Mother Knows Best: The Natural Way to Train Your Dog

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Summary: A "Must-Own" for anyone who loves a dog!
Review: If you've ever wished you could speak with your dog in his own language, here's your chance. By emulating your dog's very first teacher...his mother...you can teach him gently and effectively in a way that he will understand at the deepest level. What makes this method particularly humane is the fact that your pup KNOWS what you are asking of him...no mixed signals, no misinterpretation, no fear or confusion. Doctor Dolittle, meet Carol Lea Benjamin! Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Too scattered
Review: Like the concept, didn't like the book. Author spends too much time belaboring the basic premise (mother knows best). Actual advice is scattered, disorganized. Few readers need to know how she publicized her first puppy training class. Strongly preferred "The Art of Raising a Puppy" by Monks of New Skete.

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Summary: Excellent basic introduction to obedience training
Review: MOTHER KNOWS BEST is justifiably a classic among dog owners and trainers. In clear, and often humorous prose, Carol Lea Benjamin explains the basic steps in teaching a dog to be a happy, well-socialized canine. Althought written long before the Canine Good Citizen program was developed by the AKC, it can be a guide to training a dog to earn the certification. I've been recommending this book for years to people who for one reason or another cannot afford the high local prices of formal obedience training classes.

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Summary: A wonderfully fun, common-sense approach for dog training.
Review: The author does a wonderful job of describing natural, human, common-sense ways of traing a dog--and it works! Her wonderful sense of humor makes it a joy to read.

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Summary: The best book for a new puppy owner.
Review: This book helped me tremendously as a new puppy owner who had not owned a dog in over 10 years and never trained one. I had numerous other books but this one continually had answers to my questions other books did not. The big thing it had was a recommended housebreaking schedule. Housebreaking would be a lot harder without knowing when to do what - feed, crate, play, walk. Excellent.

Rating:
Summary: Good book for new puppy owners
Review: This book is very well written and easy to read. Full of sound advice to help train your dog. Although I do not agree with the slip collar and jerk method, as I prefer a prong collar, I found the rest of the book extremely helpful.

Rating:
Summary: Good book for new puppy owners
Review: This book is very well written and easy to read. Full of sound advice to help train your dog. Although I do not agree with the slip collar and jerk method, as I prefer a prong collar, I found the rest of the book extremely helpful.

Rating:
Summary: Way too overrated!
Review: This book was a big disappointment. There's nothing new in the book. The concept of "Mother knows best" is just plain wrong. Teaching a dog has nothing to do with being a surrogate mother. The author keeps repeating herself without providing useful information. The whole book could be shortened to an insteresting article in a dog magazine. In its present form it is way too long. The author also contradicts herself many times. She emphasizes that learning should be fun for the dog and the owner, then on page 107 when she teaches SIT STAY she writes "He [The dog]understands that when you call him he must go to you and that if he doesn't, you will bore hime to death..." All in all, I would not recommend this book to any serious dog owner.