Rating: 
Summary: ... Great book for anyone wishing to start clicker training
Review: When I wrote the first review on this book in May 2001, I had been using this book for a month or so and was suitably impressed. I was also just beginning to invest in clicker training.9 months on (many books later), and having trained (or at least partially trained ... *grin*) 3 dogs, I'm no longer as convinced that newer operant training methods have as distinct an advantage over classical/traditional methods, as some writers would have us believe. We are discovering that all training methods (including the clicker method) have their respective strengths & weaknesses. What many writers don't say is that much depends on the dog itself or that combination training methods work well too. But that being said ... the clicker is still the most effective way I have discovered of informing my dogs when an action is approved ... its quick, extremely simple & precise ... one click and the dog knows that it has done right ... no buts, no ifs - that's it! Depending on time, mood and disposition, voice commands can vary in tone and quality - the clicker is consistency paramount. When used properly, the clicker is one heck of a communication tool ... and this book's value is that it teaches a beginner very quickly how and when to sound the clicker ... This is a book consisting primarily of drawn illustrations ... very few words ... And they say a picture is worth a thousand words - therein lies the secret and effectiveness of this book ... the illustrations are as precise and clear to the reader as the sound of the clicker is to the doggie ... The pictures convey in quite a remarkable manner - a clarity of timing to the reader that might otherwise have been lost had words been used ... The reader will find all basic commands such as sit, heel, stay & come dealt with in the book, including aspects of (a) how to 'shape', namely, to lead a dog progressively towards a behaviour that is acceptable to the trainer; and (b) targetting, which is teaching our doggie friend how to nose or touch anything we indicate ... teaching a dog to target, allows us to then teach the dog more complicated commands, such as closing doors and turning switches on and off ... This book is great investment for anyone wishing to start clicker training ... If the reader wishes to progress beyond basic training, or wishes to learn more about how and why a clicker works, then the reader may have to get other books ... But as start-off manual - this book is one of the best!
Rating: 
Summary: Stop Everything & Buy this Book
Review: With as few words as possible, stop what your doing and buy this book.
It will be the best thing you've done since getting a Dog.
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