[.ca] Surviving Your Dog's Adolescence: A Positive Training ... (ISBN 0876057423)

From Amazon.com:
As any parent knows, adolescence is the most challenging part of raising a child. However, as Carol Lea Benjamin proves in "Surviving Your Dog's Adolescence," illustrative cartoons, pertinent case studies, and good advice can certainly make that challenging age easier to handle. As a professional dog trainer, Benjamin focuses her advice on positive training techniques designed to help both parent and teen through the tumultuous adolescent period. Many of her insights are portrayed through the eyes of a canine, and help to illustrate the types of thoughts entertained by the teen dog. These range from the dog who responds to his owner's calls of "Come" with "When Pigs Fly," to the dog who demonstrates his tenacity by staking out a mole hill with a flag that says "Never Say Die." Also included are techniques for effective training, guidelines for appropriate dog-owner relationships, and tips for dealing with specific dog "problems." Case studies of real-life dogs offer substantial evidence to back up Benjamin's recommendations. A must-read for any owner of an adolescent dog, "Surviving Your Dog's Adolescence" can help any parent understand the teen dog and help to provide guidelines that result in a rewarding relationship for both dog and owner. --Jennifer Pugh

Positive, Sensible Advice:
I'm not sure why one reviewer said this book used negative methods for dog training such as alpha rolls and scruff shaking, because I saw neither mentioned in the book. The author does recommend "a quick pop followed by an immediate release" when using a leash to train, but this is a perfectly sensible and harmless way of getting the dog's attention. The author continually emphasizes the importance of praise, praise, and more praise in teaching your dog the proper way to behave, and her methods really live up to the "positive" claim in the title. This is a very reader-friendly book as well. The writer presents her information in an easy-to-read and often humorous format, all the while providing sound advice. I highly recommend this book as both human and dog friendly!

Important tho not Perfect:
This book is important for two very strong reasons: 1) it alerts dog owners everywhere that their dogs have a teenage stage; and 2) it counters the newly-prevelant ideas that training is 100% positive and you can avoid corrections completely. I am an advocate of using the friendliest and most positive methods available. BUT, a whole generation of children was raised by parents who were permissive, and look how that turned out. Yes, you sometimes have to tell your dog (especially when they hit adolescence) no! That said, I can't give it an all-out endorsement because I don't totally agree with it. I don't think you should rely on collar corrections for non-leash work. "Put on the collar and correct the dog for this, that, and the other." If the naughty behavior is occuring off-lead, you need to find an off-lead deterrent. Also, she is a bit limited in her options. By discarding everything reward trainers do, she overlooks some good advice. So, this book isn't the end-all be-all. BUT, the message that your bratty teen needs some structure and leadership is so important, and so lacking in most modern materials, that it's worth the read. P.S. Absolutely nowhere in this book does the author advocate alpha rolls or scruff shakes or any other physical reprimand. Don't know where that reviewer was coming from.

Great book for understanding your dog:
Wonderful well written easy to read book. I found it very insightfull and full of great advice. I do not agree with the use of a slip collar and the jerk method, as I prefer to use a prong collar. The rest of the book was very helpful in correcting my adolescent dogs problems

GREAT BOOK!:
I recommend this book to all of my clients with young dogs. Not only does Ms. Benjamin offer excellent ifnormation on obedience training, she also provides insights on canine personality types and some very good advice on problem solving.

Excellent help for dog owners:
I found this book highly interesting and helpful. It gives practical training tips in ways the new dog owner can understand and easily put into practice... There is absolutely no negative training in this book. It all focuses on the positives of relationship, describing and teaching language a dog can understand. I found it extremely helpful. I would highly recommend it to any current or prospective dog owner.