Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 6-10 of 157
 2005 UPDATED EDITION is available but not sold on Amazon August 27, 2008
Just Me (here and there across the USA)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
This is the most significant dog book ever written -- yes, it's that good. Everyone who owns a dog should read it. I'll let you read the other reviews to hear why. But you should know that there is a revised edition (with 11,000 more words) available, though for some reason Amazon isn't selling it.
 Too Extreme, No Balance July 6, 2008
V. Boyd
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
Ms. Donaldson takes a judgemental moralistic view of owners (like me)who like that their dogs do not bolt through doors before them, or like to eat before their dogs, and like to be their dog's leader. She even goes as far as to call us *stupid*. Okay, I draw the line when I spend $15.00 to buy a book then the author calls me stupid in the first chapter.
I train in AKC competition obedience so I am all for reward based training. Dogs do learn faster when rewarded for doing the right behavior as opposed to being corrected for the wrong behavior. However, it is incomplete advice when Ms. Donaldson tells people that dogs should never receive any corrections. Maybe those highly skilled behaviorists and professional dog trainers have the talent, time, experience to only train with rewards but the average pet owner will never be able to accomplish this without years of trial and error. I am sorry, but I do not want to spend 5 years just to train my dog to not bolt out the door or decide to chase a squirrel and possibly get hit by a car.
She is far to extreme in one direction. Like everythig in life, there needs to be a balance. And by the way, I am not in Cesar's camp either with his flooding methods and overly simplistic dominance fix-all solution either. Like I said, you've got to have balance and adjust with each dog.
If you interested in dog training and learning theory I liked Don't Shoot the Dog by Karen Pryor much better. The author uses easy to understand human analagies to illustrate learning theory. I am a very literal and visual person so if I could understand it, anyone can.
A good starting point, but we should be well beyond it by now June 8, 2008
Jess
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
When I read this book the first time, I really enjoyed it and felt that it had changed most of my ideas about dog training. Everything Donaldson says is correct and works for most behaviors, because she uses basic principles that can be applied to any animal. Basically, if you understand positive and negative reinforcement/punishment, there is no need to read this book. Her main point is that you can get dogs to do whatever you wish using positive reinforcement alone, and the use of aversives is unnecessary and a result of expecting our dogs to be smarter than they really are.
She also gives some good insight into the behavior of dogs, such as bite thresholds, and it's very useful for people to know that just because a dog bites doesn't mean it is evil and should be put down - it's NORMAL dog behavior.
Unfortunately, I could only give it one star because her theory is very limited and basic. It is helpful for someone with no knowledge of canine behavior, thought process, or pack mentality, and for the many people who misuse aversives and think it is normal for you to be able to punch a dog in the face and not have him bite you. It is a good starting place, and nothing more.
But for the rest of us who wish to understand the true behavior and potential of dogs, her book is of little value. Clicker training and an endless supply of treats works great for training specific behaviors, but not for achieving harmony and balance in the bigger picture. Not to mention the many breeds who are not food or play motivated, which she never addresses. Also, for those true problem dogs who are aggressive or have other serious behavior issues, she never says how to address these problems, and instead recommends other books!
There are countless better books out there that are much more in depth and educational. This book only detracted from my knowledge of dog behavior and training.
Time to toss the choke collars in the trash... February 10, 2008
Eddie Landsberg (Tokyo, Japan)
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
I have to begin by saying that when I first started reading the book I was very put off by a writing style that initially came across as a bit choppy, curt, rude and precociously academic... then suddenly, light began to shine and Jean Donaldson began tossing one brilliant idea, suggestion/method after another. - - My guess is that the book probably came about as a result of cutting and pasting previous writings of hers together... writings geared towards various audiences and appropriate to various situations... however, after this was done, the writings were simply never edited so they'd represent a cohesive whole... As a result, I have to agree with other critics that the book really needs to be edited and organized... still, I give it a 5 star rating... Why? Because as I said, it challenges you to think differently... and many of the pages are gushing with ideas and suggestions for problems facing all dogs... Whether or not you agree with everything, the book gets you thinking - - its not just a rehash of old dog training cliches (as many books are.)
As for Jean Donaldson's basic approach- - basically its text book behaviorism, but with a compassionate twist. The central premise is that people expect their dogs to think and behave in the Walt Disney mold... and fail to take into account that dog's brains are the size of lemons... and further, wired different than people... in particular, dogs are masters at reading their environment... but don't have the abstract and logical thinking abilities of humans. In failing to recognize this, we often expect unreasonable things of dogs... and even worse, punish - - even summarily execute them for this. (Jean Donaldson specifically uses the word "execute" as opposed to euthanize in the case of many dogs who are put to sleep for aggressive behavior, when they were simply being dogs and their humans simply failed to socialize them.) -- - She uses this argument to poignantly argue the importance of socialization and repeatedly says, "Dogs are animals and animals bite..." Dogs who are not properly socialized bite not because they're abnormal... but simply because they were never trained to adapt to a human environment where biting, no matter how tempered can be considered a capital offense..... hence the dog remained dogs... ergo biting when seeing strange humans engage in behavior that any canine would have seen threatening. (Donaldson points out that in the wildnerness "fear of the novel" would have been understanding, as no adult dog would be able to live long enough to pass on its genes if it was programmed to simply walk up to explore anything new and novel. Dogs survive by running away from things that spook them... or making the thing that's spooking them run away... either/or...)
The book covers a wide variety of behaviors which most humans find extremely annoying (barking, chewing and urinating) but Donaldson assures us are NORMAL, however, can be dealt with through proper socialization (and if the window is missed) conditioning. - - Methods typically involve exposure to situations, and reward for desired behavior... no alpha rolls, no choke collars, and no alpha wolf lead or be eaten/hang 'em by the choke collar babble... just time and patience... and a clicker and some treats.
All in all, like some other reviewers, I think it needs rewriting... but that said, there's so much in it, I'd say its worth every buck and then some whether or not you agree with each and every one of her theories or suggestions. To sum it up: this book definitely belongs in your library if you're serious about dog training or behavior...
 A good book that is a little too wordy. January 30, 2008
S.
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
I liked the book but it really seems more like a text book. I think it could be simplified to turn it in to an easier read.
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