I found some of the general advice in this book helpful. However, it wasn't quite what I expected. The idea of following actual dogs through their puppyhood is a great idea and seems promising--until you find out that all the puppies are from top-notch breeders and perfectly fit Millan's "calm-submissive" ideal. I know MY puppy certainly does not meet that ideal, nor is she from any sort of top-notch breeder, so it made a lot of the puppy-specific stories kind of useless. This book would be more helpful to read if you're in the process of getting a puppy and want to know what you should take into consideration.

Millan's advice about how to communicate with puppies was somewhat useful--he places a lot of emphasis on understanding that your dog isn't going to respond to normal human communication and that attempting to humanize your dog is a big mistake. The concept of using "calm-assertive energy" is more like a general thing to keep in mind while interacting with your dog...certainly useful, but I guess I was hoping for more concrete advice.

Overall, I think this book provides some useful GENERAL information about raising the "perfect dog." Probably better to read this book well before you've brought your puppy home, however.