Beyond Basic Dog Training

complete training pattern but coercion based training:
When then book originally came out it was quite forward thinking in its methodology. Fortunately for our dogs there has been a quiet revolution in dog training to a less coercive method of training. For example, her method of teaching sit involves pulling up on the collar while pushing on the dog. In short physical discomfort is being created for a command that the dog does not even know. Her methods are based on negative reinforcement. The correct response will make the discomfort vanish. This type of training can be effective if you have the right dog for the stress it will produce and if you the handler have great timing and can always perfectly and rapidly make all pressure vanish when the performance is correct.

Competent but uninspired:
Beyond Basic Dog Training is a competent, if uninspired, account of Diane Bauman's methods for training dogs to perform Kennel Club obedience routines. The book is a series of short chapters covering most obedience exercises from Novice to Utility, as well as short discussions on training equipment and trialing tips. Due to the limited scope this book will not be especially helpful to the pet owner wishing to teach basic manners and practical obedience, though it could be a useful read for an obedience competitor. The teaching methods themselves are old fashioned and rather boring. Dogs are pushed into sits, pulled into send aways, ear-pinched into retrieving. There is no discussion of other methods that can be used to achieve these behaviours (luring, shaping, capturing, etc), leaving the reader rather at a loss if the given method does not work for them. Bauman's catch-phrase is that it is "good to be wrong", which means that a dog should not be corrected in the learning phase of training. Like most good trainers, she believes dogs should only ever be corrected if they are defiant, not if they are confused or frightened. Bauman discusses how to safely fit and use several types of correction collar, and how to determine which collar is best for a certain dog. Bauman emphasises the importance of praising the dog for good work, but doesn't present a particularly coherent account on how to motivate a dog or utilise his drives. She does suggest using small food tidbits to reward dogs, but does not go into detail about how or when to deliver these. She does not discuss the use of prey drive or toy rewards at all, despite them being exceptionally useful for some dogs. Neither does she explain anything about operant or classical conditioning, or about marker words or bridges. In conclusion, although I doubt any dog would be harmed by use of these methods, I also doubt that this method will get the best obedience performance out of every dog. Some dogs need more motivation than Ms Bauman provides, or do better with "hands-off" techniques, and this book unfortunately does not cater for the learning styles of these canines. However, it is still worth a read for kennel club obedience competitors, who might well pick up some useful tips.

If you feel that obedience titles are worth hurting your dog, this book is for you!:
Two days ago, I was extremely excited about receiving this book in the mail. I was lulled by promises that the book would show me how to "become a thinking handler who can train a thinking dog" and how to encourage "dogs to learn by removing corrections for incorrect responses". Now here I sit utterly disappointed in having wasted money on a book that encourages people to pinch their dogs ears and to "use the collar choke approach for dogs who are not responsive to an ear pinch" (p.163 Beyond Basic Dog Training, Bauman). If you're not sure how to do the latter, the book has a picture of a dog being choked for your reference! Wow! This book is very outdated and needs to be modernized to reflect all of the advances that dog training has made in recent years. I have seen many handlers achieve stellar obedience scores through the use of positive training ...looks like I'll be turning to them for advice instead of this book.

Please ignore the totally erroneous reviews that mislead you into believing this is coersion-based or full of corrections:
The negative reviews are 180º off the mark about this most excellent book. Not only is correction NOT encouraged at all, the word NO is NOT to be used with this method at all. Ms. Bauman teaches that to be WRONG more than OK, it is a learning opportunity for the dog. There are NO, nada, absolutely zero harsh corrections, only gentle "helps" to the dog when they don't understand the command. The (there is no other word for it)LIE that chairs were thrown or any other such horrible thing isn't even in the *realm* of truth about this book. This book stresses a method that will produce very very good results, and a methond in which the dog remains happy and pleased to do the work, a VERY far cry from the criticism that was launched at it. No "hang-head" obedience dogs will result from this book, only HAPPY, healthy, dogs EAGER to do these exercises, because it gives them such a sense of confidence. I trained a dog using this method back when the book first came out. We never went beyond novice because life got in the way. But the method is simply the best you'll find out there. There may be others that work, but you'll not wind up with a HAPPY dog to do it. With this method you will have a very happy and CONFIDENT dog.

Best dog training book I've read to date:
Bauman's book is a no-nonsense approach to obedience training with an eye on competing. She is thorough in her discussions and accurately provides details into the how, why, where and when to create the results that are wanted with training. I found this book to be very complimentary to other positive training books I've previously read. Would recommend this read to anyone who is a novice trainer like myself who wants/needs more information than they are receiving in a class setting. Additionally, I believe it would serve the trainer who must train alone.