Manstopper! : Training a Canine Guardian

Rating:
Summary: A Must Read
Review: "Manstopper!" is a must read if you are interested in protection work. Overall this book was a great read. Entertaining yet informative and what I enjoyed the most was the author's obvious love for dogs that surfaced in his work with them and in his writing. It was not a how to guide for training a killer, and anyone who claims they used it as such did not heed the advice given by the author.
Not only did he warn potential manstopper owners of the financial and moral responsinility of owning protection trained dogs, he also warns about training the wrong dog for this work. This is terribly important because most owners assume any German Shepherd, Rottie, or Doberman can do protection work. If I had not bought this book I may have made a big mistake and trained my German Shepherd mix for protection. His temperment was just not right for it but I never knew until I read this.

Rating:
Summary: Read It!
Review: I highly recommend this book in tandem with "Dog Logic". Even if you have zero interest in protection training (and let's be honest--even Joel says it's not something you do from a book!) this book gives valuable insight into how to think "associatively" like a dog does. It's great information to help identify where current problems may have cropped up from, and to help you think ahead to prevent improper associations in your training routine.

Rating:
Summary: Read It!
Review: I highly recommend this book in tandem with "Dog Logic". Even if you have zero interest in protection training (and let's be honest--even Joel says it's not something you do from a book!) this book gives valuable insight into how to think "associatively" like a dog does. It's great information to help identify where current problems may have cropped up from, and to help you think ahead to prevent improper associations in your training routine.

Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: I loved this book. McMains's writing style entertains while his instructions are easy to follow. I especially like the fact that he is very no nonsense is his suggestions. There are several points where he says that if a dog reacts a particular way, it's time to stop the protection training and be content with just a pet. I know some trainers that would try to work around that problem. McMains truly understand the dog mind as well. As a dog owner, I found myself laughing out loud at some of his descriptions. Great book, I'd recommend it to any dog owner even if they have no desire to protection train their pet.

Rating:
Summary: manstopper - truly a stopper!
Review: I purchased this book hoping that through reading it I would gain insight not so much on how to train a dog for personal protection but to learn more on how a dog processes information and learns from it. It was truly an eye opener. There is much to be said about Mr. McMains apporach towards this subject. With extreme caution to the reader at all times he lays out and gives more insight into the dogs way of thinking than I've ever seen before. His tecnique humane and his approach always with love and respect towards the animal and those involved in it's training. A master at what he does. The rapport established in his previous books carried on one step further. I was amazed and pleased at what I learned from this book and highly recommend it to anyone interested in training or simply understanding 'Fido' at home.

Rating:
Summary: Very informative.
Review: It's the worse book I ever read. -The book in White & black color. -The writer has written his own thoughts and experiences. -It's all about conversation. -And you **must** have those equipments to train your dog. -Very difficult to read and applying what the writer had written to your dog.

Rating:
Summary: excellent book
Review: Joel McMains book, manstopper is an excellent book. The thing that suprises me is that first of all he stresses safety, for both the dog and the trainer. He also emphasizes that not all dogs are up to being protection trained. I do however recommend that your dog first be trained using his other book "Dog Logic". My german shepard is only 4 months old which is not quite old enough for protection training, but when she is old enough she will be unstoppable. This book is highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: COULDN'T PUT IT DOWN!!!
Review: Manstopper provides a detailed and comprehensive guide on training a protection dog while emphasizing safety and addressing legal issues related to such a dog. Author McMains exceeds the stereotypical how-to book by explaining how trainers can appeal to inherent canine drives and instincts. He does this with a page-turning writing style that will have you reading far into the night. If the rating system allowed giving a book more than 5 stars, I would have. I believe time will prove Manstopper to be the definitive book on training a canine guardian. If you're thinking of protection training your dog or if the subject imply interests you, this book is a must-read. In fact, it's a gold mine for any owner who simply wants to better understand her pet.