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Rating: 
Summary: Not for people who like the no violence approach!!!
Review: I bought this book because of a recommendation of a lab breeder and hunter, along with a black lab puppy, 7 weeks old. Wolters book is based in large upon the "spank the dog the right way, and you won't have to do it again ever" approach. The book is very old fashioned, even the black and white photos from the 70's support that. Meanwhile even developmental psychology for puppies has come a long way. I could not take anything from the book because most lessons end in the recommendation that the dog needs to be spanked, hit or otherwise mistreated (how about the section where the door needs to be slammed on the dog who wants to scoot inside first???? NOT an option for us!). I know some really well behaved dogs owned by hunters who will train them by hitting them. But if you are not comfortable with that, don't buy it.
Our dog is now about 2 years old, was trained with the help of the non violent Puppies for Dummies from Sarah Hodgson, and responds to all the hand signs, quiet voice corrections and the low voice. And all that without getting hit once. She is not hyper, but really laid back, and is not afraid of us. So you can raise a dog that has a good self esteem without being bossy, even if you don't beat sense into them!!!
Rating:
Summary: Not for people who like the no violence approach!!!
Review: I bought this book to help with my then-10 week old black lab. I purchased the book based on the great reviews I saw, unfortunatley I didn't scroll down far enough to read the negative reviews. I did enjoy the preface of the book, explaining the scientific need to begin training at a precise age. There was also a strong base of positive reinforcement. But I knew I was in trouble when I got to the section on how to prevent dog-napping. The author suggests having a person, a stranger to the dog, entice the dog into their car, then throw the dog to the ground and thoroughly hit the dog. The author assures that the dog won't go into a strange car again. I'm sure! I'm also sure the dog will be terrified of any stranger - whether in a car or not! This, along with a section in which the author advocates beating the dog with a leash until they cry out, only when misbehavior occurs, of course, made me physically sick to my stomach. I threw the book in the trash, where it belongs, and hope that this review will discourage others from purchasing this out-dated book advocating hitting your dog. A better book is "Great Pets, Good Owners", by Brian Kilcommons and Sarah Wilson. They have a great website, [website], in which trainers, vets, and behaviorists, as well as other pet owners can give advice for almost any issue.
Rating: 
Summary: !!!A MUST HAVE BOOK FROM A LAB LOVER!!!
Review: I have been extremely pleased with the results with my 20 week old Black Lab "Anna Kate" a grand daughter of Galileo (Ducks Unlimited Model T-Shirt Chocolate Lab). I purchased this book in the nick of time when Anna was 9 wks old. I began immediately in following the training principles of Mr. Wolters. I would have not have had the confidence to start disciplining my pup at 12-16wks if I hadn't read the book. Now Anna responds excellently to Sit, Down, Come, Stay, and others such as Shake, High 5, Belly Up and Get Busy. I have never had a dog Stay while I ran away. Anna will even drop down from a dead sprint at the Stay command. Now, the only negative thing I have to do is just say "NO" in a deep voice and she responds immediately.
I have impressed several of my friends and I always talk about this book!!!! Before you buy your next puppy, I strongly recommend purchasing this book!!! You will be glad you did!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Simple and Logical
Review: I have found tremendous joy in training and raising my Lab pup! I have read Water Dog and Family Dog (and watched the Gun Dog Video) and have found all to be excellent training manuals. What is most interesting to me is that really, the trainer is the one doing the most learning... the learning comes natural to the dog. So essentially, the books are teaching YOU how to most effectively work with your companion. Most everyone will ask me when I'll take my pup to school... I tell them that I most likely will not have to because Wolters' books (and many other resources) have taught me that training is simply a matter of devotion to the dog. It does take time and effort but no more than that which is necessary (recommended in this book 10-15 minutes a day, gradually increasing time as the pup grows older) to have a disciplined, happy member of the family. Oh yes, and the training done in this book is by Wolters' 6 year old daughter which illustrates his point in just how elementary the training can be.
Rating:
Summary: Great trainer, great book!
Review: I used the author's "Water Dog" to train my lab 12 years ago and will use the same techniques now with my new puppy. The focus of this book is most certainly NOT to "whip the dog into shape" but rather to produce a civilized member of the family. Wolters was not Dr. Spock, but to suggest that he was a bad trainer, "lazy and undisciplined" is to do him a gross injustice. I saw the man and his dogs in action: he clearly loved them, and they loved him. Wolters urges his readers to praise their puppy at every opportunity. Only when they deliberately misbehave, and then only when they are of an age (2)to know they are misbehaving, does he suggest a swat on the bottom. In today's politically correct society, that surely amounts to beastiality, but dogs don't read The New York Times or enroll in PETA, so you're safe. As an aside, using Wolters' books as training guides I ended up with a wonderful, obedient dog whom I never had to hit, not once, in 12 years. I (and my dog) owe Wolters a debt of gratitude.
Rating:
Summary: Simple and effective
Review: I used the author's "Water Dog" to train my lab 12 years ago and will use the same techniques now with my new puppy. The focus of this book is most certainly NOT to "whip the dog into shape" but rather to produce a civilized member of the family. Wolters was not Dr. Spock, but to suggest that he was a bad trainer, "lazy and undisciplined" is to do him a gross injustice. I saw the man and his dogs in action: he clearly loved them, and they loved him. Wolters urges his readers to praise their puppy at every opportunity. Only when they deliberately misbehave, and then only when they are of an age (2)to know they are misbehaving, does he suggest a swat on the bottom. In today's politically correct society, that surely amounts to beastiality, but dogs don't read The New York Times or enroll in PETA, so you're safe. As an aside, using Wolters' books as training guides I ended up with a wonderful, obedient dog whom I never had to hit, not once, in 12 years. I (and my dog) owe Wolters a debt of gratitude.
Rating:
Summary: Simple and effective
Review: Like other readers, I used this book when training my first Chessie 12 years ago. It was simple and quick and I have rarely had a problem with my dog (it is a Chessie after all and Wolters even warns about them). Now a new puppy is on the way and hopefully my children can benefit from the guides in the book. In the first edition Wolters had his 10 year old son photograph it and his 5 year old daughter train the lab, so I hope this edition keeps some of that 'famliness'. Incidentally, Wolters has a lot to do with the methods used for training Seeing-eye dogs. I am sorry that folks see this book as outdated, or feel that if Wolters says 'swat' then you must. But if you want a well behaved dog, that doesn't pull and comes when called and lets go of the retrieved item, then this book will simply aid you to getting your dog to do just that.
Rating:
Summary: Simply WONDERFUL! (and NOT for animal-squeamish)
Review: This fantastic book and information took care of my dog in under 16 weeks, just as promised! It's so easy to forget: dogs are animals. Animals respond to effective training methods. The squeamish (such as a small minority of other reviewers, apparently) who don't seem to realize that dogs are animals, and who insist on 'anthropomorphising' their pets for their own reasons, should not upset themselves with most any animal training book in the first place! (Leave your dogs as free-range souls, you mean 'owners' -- yeah, right.) This book was worth ten times its price to our household!
Rating:
Summary: No Need to hit your dog
Review: This trainer uses negative reinforcement as a cornerstone to training. Like children, pets should never be hit to acheive a desired result. This method is abusive and the action of a lazy, inpatient trainer and usually accompanies the trainer's loss of temper. The author's approach is to whip the puppy into shape in 16 weeks. Again like children, dogs need ongoing and consistant education and positive reinforcement. Bad Trainer, Bad Book! A much better book is "The Art of Raising a Puppy" or "Mother Knows Best".
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