Rating: 
Summary: great book
Review: Baer and Duno really hit the mark. After buying the book, I used their advice on my pushy Australian shepherd, and, after three weeks, it's beginning to work! I especially appreciate the advice on food and on waiting at the door; it really gets my dog thinking. (...)
Rating:
Summary: great book
Review: Baer and Duno really hit the mark. After buying the book, I used their advice on my pushy Australian shepherd, and, after three weeks, it's beginning to work! I especially appreciate the advice on food and on waiting at the door; it really gets my dog thinking. (...)
Rating: 
Summary: Terrible book
Review: Do not follow the advice in this book. Pack theoy has done nothing but pit owners against their dogs in an imagines power strugle that creates a hostile and combative relationship. It becomes a self fulfilling prophesy. If you want a really good book on how to relate to dogs get a copy of The Culture Clash by Jean Donaldson! Take it from me!
Rating:
Summary: Big help for those with dominant dogs
Review: I appreciated the way the authors stepped the reader through difficult situations with step by step advice. It wasn't just a lot of talk, it was descriptive in telling what to do, how to do it, when to do it, etc. They are very much into being gentle with the dog, but still putting yourself as the leader of the pack.
Rating:
Summary: Must read
Review: I babysit dogs in my home.
This book is an excellent source for anyone who works or plays with more than one dog. It is extremely accurate on how dogs think/don't think, and then behave. It is an excellent source for a new dog owner or one that has had a dog for years. If you do not understand what is explained in this book, then do not expect your dog to understand how to behave around people and other dogs that are not already a part of your household; nor how to conduct itself at a babysitters. And everyone needs a dog sitter eventually. In addition, understanding the breed you have/want is key to being a leader of the pack. The book gives great examples of how seemingly harmless behavior on our part can have drastic consequences for our dog(s), and these outcomes affects different breeds.
Rating:
Summary: Must read
Review: I babysit dogs in my home.
This book is an excellent source for anyone who works or plays with more than one dog. It is extremely accurate on how dogs think/don't think, and then behave. It is an excellent source for a new dog owner or one that has had a dog for years. If you do not understand what is explained in this book, then do not expect your dog to understand how to behave around people and other dogs that are not already a part of your household; nor how to conduct itself at a babysitters. And everyone needs a dog sitter eventually. In addition, understanding the breed you have/want is key to being a leader of the pack. The book gives great examples of how seemingly harmless behavior on our part can have drastic consequences for our dog(s), and these outcomes affects different breeds.
Rating:
Summary: Do you want to be a dog owner or dominatrix?
Review: I purchased this book with high hopes but was left with utter disappointment. According to the authors, a house dog should not be allowed to do anything without the owner's permission. Their suggestions even went against my vet's instructions. Maybe their tactics to turn your pet into a subserviant shell of its former self are necessary for the extreme cases profiled in their book. On the other hand, the owners in most of those cases need psychological help themselves! Come on, now, how many sane people put their pets in high chairs and serve them dinner from the dining table with the rest of the family? How many alternate letting their pet eat out of their plate and they eat out of the pets bowl? The authors left me with the impression that their book was intended for people like their example couple I described above. If you want be the dominatrix, telling your dog when it can eat, relieve itself, when it can play, then this book is for you! If you are able to see your pets personality shining in its eyes and don't want to lose that, then this book is not for you.
Rating:
Summary: Turned Our Lives Around!
Review: I took in a young Lab/Akita mix without a home. As he quickly grew, so did his attitude. When I finally braved obedience training, I was amazed. He was a very smart dog (almost too smart:) The trainer recommended this book to help us. It was a savior, every step that we took, the house bacame more and more peaceful! It even added some structure to our already chaotic house! He turned out to be a better dog than we ever imagined possible. The step by step instructions were very well laid out and very easy to implement. I also liked the correlation between domestic and wild dogs. All it takes is patience and determination!
Rating:
Summary: Great think-like-a-dog book
Review: I was very impressed with this book. It manages to list and illustrate ways to deal with all the major difficulties that arise from people assuming dogs think the same way we do. Its' case studies describe dogs that display antisocial behaviours, and then not only gives excellent advice on how to redeem them without resorting to physical discipline, but also shows how to train a dog from the beginning so it will be a happy, stress and aggression-free member of the family 'pack'.
Rating: 
Summary: Takes the Fun Out of Dog Ownership
Review: If someone were considering dog ownership and read this book beforehand, I'm pretty sure he would decide against ever having a dog in the house. The authors emphasize the dog's kinship to the wolf, apparently overlooking the thousands of years of domestication the dog has been through. They seem to be saying that if you ever let your dog have its own way about anything (letting it eat or go outside when it wants to, letting it sleep where it wants to) you will be starting to turn the family pooch into some growling, biting creature that will be unsafe for anyone, especially children, to be around. The book sets out to teach the owner how to train the dog, but I think it winds up training the owner to go by the rules set down in the book. Not many will have the discipline or inclination to follow these instructions. There are some things to be learned from this book, and here and there a helpful tip. But if you read it, prepare to be at least mildly disturbed by some of its passages. And it should probably be read along with a book like Karen Pryor's "Don't Shoot the Dog..." which emphasizes the power of positive reinforcement and will serve to balance what "Leader of the Pack" is saying.
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