Rating: 
Summary: A lot of theorey that doesn't always hold true.
Review: The author uses too much theorey that can't readily be tested, such as her theorey on dog biting. She attempts to quantify what makes a dog bite, but says little about preventing the dog from biting. Her writing style comes across as this is the only way and anything else is stupid. A command that can not be taught using her reward method, is a command that is not worth learning in her opinion. A good example is when she talks about the dog chasing wild animals while walking in the woods. She wants the dog to wait until you say it is ok to run off, but nothing about if you want the dog to stay with you. I would prefer a method where the dog comes to you when it is unsure, such as Koehler. It only takes reading one page to see the flaw in the book, the page where she describes Master techniques. According to her it is a master technique to have the dog heal for a whole minute. That shouldn't really be that big an accomplishment, let alone the highest accomplishment.
Rating: 
Summary: The Best book for Understanding and training dogs!
Review: A must read for anyone who owns or trains dogs!
Rating:
Summary: If you buy only one dog book in your life, this would be it!
Review: By understanding the mind of dogs, I am better able to train my own! Previously I believed that my dogs were out to please me, but now I understand that "they are looking out for No.1!" I've already learned the joy of clicker training, and her use of positive training kept me glued to the book. I've found this book particularly helpful in working with rescue dogs.
Rating:
Summary: Should be a law
Review: Read this book in one long session. Opened my eyes to dogs and thier behaviour. Someone should pass a law "no one can bring a dog home without first buying this book" Must go back and read it again and again.
Rating:
Summary: Training from the dog's point of view
Review: I was originally turned off by the beginning of this book. The author's ideas about dogs having no "desire to please" their owners was so contrary to everything that is considered basic about dog training and dog behavior that I didn't believe it to be true. However, she thoroughly backed up her ideas and completely clarified the difference between "desire to please" as we see it and "desire to get treats or attention" as the dog sees it. It's difficult to get beyond the "Disney" approach to dogs as she calls it, the way society and Hollywood have taught us dogs should behave, but the book opened my eyes to what sort of relationship dogs really have with people. The book takes dog training from a dog's point of view - and that is the best way to get results. The empathy for the dog's position that the author encourages was a completely new experience for me. I adopted an adult dog from a shelter four months ago who had never been indoors before. She had been abused and you could hardly say "no" to her without her cringing and running away. I needed a training method that was completely positive and non-abusive in every sense of the word. More importantly, I needed a training method that worked. My dog can sit, down, stay, come, wait, drop, and fetch; she doesn't jump up, she doesn't chase the cats, and she's housebroken - all thanks to this book. The author thoroughly takes you through the way dogs learn with specific examples and exercises. It's hard not to get excited about teaching your dog after learning so completely how to teach! I highly recommend this book to new dog owners and to people looking to improve their relationship with their pets. Getting rid of unrealistic expectations makes all the difference in understanding and relating to your dog.
Rating: 
Summary: Female late teens from Dallas, TX
Review: When I read this book I felt I was being lectured to. The author seemed to think that only she knew the right way to train dogs. She presented a good argument for what she said but there were so many contradictions in her book that I became confused and doubtful. The reviews to the book on amazon.com were so different it added to my confusion. The good part is that it caused me to do more reading to understand what was being said. I found other books that spent all their time telling how wonderful their way of training was with little or no practicle advice. The books that helped to get a better understanding and didn't spend all their time saying how wonderful they are were written by Carol Benjamin, The Monks of New Kete, Karen Pryor and a new author Captain Haggerty who is very funny and explains so many different things.
Rating:
Summary: I can't imagine training my dog any other way
Review: In preparation of getting a puppy I've read 4 books that have come highly recommended: Carol Benjamin's Mother Knows Best, Monks of New Skeet's Art of Raising a Puppy, Karen Pryor's Don't Shoot the Dog, and Jean Donaldson's Culture Clash. I read them in the order listed and when I finished I threw out Benjamin and the Monks. I can't believe the violence and intimidation we inflict on our pets in the name of 'training'. Pryor and Donaldson explain both the priciples and the methods to safely, humanely train your dog. I highly suggest getting them both. I can't wait to get a puppy now that I have know I don't have to push my poor dog around to get results.
Rating:
Summary: Horse- what!
Review: The reader who gave this book 1 star and called it horsehockey recommends books by Carol Benjamin and The Monks of New Skete. Both of these authors condone violence against dogs in the name of "training" and I do NOT recommend them for anyone who does not want to hit, strangle or hang their dog up by the neck until it passes out. Culture Clash is for intelligent readers who want to train with gentleness, using proven training techniques. They WORK, but only if you use them properly. Anyone who can't get a dog to learn using these techniques is doing it wrong, plain and simple.
Rating:
Summary: Food for thought
Review: A new way of understanding dogs from the dog's point of view. The book is brimming with empathy, humor, and understanding. Jean Donaldson is above all a very PRACTICAL lady - and her approach is very functional - it works! I particularly liked the insight that biting is natural behavior for dogs, i.e. that even the "nicest" dog will bite and it is therefore extremely important to train bite inhibition with ALL dogs. Donaldson also reminds us that dogs have no sense of morals and that they see a large percentage of the world as "chew-toys" or "food" (even your italian shoes and gum on the sidewalk), unless they are TAUGHT otherwise. The last section on practical training is brief, but extremely well written - if you follow this program you will end up with a recall proofed against virtually everything (yes, I've tried it). I recommend "The Culture Clash" to everyone interested in dogs.
Rating:
Summary: It really works
Review: I lend out lots of books to friends and neighbors. This is the only one I make sure is returned. Within a few weeks of bringing our shelter pup home, she was agressive and totally out of control. Among other problems, the choke collar seemed to enrage her and I couldn't figure our why! After reading this book I RAN out and bought a halti harness and a huge bucket of treats. The results of positive reinforcement and intensive food reward training were immediate and dramatic. Now the days of choke collars and alpha rollovers are are in the past and I think (I hope) my pup has forgiven me for my bad judgement. I can't reccomend this book strongly enough. I feel like it has allowed me to understand my dog (as much as a human can).
| 
