defence League, is one of the most well-established and respected rescue and welfare charities in the UK and re-homes in excess of 9000 dogs per year.

Recent television programmes have highlighted the plight of the 'rescue' dog and the sad lives that some of these dogs have suffered, though in actual fact the majority of dogs that end up in rescue shelters have not been physically abused, but are simply victims of impulsive purchasing without careful research, and their owners changes in circumstance.

None-the-less, it is obviously very distressing for a dog to find himself in shelter kennels, and 'Living with a Rescue Dog' seeks to explain to people considering re-homing a dog of the importance of researching to make sure you choose a dog appropriate for your circumstances. The book also provides a brief guide to breed specific characteristic and talks about the commitment and responsibilities that new owners will be taking on, and the special issues that a shelter dog may have.

For example it may well be that the dogs bought by people who had not properly considered the commitment involved in pet ownership, have missed out on some vital socialisation so may well be nervous around men, people in hats etc - not because they have been abused by men or people in hats. It is much easier to socialise a puppy, but it is certainly quite possible to socialise an adult dog, you will just have to be a little more patient and be prepared that it could be a long and gradual process.

I liked the fact that along side information on their own organisation, they also offered information on the other welfare charities including independent and breed specific rescue for people looking for a particular breed of dog, and the sort of requirements and adoption procedures you could expect from them.

The book goes into good detail on choosing your dog and settling him in, including introducing him to cats and other existing pets, as well as friends and family, but I think that they could have mentioned a little more about how you should be prepared for his character to change a little as he settles in and finds his feet.

In my own experience, it is often hard to see the dog's true character as newly adopted shelter dog. Generally, at first he might be very well behaved because he is a little unsure of the rules in your house, then as he starts to feel more confident, he might try to push the rules to see how much he can get away with, and once he realises the boundaries, will start to show you his true character.

So long as you remain patient and consistent, and you are not tempted to bend the rules and 'spoil' him by offering him too much extra leniency out of pity, or in order to make up for his sad past, he'll soon appreciate his place in your home. You'll be amazed at how quickly your dog seems to 'forget' all that has happened before and becomes part of your own family, as if he'd been there forever.

If you are looking to adopt a shelter dog for the first time, particularly if you have not owned a dog previously or you have not owned a dog of your own for several years, you will find this book very useful. The socialisation and training advice this book provides should certainly get you off to a good start. Once he has settled in, you might want to look at doing more with your dog, or you might find that he has a particularly challenging character such as being particularly shy or energetic, so you might want to supplement this book with some of the specialised training books we have available.

Review by Diana Attwood.

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Childproofing Your Dog

Brian Kilcommons and Sarah Wilson
Warner Books
ISBN 0446670162

This is essential reading for anyone combining or intending to combine children and dogs. Children and dogs love being together, but they need some help with learning how to get along with each other. Dogs need to be able to get used to children, and children need to learn what dogs like and don't like. This book deals with both sides of the equation, with a helpful chapter on 'Dogproofing your child'. There is also a discussion of which dog breeds are suitable for families with children. Not everyone will agree with Kilcommons' recommendations, and it's worth comparing his views with the recommendations in 'Choosing a Dog for Dummies', reviewed in our dogs general selection of books.

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Culture Clash

Jean Donaldson
James and Kenneth
ISBN 1888047054

Jean Donaldson is a lady with strong opinions and a lot of experience training dogs. She is especially interested in how dogs can be motivated to learn, which is useful for owners who are interested in reward-based training. She also has some interesting things to say on why dominance theory, based on studies of pack behaviour, might be overrated. Some owners especially those who rate their dogs' intelligence highly will be annoyed by her views, but she does make many useful points about the ways that dogs are sometimes misunderstood, such as the need to discard notions that dogs do things to 'spite' us. She is also very useful on the need to understand how dogs learn and make it easy for them to learn to be well behaved. Some people see this book as their 'Bible', others find Donaldson very irritating. If you prefer a book that covers similar ground and is a bit more diplomatic, try 'How to Teach a New Dog Old Tricks' from Ian Dunbar.

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How to Teach a New Dog Old Tricks

Ian Dunbar
James and Kenneth
ISBN 1888047062

This is a very useful book for learning how to train dogs, from young pups to older dogs who need to learn a few more skills, or unlearn some tricks that their owners would prefer they didn't do! Ian Dunbar focuses on how the dog understands what we are trying to get across, and he uses reward-based methods. He writes clearly, and his work is accessible to older children, as well as adult owners. He has a 'way' with both people and dogs, which can get the best out of both.

