Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 6-10 of 107
 Don't waste your money on this book. September 5, 2007
Shopgirl (New Jersey)
2 out of 5 found this review helpful
Wow! I cannot imagine why anyone would give this book a good review. Many of the methods taought in this book are just plain ridiculous, while others are quite inhumane. Tough love is one thing; putting a match up my dog's rear end to motivate it to go to the bathroom is another. Yikes! Believe me, I am the "bad cop" with our dog (my husband is the pushover) and I could not stomach using these techniques.
Maybe it's just me, but it seems that the author of this book is a controlling individual in general and enjoys the power he has over his canine companions.
 Good overall, but... April 11, 2007
Anne-Lise (United States)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
One of the reasons why I chose this book over some of the other positive training books is that they didn't have ideas that really convinced me in regards to dealing with aggressive and dominant behaviors. This book does advocate a quick slap (not hard) just to grab the dog's attention and to prevent it from doing something. But this is only when you can't throw something like a slipper or magazine at it. Basically, you need to take this book with a grain of salt.
It is also one of the few books I've seen that does not recommend crate training. I'm used to giving my dogs the run of the house, and one of the purposes of my getting a bigger dog this time is that it can help guard the house (though it's more of deterrence than attack that I'm after). Anyway, if the dog's in a crate, that won't be doing much good to deter anybody.
I'm not sure about all of the book's food theories either, but overall I think that the methods are well-reasoned. But this book could definitely be condensed. Lots of examples, and sometimes it's repetitive, when all you really wanted was for him to get to the instructions on how he would teach that particular lesson. Overall though, I would recommend this book.
 It saved my life! October 22, 2006
J. Wu (New York, NY)
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
This is a wonderful book! Paul Loeb is the original "dog whisperer." He has advocated discipline way before Cesar Millan got his TV show. Unlike the prevalent philosophy of ONLY positive reinforcements, Paul outlines the importance of establishing a bond AND a hierarchy in the relationship between you and your dog, with YOU being the alpha in the relationship. Just like with children, you teach your dog rules before you give them freedom. One central theme is to make sure you can get your dog to COME BACK to you before anything else. Unfortunately, Paul usually gets called by distressed owners and veterinarians for problematic, aggressive dogs, so that he must use discipline and some force to re-establish the hierarchy, as well as control of the dogs. If you follow his recommendations in the book from when your dog is a puppy, the need for discipline will be minimal.
I met Paul in New York City, and my 6-month-old doberman was running away, out to the street, and I actually lost him once in Central Park. Paul has turned my dog around. He can now play free, off the leash, and comes back when I call him (and other things as well). I only wished I knew him and his book when I first got my puppy, at 2 months old, instead of 6 months. If you follow the instruction in his book, you will find your way to an obedient, well-trained dog who is bonded to you!
Simpler Than You Think August 26, 2006
Lynn
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
A few months ago, I took my dogs to the vet for an annual checkup and during the course of the visit the vet asked me what I was feeding my dogs. I told her I fed them a very high-end dry dog food. She nodded and suggested that I feed them some cooked chicken or fish--something less processed--every once in a while. This got me thinking; why was she making this suggestion? Then a friend recommended I read "Smarter than you Think" and "The Heart of the Matter." Not only did the chapters on feeding fresh food rather than over processed commercial dog food make sense to me, they were completely consistent with the research I had done after my visit to the vet. Now life is simple, my dogs eat what I eat and we are all healthier! As an added bonus, the "Magic Touch" training technique really works and is easy to apply. My dogs look good, are happy and well behaved. I highly recommend this book! HBP 8/26/06
Another Happy Dog Owner July 7, 2006
A. Snipes (Atlanta, GA)
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
This book was recommended to me by the organization that I rescued my dog from. I read it and was a tiny bit skeptical, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to try the techniques he outlined. I started with "Come here" using the "magic touch" throwing technique. Rolled up socks didn't work (it just reminded him of his stuffed animals and made him want to play) so I switched to using a pair of my (very light weight) flip-flops. I would throw one of them just enough so that the shoe would tap the dog lightly on the side (never threw it at his face) and after a few times, the shoe wasn't even needed anymore. In the three days since I've read the book I've taught my dog how to come when I call him, sit down, and lie down. I don't use one word commands and often use the words "please" and "thank you" when working with my dog. He knows that when I pet him and tell him "Thank you" and "Good Trevor" that he's done something right. The next thing on my list to accomplish is leash training and I am planning on using Paul Loeb's methods for this as well.
After reading it, and considering that the book was recommended to me by a dog rescue organization, I have to say that none of the techniques in this book are what I would call "inhumane" or "cruel". He doesn't say to hurt your dog, a quick swat on the butt is nothing more than surprising and unpleasant and does not do permanent damage. Even the matchstick technique that's used for housetraining does not seem cruel, to me. But, if you've gone through three colonoscopies by the ripe ol' age 22 (like me) then a matchstick doesn't seem bad at all. A matchstick is tiny and won't hurt your dog as long as you are gentle.
If you have a dog and you want to quickly help him learn to behave then I recommend this book for its training techniques. I would, however, take any medical advice mentioned in the book with a grain of salt and always speak to your vet before implementing any of it.
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