Mother Knows Best: The Natural Way to Train Your Dog

Howell reference books

by Carol Lea Benjamin

With more than 150,000 copies sold, Mother Knows Best is one of the top training books of all time. Based on the natural way a mother dog trains her puppies, Benjamin's training method is humane, effective and all natural. Now we've put a bright new cover on a timeless classic.

Genres: Dogs, Nonfiction, Animals

256 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 1985

About the author

A noted dog trainer and former detective, Carol Lea Benjamin is the author of books on canine behavior and training as well as the Rachel Alexander and Dash mystery series. She has been honored by the International Association of Canine Professionals with her election to their Hall of Fame. Ms. Benjamin lives in Greenwich Village with her husband and their dogs.

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A friend loaned me this book, and I just loved it so much I ordered my own copy! It reads like a story! The lessons get across, but Ms Benjamin inserts humor - had me laughing out loud and I had to read the funny parts to my husband. Now that I have my own copy I can go back, use highlighter and have it for reference always. Even though I adopted my puppy at 6 months of age, the training works for any age dog. As you read along you learn what dog mothers do to influence the pups' behavior. I look forward to having a well-trained and lovable friend.

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book for a new dog owner. I have used her training and have not come across any conflicts with any extended training (currently training my puppy to become a certified service dog). Great approach. She goes into the important details of how to positively reinforce good behavior and utilize operant training.

[Cammie Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to say I thought this was the best dog training book I've read so far. It only stands to reason that nature provided puppies the perfect trainer - their mothers. By emulating the way a mother trains & disciplines her puppies it surely enables we the owners, to train in a fair and correct way.

I liked how the book was set up & divided. It allowed me to learn & work on one issue at a time. I have a lot of notes & highlighting in my book!

The only thing I thought could have been better were the pictures (they were black & white & not really that great of quality) - but then again since the copyright is from 1985... I can't expect today's standards with them.

I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone looking to train a puppy and/or dog.

[ThDogs · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is outdated and full of misinformation.

The method within the book is the "natural dog training movement" built off the debunked dominance pack theory. This book would have you solve problems by flooding your dog in situations they cannot cope with, saying "no" and collar popping them over and over until you give up. Then call the dog that has given up and avoids the owner as "respectful". Lots of outright dangerous advice such as seeking dominance over your dog, physical force, holding muzzles shut and lots of less dangerous but still ridiculously useless rules that are just there to keep the dog avoidant of the owner - forbidding them to sniff on walks, not allowing to go through door first, not allowed to walk ahead of the owner, not allowed in the bed.

[Tim Renshaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bought, read and executed the practical steps in this book with our first dog way back in 1987 with amazing success. To the extent we've returned to this book and its principles for each dog (now up to our 6th), we've had well trained dogs. Even those we were more slack on than we should have been have been commented on by others as "that's a well trained dog". Read it and more importantly DO IT and you'll have the lifelong companion you wanted all along from your dog(s).

[Catherine Keech · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars
Super helpful. I was hoping for some more specific timing such as how old to teach certain commands, when to start what etc. but the book was extremely helpful in getting started with a puppy despite those things. The author also tells WHY to do certain things which is a feature of great teaching. This makes learning from her much easier and I didn’t question myself while executing her exercises for our puppy. Recommended by the Pembroke Welsh Corgi Association, great recommendation!

[Michael Silverman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book recommended by our breeder. Easy to read, easy to understand. Some of the information is dated (i.e., dogs can now run off leash in central park during specific times), but this is by far one of the best training books I've read to date.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book only worked in theory, because I have yet to adopt my dog, so I guess part two of my review is coming when I can put this advice into action. In theory, it makes sense, and the author’s doodles and dad jokes are endearing.

[Kathryn Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

The bottom line, her methods work! I am training my 10 month old puppy and so pleased with how he is shaping up to be social, spunky, and obedient when necessary. I have read it twice and used it with my first dog, too.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book years ago, it is an excellent puppy training guide.

[Lizzytish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great resource for training and raising a puppy. Based on how the mother dog teaches her pups.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-have for any new dog owner. This is my second read.

[Linda Is on her way · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn't finish. Not good advice

[Christy Ruiz · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s good for the most part, I buy into some but not all things. Listened to the audiobook, didn’t like the narrator’s voice, pretty cheesy.

[Ryan Patera · Rating 5 out of 5]

good read

Explained well. Written well. Easy to follow. This is the second time I’m reading it. First time I got a dog it proved to be really helpful in training it and my dog ended up passing the canine good citizen test which is not an easy test to pass. I’m getting another puppy so decided to review it.

[shaeda · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF

[Molly Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mother Knows Best is a dog-training manual based on dog psychology. The theory is to repeat the actions that a mother-dog uses to teach her pups. Praise is the main reward instead of food, and ignoring the puppy is the punishment instead of yelling at the dog or locking him up. All of what Benjamin writes makes sense, but in practice I think that the success of her training methods largely depends upon the breed of the dog.
I imagine that especially loyal breeds, Labrador and Golden retrievers for example, would respond well. But the more stubborn, independent dogs won't respond well. Case in point, the Malamute puppy I had for two weeks (man that dog was a terror).

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

An approach to training designed to make an obedient, reliable animal of the family dog. It is easy to understand and follow and teaches you how to be in charge from the beginning. You don't have to read it from cover to cover of course, which makes it ideal for those who just got a puppy or for someone who just needs to get their dog back in line. It makes you a responsible dog owner with a disciplined pet that will help you appreciate them more.
I highly recommend this to commited and well disciplined dog owners as well as dog owners that aren't sure what to do sometimes. I learned a lot from reading this book, and so will you!

[Ryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This a truly excellent dog training book. I am reading and re-reading it as I attempt to train my own little ball of fur and teeth. Carol Benjamin's techniques really do work, becase they have produced some excellently trained dogs in my family. We Arrants people have always had the kind of dogs you can proudly show off to your friends as they calmly obey commands and generously avoid pissing you off by doing terrible things like jumping up or barking excessively. Those dogs were well behaved because of the training advice in this book. The only reason I give it four stars is because I believe that there are too many cutesy words taking up valuable page space.

[Colette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book on training puppies from the point of view of a mother dog. Lots of great insight into how dogs' minds work. Helped my family become better dog owners and have loaned to several friends. Once it came back with bite marks; not sure if that means the dog liked the book or didn't like it ;).

[Samira · Rating 3 out of 5]

I re-read this book and I suppose it is fine, but it says that the dog should not sleep in the bed with you. Perhaps, but I want her there. I also am not totally sure that it is better than any other dog training book out there.

[David Sabala · Rating 3 out of 5]

Terrific ideas, and I can see why this book is so popular. This is going to be a wonderful resource for me in the future. I would say these pages will be dog-eared and worn, but it's on my kindle.

[Kerri Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, changed my idea of training! Training dogs makes more sense now, Thank You!
This author changed my dogs lives and made me a better alpha! She has a great concept and for the first time a training method really makes sense.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book to help prepare for owning a dog.

[Kelly Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book for training your dog. Methods are based on how a mother dog naturally trains her pups. This is a great reference book to invest in.

[Renee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many useful tips, and the illustrations are adorable.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun and educational read! I enjoyed how it was laid out and the depths to which each technique or vocabulary word was discussed. For anyone getting a puppy, it is a quick and useful read.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A solid training book for beginner dog trainers who want to understand what makes their dog tick.

[Brenda Hutcheson-Hinojosa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very helpful, training from Mother dogs perspective.