In a nation where our love of dogs keeps growing and dog ownership has reached an all-time high, confusion about dogs and their behavioral problems...
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reviews
May 21, 2009
Thank you, Mr. Katz, for putting words around what it means to love a dog responsibly and compassionately. Your book, and the descriptions of your rapport with your dogs helped me better understand why I am so very fond of my own sweet creature. There were sections of the book that were awful to read, but I feel like it was important for me to remember that the time I have with my dog, Malcolm, is sweet, and finite.
There were many dear stories and moving quotes in this book; here i More...
There were many dear stories and moving quotes in this book; here i More...
Jul 19, 2009
Chris
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Perhaps I liked this book so much because by the end I just plain liked the author -- he seemed like a good guy to hang out with, someone good for a long walk on his farm with his dogs. I also agree with his approach to dogs, which is loving, compassionate, sometimes almost obsessive, and yet rational: dogs are dogs, not people or children, and it doesn't do you or the dogs any favors to treat them otherwise. To treat a dog well and give him and yourself good lives, you have to understand your
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Jan 20, 2012
Mary
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The author of the book does not have step by step instructions on how to train your dog. There are numerous other books on the market for that. What the author does do is discuss how best to treat your dog. He mentions various training methods in the book and discusses the pros and cons of them.
He has numerous anecdotal stories from readers that has sought his advice and what he did for them. It really helps get an idea on how to deal with your dog's problems.
What I like More...
He has numerous anecdotal stories from readers that has sought his advice and what he did for them. It really helps get an idea on how to deal with your dog's problems.
What I like More...
Feb 19, 2009
Cwalsen
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Jon Katz once again entertains us with stories about his less than perfect dogs and his less than perfect handling of them. This time he includes a number of stories from readers who have contacted him about their dogs with problem behaviors. Dog owners will appreciate Katz's flexible approach to training techniques in the face of today's over-emotional conflicts among professional dog trainers about which training method is the best. And I especially appreciate his calm explanations about how s
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Sep 04, 2007
Inder
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This is the first book I ever read on dog training, and, in retrospect, it was a great place to start. It is not the best written manual I've ever seen, nor is it illustrated. So I waffled between giving it four and a five stars. But because this book has some really original and proven ideas for training, I went with five stars.
My takeaway points - (1) handfeed your dog, while saying their name; (2) if your dog jumps on people, throw cookies over their shoulder, to divert their att More...
My takeaway points - (1) handfeed your dog, while saying their name; (2) if your dog jumps on people, throw cookies over their shoulder, to divert their att More...
Sep 16, 2010
Lisa
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I love Katz's conservative, prudent approach to dogs and their behavior. I love that he puts people before dogs and I love his explanation. He lets dogs be dogs. I love his concentration on training, investing time, and good boundaries. That is the basis for all good relationships. I hope I have learned a few things from this book and look forward to reading more of his books (and a few of his recommended training books). Do I agree with everything he says? No. But in most cases, if you're
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Sep 18, 2010
Carmen
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Very through but also very opinionated description of having dogs as pets. Katz uses personal experiences and others' experiences to illustrate his points. I happen to agree with many of his points, but it doesn't take away from the fact that he is not impartial. He explores the relationships between people and their dogs to some extent. I found this interesting, as I commonly only know about my own relationships.
Apr 26, 2009
Stephanie
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Jon Katz writes in a manner that the common dog owner can relate to. This book isn't so much about problem solving but synthesizing various bits of information (whether scientific, training techniques or anecdotal stories) that one needs to learn in order to become a responsible dog owner. He isn't condescending in his advice, but pragmatic. I love that!
Sep 11, 2008
Diane
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I like Jon Katz and his writings about life on Bedlam Farm in upstate New York.
If you are starting to read dog training books or are becoming exasperated at the conflicting advice in the many dog training books you've read you ahould give this book a try.
Katz admits he isn't an expert and doesn't know everything but he sure has a lot of common sense. I don't agree with everything he says (I do think that dogs have some sense of time passing) but I agree with most of it. More...
If you are starting to read dog training books or are becoming exasperated at the conflicting advice in the many dog training books you've read you ahould give this book a try.
Katz admits he isn't an expert and doesn't know everything but he sure has a lot of common sense. I don't agree with everything he says (I do think that dogs have some sense of time passing) but I agree with most of it. More...
Jan 04, 2009
Sam
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I believe this is the book (I know it's a Jon Katz) with my all-time favorite advice about raising a good dog: "If you want a better dog, try being a better goddamn human!"
Jan 22, 2009
Nellie
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All his books are worth reading. This one especially is as promised commonsensical.
Dec 16, 2009
Gayle
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This is third book I have read by Katz. I heard an NPR interview with him about this book. I received a copy for Christmas and as a new dog owner found his ideas about training useful, common sense and interesting. Some of his ideas have worked well with Jackson, our Shih Tzu mix.
The downside of the book is that the author repeats himself in every chapter. It sounds like he took his radio programs and transcribed them. The dog owner stories are fun to read. I recommend this book--ju More...
The downside of the book is that the author repeats himself in every chapter. It sounds like he took his radio programs and transcribed them. The dog owner stories are fun to read. I recommend this book--ju More...
Apr 28, 2011
Kirsten
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This is a pretty good little book. It's not exactly a training manual as such -- it's more about Katz's observations of dogs and training, what's worked for him, and what hasn't. I feel like it's a good book to read after you've slogged through a bunch of training manuals, because Katz's basic thesis is "do what works, and it's not going to work the same way for every dog." He sort of gives the reader permission to synthesize all the information they've read into whatever works for the
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May 25, 2009
Laurie
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I am almost done with this book and wish my 6 yr old Golden/Berner was a puppy again so I could train him better from the start. But I've already started implementing some of Katz's techniques and they are working great (soft voice, watch me, dog gets nothing for free, daily training exercises). Katz's prose is very readable, literary almost, and his case studies useful. Highly recommended
Aug 04, 2007
Sarah
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I love this book! I'm a small animal vet and it would be so great if I could place this into each of my clients' hands to read before they pick up a new puppy or dog. It would save some of them the heartbreak of choosing a dog which is all wrong for their life, and give all of them some really great tools for helping their pet fit into their family.
Mar 21, 2008
Anneliese
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as far as training books go, i thought that this was a pretty good one. it does go off on tangents a lot and in some places is pretty vague... sort of a do-what-works-for-you-this-is-what works-for-me approach, but after all that is the approach that always works best for me.
Apr 27, 2008
Necole
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I love Jon, and his ideas are practical and reflect a thorough understanding about how dogs think and act.
Aug 03, 2007
Jessica
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Disregard all those other "dog gurus." Jon Katz has the answers, in other words, that there ARE no answers. But he'll help you feel better about listening to your instincts instead of the arbitrary dictates of the world's dog whisperers, listeners and talkers.
Jan 22, 2008
Lou
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Not as much of a "how-to" as the Monks of New Skete books, but a wonderful complement to them, this is more of an overall philosophical approach to owning a dog from a great writer.
Feb 04, 2011
Lynn
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Commonsense, indeed. My husband has limited reading time, and to prepare for getting our own dog, this was the one book I told him he had to read.
Jun 21, 2011
Rebecca
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Love Jon Katz and his theories and beliefs regarding dogs. He is a great writer as well. A must-read for dog lovers and owners.
Jun 13, 2008
susan
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READ THIS BEFORE YOU GET A DOG. It will help you make many decisions. And email Katz-he will email you back!
Sep 22, 2008
Margaret
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I learned that it is not a bad thing to have your dogs associate you with treats.