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Urban Dog: The Ultimate Street Smarts Training Manual

Cis Frankel
Willow Creek Press
ISBN 1572233842

Cis Frankel lives in the US city of Chicago where many of her clients work long hours and live in high-rise apartments. For many in the UK, this might sound quite horrifying, but none the less many people and pets co-exist quite happily under such circumstances, and in this book, Cis Frankel sets out to explain how to make the best of living with an urban dog.

To begin with, I found this book extremely hard to get into. I found that for the first few chapters, every time I put the book down, I would have to start from the beginning again. I can’t for sure say why, maybe because this book is so very much geared to an American reader; or the lack of colour – it is quite a large book for a training book of its kind, though design-wise it is nicely laid out. Once I was past that point, it became much easier but it still took me quite a long time to read.

For training method, Cis Frankel’s method is just a little different from the ‘run of the mill’ choke chain ‘jerk and praise’ technique. She suggests that when giving a leash correction, that you should never allow more than four links to slip suggesting to me, that she uses this more as a sound distraction than as a means of physical punishment. She also talks a lot about leash control and using her lead to guide and manipulate your dog into the required walking positions. Personally, I think that this technique might be easier to follow if demonstrated than picked up from a book because I found the illustrations quite confusing.

Cis Frankel also explains how you can use the natural obstacles about the city as training aids – curbstones, parked cars, mailboxes etc. She also lays a lot of emphasis on respect for other city dwellers and dog owners, with a great deal of concern for being a responsible dog owner.

This book contains some quite novel and imaginative ideas; although along side the good ideas there are a few that I would feel a little dubious about applying. For example I thought that she had some good ideas for streetwise traffic training, use of mats and throws for dealing with wet and moulting dogs, and taking advantage of your environment.

More dubious ideas in my mind are that of withholding water at night while housebreaking (her explanation being that it is impractical to get a pup down 4 flights of stairs if you are living in a high rise without a yard), roller blading with your dog, and there is a photograph of her jumping her dog over a large tin barrel, while the dog is attached to a lead and on a choke chain, which could be potentially lethal.

As a training book for the UK reader, I do believe it is a very worthy addition to your bookshelf. Apply your own common sense, but definitely be inspired.

Review by Diana Attwood.

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Clicker Training for Dogs

Karen Pryor
Ringpress Books
ISBN 1860542824

Over the past 2 decades there has been a dramatic change in the way we train dogs. As people have become uncomfortable using the more traditional, harsher methods of training, many new trainers have made a name for themselves using kinder reward based methods, but no-one to date has made such an impact as Karen Pryor, the dolphin trainer from Sea World, who brought us clicker training.

Clicker training is basically a method of conveying the message to a dog that he has done something very well and that for his efforts, he has earned a reward. First you teach the dog that the clicker means reward, then you teach him to work for the clicker in order to gain his reward. Basically, it is the same principle that we work on – we go to work to earn money, and we spend the money on things that we want.

Of course you could just use a treat, but the clicker allows the handler to be much more precise about which bit of the dogs behaviour was right, especially where sometimes the dog has to go through several actions to reach the desired behaviour – such as walking up to, picking up and carrying a toy. If you are teaching your dog to pick things up, you would click just as his mouth reached for the object. He then knows that that was the desired behaviour.

A ‘click word’ like ‘yeah!’ can work well, but sometimes our voices are inconsistent – it is almost impossible to be 100% precise with a vocal command whereas the clicker is always consistent and with a little practice you can be very precise. The dog might hear the click word in other situations too, which could also lead to desensitising the dog to it, but the actual click of the clicker is a unique sound, so the dog will – if you use it correctly - always associate it with his having carried out the desired behaviour or action.

Two aspects which I find are particularly nice about this method of training, is that firstly, it encourages your dog to look to you for cues and so strengthening your relationship with each other. For very nervous or particularly over confident dogs, gaining their trust and respect can prove to be quite a challenge, especially when using traditional training methods which might cause the nervous dog to withdraw into himself and the over confident dog to just ignore you and wander off, but clicker training quickly encourages confidence in the nervous dog and respect in the more confident dog, by developing a bond of trust and a working partnership.

Secondly, it also encourages your dog to use his own mind as he tries to work out what task or action he can offer that will earn him a click. As an owner, you will have great fun learning about how your dog’s mind works and you are sure to a have few giggles along the way while your dog offers different behaviours. From your dog’s point of view, this is a very thorough mental work out.

Mental exercise is just as vital to a dog as physical exercise, if not more so, and can off load off excess energy just as quickly. If ever you find yourself in a situation whereby your dog is on light exercise only – maybe you can’t walk your bitch because she is in season or your dog has an injury, or you just physically cannot take your dog out for a while - but at the same time he is virtually climbing the walls for want of exercise, just ten minutes of free shaping with a clicker will be sure to calm him down. It certainly works for my young Weimaraner, so I feel qualified to say that it’ll work for just about any dog!

