3 replies to this topic

[Donald McCaig]

Dear Doggers,

Yep, owners love their dogs. The old lady with her feist, the gangbanger with his Pit Bull, the sheepdog handler commanding his dog at 800 yards, the Police K9 Officer: the dog ignorant and dog savvy alike love their dog.

Traditional dog training with its rewards and corrections evolved from military dog training which prepared dogs to work under fire and avoided any and all shows of affection. Sure, one could love one's dog but one oughtn’t show it. Consequently, many traditional training manuals from Tossuti to Koehler to the Monks of new Skete, to Cesar Milan emphasize the dog's ability to manipulate its owner; the dog's agenda, they warn again and again, is not its owner’s.

Most of the appeal of the less effective and not one whit kinder "positive" training comes, I believe, from its emphasis on the caring relationship owners have with their dogs. Pat Miller asks., "What would you rather do, punish your dog or give it a treat. Seems obvious doesn't it?"

Put in this way, yes it does seem obhvious.

When Carol Benjamin wrote “Mother Knows Best”, she broke important ground. Her core thesis: treat your dog the same way its mother treats her pup was brilliantly intuitive, emotionally appealing and helped train hundreds of thousands of dogs. It was the best selling dog book in history and earned Carol a place in the IACP Hall of Fame.

With Dog Smart, Carol breaks new ground again. Dog Smart is an illustrated pet dog training manual which recognizes the owner and dogs’ mutual affection, mutual interest in training and the difficulties that interfere with “Getting things right”. In whimsical comic strips, Carol shows how thoughtful rewards and gentle corrections work to produce a happy dog, happy owner and a sensible, strong relationship.

And its an ebook, available for kindle or Ipad for only $4.99.

Dog Smart is a thorough training guide from an author whose service Border Collies help Carol live a normal life. Read Dog Smart for useful training or the sheer pleasure of Carol’s profound dog sense and gentle wit.

Donald McCaig

[Jedismom]

Thank you for sharing. I have "Do Border Collies Dream of Sheep?", which I really enjoyed. Her website is also an excellent read.

http://clbenjamin.wordpress.com/

[Sue R]

Thanks for the nice review, Donald!

[Smalahundur]

Yeah, seconded, nice review. And thanks for the link to her website Jedismom, a fun read indeed.