Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 26-30 of 120
 Dog earned her obedience title in three tries! December 27, 2005
NoGeeksPls (Southern California)
9 out of 11 found this review helpful
What a fabulous method for training dogs!
This method creates a reliable, happy, and confident dog.
Like any training method one has to be careful how one applies the methods and use it correctly.
I highly recommend this book especially in conjunction with a trainer/class who is knowledgeable with the Koehler method of training.
My dog was trained by this method and she is very gentle and "soft", nothing harsh was done with her to train her.
She completed a ten week Koehler based course and then went out and completed her obedience title in just three tries, and I had never shown a dog in my life. She was the only dog out there who did not have to be fed to perform and who completed her title in the minimum amount of tries.
 Foundation Text of Modern Dog Obedience Training October 29, 2005
A reader (New Zealand)
21 out of 24 found this review helpful
"The Koehler Method of Dog Training" is both one of the foundation texts of modern dog training, and one of the disciplines most controversial books. Fans claim that the book is sensible, clear, and - above all - effective. Detractors claim that the book is cruel and outdated, as well as invariably detrimental to the relationship between handler and dog.
The truth, in my opinion, lies somewhere between the two extremes. When Koehler's book was published, it was one of the best and most logical dog training manuals on the market. It was revolutionary in many ways, and in fact still contains suggestions often neglected by modern texts. For example, Koehler starts his obedience programme by teaching the dog the value of being attentive to his owner even under distraction. Most modern "positive" manuals gloss over this all-important foundation step, resulting in dogs that know the meaning of obedience commands but only comply when they feel like it.
Koehler also pioneered the use of a longline in dog training, and the Koehler Method does not let the dog off the line - at all - until he has thoroughly mastered a bombproof recall. This step is also often missing from modern "positive" trainers, who advocate letting the dog make his own choice between freedom and a treat, and are surprised when the dog then becomes dangerously unreliable off leash.
Koehler explains the importance of good obedience, and why it is not optional - again an area often neglected by modern texts. It is indeed far kinder to use a few corrections to ensure the reliability of a wayward dog's recall, than to either prophylactically keep him on leash his entire life, or let him run off only to be hit by a car.
Koehler also explains the important distinction between punishing a dog, and allowing him to learn from the consequences of his own actions - a difference that all good trainers understand, but often fail to enunciate. It is the difference between yelling or jerking a pulling dog (upsetting and often relationship destroying), or calmly allowing the dog to decide that keeping his owner in sight will improve his own comfort. Despite what Koehler's detractors claim, the majority of "punishments" contained in this book follow this pattern of simply allowing the dog to learn from the natural consequences of his own actions. True "punishment" is only advocated for cases where the dog has already demonstrated his clear understanding of the exercise multiple times, and is refusing to comply.
Where is this book lacking? As can be expected due to its vintage, it lacks all mention of operant conditioning, training in drive or food training. Many of the new methods introduced by operant conditioning - bridges/markers, free shaping, back chaining - that are extremely effective at teaching a dog complex behaviours cannot be found in this book. Many of the great modern contributions from ethology are also missing from this work. These include the modern way trainers mimick "alpha wolf" behaviour to painlessly enforce day-to-day obedience, and the use of training in prey drive to gain enthusiastic compliance from high-drive "problem" dogs.
Most importantly, I would not recommend the final section of the book to a modern day reader. This section - ominously titled "problems" - was designed for dogs whose bad behaviour was not corrected by the 13 weeks of basic obedience outlined earlier in the book. Although the methods may seem quite harsh to a modern reader, it is important to bear in mind that people in the 1960s did not have access to professional dog trainers or behaviorists. Koehler himself states several times that the methods in this final section are only for use when the other option for the dog is euthanasia. However, the modern reader would be better advised to take his problem dog to a professional trainer than to try any of the methods in this section. You have been warned!
In short, this book is a good simple primer on basic obedience, but is itself incomplete. To flesh it out I would recommend books by Patricia McConnell, Shelia Booth and Steven Budiansky; as well as the excellent free articles on the websites of Shirley Chong and Suzanne Clothier. And please note that "The Koehler Method of Dog Training" is not an effective guide for dealing with true behavioural problems - with a real problem dog, you will be much better off investing in a consultation with a professional dog behaviourist than resorting to this book.
the koehler method of dog training August 29, 2005
luka
9 out of 11 found this review helpful
I have been using Koehler's method to train dogs for many years already. While I constantly see people around town with out of control dogs, pulling on the leash, barking at all that moves - just simply mindless and insecure, I have been able to heel my dog off-leash right passed these type of dogs. The RELATIONSHIP that has grown between my dog and me through using Koehler's training method has been unbelievable. While I have taught my dog to do all the basic obedience commands reliably on-leash or off-leash, I feel what Koehler does so well is open up the lines of communication between dog and person so that we are really listening to one another. Once I have my dog's attention, I can then teach him anything. Most importantly, my dog has gotten an air of dignity, dare I say pride, about him that simply would not have happened had I not had enough respect for my dog to train him in a language he actually understands. Koehler is a hero in my eyes and in my dog's eyes as well. My dog is happy, calm, and confident. Thank you, Mr. Koehler!
Luka
Beginner's Pleasure. August 5, 2005
Scotiabank (Winnipeg, Manitoba)
3 out of 5 found this review helpful
I've had this book lying around my place for a number of year, and recently got a dog (finally!). Even at one year old, the method's in this book have worked, and they are sooo simple and easy to use. They're set up from start of training to finish, with reasons behind every piece of advice. The best training book I've found since.
It worked for me and a variety of dogs December 28, 2004
Norman Harrold (SW Oregon)
10 out of 22 found this review helpful
I met the younger Bill Koehler in the '60s, when I attended several of his dog training classes in the San Bernardino area; the classes were based on this book. Several of my dogs won the "best in class" trophy at these sessions, which included not only my Labs and Shepherds, but Pit Bulls, Rottweilers, Dobermans, and other working and lap breeds. The students ranged from 10 year old girls to elderly ladies and gentlemen. Those who applied the Koehler instructions diligently were rewarded with having a remarkably gentle, calm, happy, attentive, and responsive dog companion who could be trusted to behave in situations where lesser-trained dogs would drive anyone nuts.
There were always a few students of the "doggy want a cookie?" type of misguided individuals who did not know and refused to learn any of the relevant aspects of dog pack psychology. (Bill often pointed out that the greatest difficulty was in training the owners, rather than in training the dogs themselves.) They also balked at actually reading the Koehler instructions and applying them consistently; Bill would generally "excuse" those losers from the classes politely but firmly. For reasons you can divine for yourself, they were generally females who I wouldn't trust to train a five year old child, let alone a powerful 100lb carnivore capable of inflicting serious injury on other animals or humans. You may also notice that almost all of the "cookie" trainers/authors are females; make of that what you will.
Since those days, I have used Koehler's methods to train a half-dozen dogs. Both the dogs and I have been very, very happy with the results. I love my dogs dearly, and they are all full members of my family. And they return that love in full.
If you're the type who can't manage to keep your wrist straight, go out and buy a box of cookies and try to bribe your dog into doing as you wish. Take him for his "walkies", if you so desire.
But don't ever let your cookie bag run empty.
|