Clicker training for dogs is a very straightforward and clear guide to get you started. It has a great section giving you simple exercises from which you can build your skills and gives easy to follow advice on how you can use your clicker for both practical good manners training and fun tricks. You cannot help but be inspired. Since reading this book, I have. Although we had already done some clicker training previously, in the past 4 days I have dramatically improved up my dog’s loose lead walking and we have been learning to walk backwards.

The book also suggests that there is a section at the back giving details of further reading, a feature I am always pleased to see in a book, though in this case I wonder that this might be a bit of a trick because throughout it puts emphasis on encouraging both the dog and the handler use their imagination and think for themselves, but you’ll find that page 111 ‘clicker resources’ is completely blank!

Never mind, it’s a great book for anyone who is interested in clicker training, and even if you are happy with the way your training has progressed with your dog and feel that you don’t need to train him anymore, it is also a useful standby should he have to go on restricted exercise. Its fun for both of you – give it a go!

We have a few sites listed, which you will find useful if you are interested in clicker training, on our links page. You might also like to read an extended review on Karen Pryor’s ‘Don’t Shoot the Dog’. To purchase clickers and training rewards, click here

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Fun and Games With Your Dog

Gerd Ludwig
Barron’s
ISBN: 0812097211

This short book covers a wide range of topics, such as the importance of play, indoor, yard and outdoor games, sports (especially agility), and nutrition. On the plus side, Gerd Ludwig explains the importance of play very well, and offers a lot of good ideas for games. The chapters on indoor and yard games are especially useful for people who don’t have access to a safe public place where dogs can run off-leash. Mental stimulation is as important as physical activity for dogs, and dogs can enjoy both during well-thought out games at home.

There is a lot to recommend in this book, then. However, there are also some sections which are misleading, and which could be expanded. The section on canine personalities, for example, looks at dogs solely in terms of whether or not they are ‘dominant’, ‘timid’, or a mix of the two. ‘Dominant’ is a confusing term here. Normally, it implies a relationship, in other words a dog is dominant in relation to another dog or to the owner. A dog, or a human, can eat, sleep, defecate and scratch itself alone, but cannot dominate without another animal to be dominant over. Strictly speaking, ‘dominant’ refers to which of a pair of animals gains access to resources, though around fifteen years ago it was fashionable to label all sorts of aspects of canine behaviour as ‘dominant’. The opposite of dominant is ‘submissive’, rather than ‘timid’, the word used in this book to contrast with ‘dominant, while ‘bold’ is the opposite of ‘timid’. Now a dog may well be bold, in the sense of being fearless with other dogs, and happy to approach most humans, but may still be submissive with the owner, in the sense of getting down from the sofa immediately when asked, giving up toys as soon as asked to drop them, and generally being happy to give up resources. So this is a very unhelpful section, firstly because word ‘dominant’ is not used appropriately. It is also unhelpful because there are other aspects of canine personality which are important for owners wanting to play games with their dogs. Some dogs, for example, could be described as ‘velcro dogs’, following their owners everywhere, even to the bathroom, while other dogs are more independent. Owners of ‘velcro dogs’ may find it useful to focus on games which include elements of staying at a distance, and sendaway, because velcro dogs tend to need to learn to be apart from their owners. Independent dogs, in contrast, need a stronger emphasis on games involving recall, so that owners have more chance of calling them out of danger when necessary. Again, some dogs are very reactive, barky, and impatient, while others are calmer. Owners of more reactive dogs need to keep levels of stimulation lower, and may also need to incorporate elements into games that teach self-control, such as waiting before dashing off to retrieve objects, and dogs being quiet (not barking) before being rewarded with a throw. Some dogs may also be easily upset by novel surroundings, or if their owners get too impatient when they don’t understand new commands, so owners may need to adjust games to take these characteristics into account. The stress on dominance as the key personality feature is then both misleading and incomplete.

The author also perpetuates a popular myth that playing tug encourages dominance and aggression. Tug is in fact an excellent way for dogs to learn to obey their owners, if the owner first teaches the dog to drop objects on command, and then incorporates a ‘drop’ or ‘let go’ command into the tug game. The tug can then be thrown as a reward for the dog’s dropping it, or letting it go into the owner’s hands. The game can recommence when the dog returns the tug. Tug can be bad for dogs’ teeth, if too much force is used, but owners and dogs can enjoy tug games using very little force in the pull, and make the game more exciting with pretend growls.

Gerd Ludwig advises owners to put puppies on their backs and to put their hands on their pups’ throats to show dominance and superiority. This does not seem very sensible advice at all! Owners may well be exasperated by pups enough to want to show them who is boss with a dramatic gesture, and what could be more dramatic than rolling an animal on its back and grabbing its throat? However, rolling a pup over and grasping its throat as a punishment may lead the pup to resist and bite, which could be risky for the owner. It may also make veterinary examinations and grooming more difficult, because being rolled over comes to be seen as threatening by the dog. There are good reasons for rolling pups over, but this is better done in play, when the pup is relaxed, and does not see being rolled over as threatening. This relaxed method is a far better way of getting the pup to accept being turned on its back for grooming or examinations. It is easier to control a dog if there is a relationship of trust between dog and owner, and this needs to be explained in the advice on rolling and dominating pups.

This book could also do with more information on breed types. Terriers are described as too restless for indoor games, which is certainly not true. Owners can have great fun inventing indoor games for terriers, for example, with a length of drainpipe, and a cardboard toilet roll holder on a string. One point that should be mentioned in relation to terriers is their propensity to rip apart squeaky toys, which sound much like prey. Gerd Ludwig advises owners to buy strong squeakies, but in fact it is not so much the qualities of the squeaky, as the habits of the dog that is important. Terriers can achieve instant destruction of a squeaky, Labradors may reflectively chew them apart, while some saintly dogs will never try to chew them at all. Ludwig describes ‘small dogs’ as a breed group with its own characteristics, though of course small dogs vary enormously, and include most terriers. He also offers advice to gardeners on how to protect borders with gravel. Owners of northern breeds, which tend to be serious diggers, can assure him that neither gravel, nor even small rocks, will deter serious diggers. Precious plants are simply best placed out of the dog’s reach.

Owners would also benefit from more detail on how much exercise to give pups and large breed dogs, and on safe ways of playing with convalescent and elderly dogs. There could be more information on tracking and sniff games, for example, which can be good ways of teaching and entertaining dogs without tiring them too much. The advice on bicycling with a dog could also be expanded. It is easy to see children and dogs ending in a tangled heap if they try the instructions in this book, so more detailed advice on how to do this safely would be helpful.

All-in-all, despite many reservations, this book does offer good value; it is quite cheap and has many interesting ideas for games. It is, however, most useful for experienced owners who know how to take some of the advice with a pinch of salt.

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Communicating with your Dog - a humane approach to dog training

Ted Baer
Barron's Educational Series
ISBN 0764107585

Ted Baer is an American trainer for the motion picture industry, whose own dog Tundra has appeared in a number of television programmes, adverts and films including ‘Against All Odds’ in 1984 starring Jeff bridges, and achieved a PATSY award from the American Humane Association for her appearance in the popular US series ‘Love Boat’.

Communicating with your Dog was first published in 1989. In the second edition, being reviewed here, Baer says that he has adopted a more humane approach to training than in his original edition, and it is recommended by PETA (People for the ethical treatment of animals).

Baer’s training theory is based around a twenty word programme designed to help you and your family maintain a consistent set of words when giving your dog a verbal command, and a set of 15 golden rules. His method is that of offering a praise reward or punishment ‘correction’ to help your dog understand what the command is supposed to mean. This second edition also covers toilet training and a chapter on how to test your dog’s I.Q. so that you can assess his learning capability.

This book seeks to provide the dog with a clear cut understanding of what his trainer is asking for him and places great emphasis on the family with regard to ensuring that everyone uses the same commands and follows the same training routines. This is as valid now as it was back then, although as always, much easier said than applied!

‘Communicating with your Dog’ would have been quite ground breaking in 1989 as it offers a foundation of training that works up from teaching one command at a time, then linking these individual commands into a ‘chain’ of commands to enable your dog to complete quite sophisticated behaviours, such as moving an item from one place to another or emptying the contents of one basket into another and then bring you the basket. This would be very useful in the motion picture industry and very handy about your house!

Understanding of dog behaviour and how dogs think has come on a long way in the UK since the mid 80’s, especially since John Fisher founded the Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors in the mid 90’s and we now tend to stress rewarding a dog for doing what we want them to do, rather than punishing dogs for doing things we don’t want them to do.

For example, Baer might offer a water pistol squirt for a wrong, where clicker training would offer a 'no reward' which would encourage the dog to try and work out how to get a reward, using his or her own initiative.

Reading through this book, it is very obvious that the author is passionate about his dogs and seeks to offer the least aversive possible while training. Today his methodology has now very much been superceded by clicker training which offers much more versatility because it is fun for the dog. However, he still has a lot to contribute to readers who can sift through his ideas and pull out what is useful and relevant for them.

Review by Diana Attwood.

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