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The Golden Rules of Positive Puppy Training: Everything You Need to Know for Your Puppy's First Year
The incredible visual guide to training your puppy! Whether you've raised a puppy before or you're totally new to having a furry friend, this is your go-to guide! The Golden Rules of Positive Puppy Training is a complete handbook that will help you change your perception of dogs and how they learn. With a focus on the puppy's development during his first year of life, you'll learn about reward-based training, why it's the best method for both you and your pet, the importance of building a strong dog-owner relationship, and everything a dog needs to stay healthy, both physically and emotionally. By understanding how your puppy thinks and how to communicate with them, you'll become an effective owner and trainer as you equip your dog with dozens of basic to advanced skills. You'll also be able to modify undesirable behaviors by using positive techniques. Filled with charming illustrations and graphics, easy step-by-step instructions, and insightful information, this is the most engaging and playful puppy manual you'll ever own! From teaching your new puppy how to walk on a leash and get accustomed to vet visits to how to eat calmly and close the refrigerator door, this fun to read, visually adorable guide is packed with must-have information, helpful tips, and charming drawings and photographs to help you and your new puppy have a wonderful life together! It's the perfect gift for someone who is considering getting a puppy, just got their first puppy, or anyone who loves dogs. Discover how and why happy dogs learn better, with The Golden Rules of Positive Puppy Training ! "Well-illustrated, relatable, and informative. Packed with wonderful advice for new puppy parents."
—Liz Bismore, pet blogger ( WoofWoofMama website) and rescue dog mom "Dr. Jean Cuvelier gives owners insight into what makes their best friends tick through a mix of training theory and practical application combined with fun illustrations. Your dog doesn't need to be a puppy to benefit from Cuvelier's insight, which ranges from building a solid human-canine relationship to teaching basic cues and tricks."
—Tracy Libby, author of Rescued Dog Problem Solver , four-time Dog Writers Association of America Maxwell award winner, and recipient of Alliance of Purebred Dog Writers Arthur F. Jones Award of Excellence "When it comes to raising a puppy, you are the most important factor in your puppy's success. With fun, easy-to-follow illustrations and clear instructions, this book can help you navigate the challenging first year of a puppy's life. It features modern, positive training methods and is chock full of great advice on how to be a puppy's best friend and positive leader."
—Teoti Anderson, CPDT-KA, certified professional dog trainer and author of The Ultimate Guide to Dog Training
—Liz Bismore, pet blogger ( WoofWoofMama website) and rescue dog mom "Dr. Jean Cuvelier gives owners insight into what makes their best friends tick through a mix of training theory and practical application combined with fun illustrations. Your dog doesn't need to be a puppy to benefit from Cuvelier's insight, which ranges from building a solid human-canine relationship to teaching basic cues and tricks."
—Tracy Libby, author of Rescued Dog Problem Solver , four-time Dog Writers Association of America Maxwell award winner, and recipient of Alliance of Purebred Dog Writers Arthur F. Jones Award of Excellence "When it comes to raising a puppy, you are the most important factor in your puppy's success. With fun, easy-to-follow illustrations and clear instructions, this book can help you navigate the challenging first year of a puppy's life. It features modern, positive training methods and is chock full of great advice on how to be a puppy's best friend and positive leader."
—Teoti Anderson, CPDT-KA, certified professional dog trainer and author of The Ultimate Guide to Dog Training
- GenresNonfictionDogs
208 pages, Paperback
Published January 7, 2020
4 people are currently reading
13 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 26, 2025
TLDR this is not a positive reinforcement book, it is not a positive-first book. It is a "balanced training" book that is negative punishment first BUT does have really good graphic design and decent positive information hidden within it.
This book started out really strong with Parts 1-3 and two sections of Part 4, which contained information on what is a dog, what makes a good owner, how to train your dog, information on puppyhood and socialisation approaches. Information was all presented in a delightful infographic format with a nice balance of information and graphics. Some minus disappointing bits with the author micromanaging dogs, focusing on coercion and compliance over communication, but primarily positive training based.
Unfortunately the book went downhill in Part 4 from the Basic Skills onwards. The majority of the skills are NOT taught through positive reinforcement but instead rely on negative punishment and extinction. The trainer goes entirely into compliance methods, advises ignoring dogs trying to communicate with you (ignore dog asking for things), uses social punishment (removing social interactions) to enforce compliance...and just all around very "nothing in life is free" which is NOT a positive reinforcement method of training but a stock standard compulsion and compliance method. Just not positive at all.
This book, like many others, is confused about the difference between heeling and loose lead walking. So the loose lead walking just describes heeling and dogs within are punished for trying to sniff or pulling if something scares them. Just more power games for compulsion and control.
The advanced training with the tricks was much more positive for some bizarre reason, and actually talked about splitting behaviour and setting up for success in those sections and not in the basic skills.
Part 5 Behaviour Modification wans't too bad, not a lot of detail but they would make good infographics if you're interesting in sharing the book. It even has a section on dog emotions and instinct related behaviours which are pretty good. I especially liked the sections comparing "bad attitude" approach to problems and "good attitude" approach to the same problem, showing alternative training methods.
Although these are conflicting since earlier in the training section the book tells you to ignore your dog asking you to fulfill their needs and gives a whole bunch of "bad attitude" method approaches to basic skills like loose lead walking, waiting to eat, sitting to greet.
Part 5 also includes a summary of assorted behavioural modification techniques. Most of these are reasonably decent except yet again a dependency on extinction and it does not go over the negative emotional effects and stress this process causes (for both dog and owner). It does surprisingly have a positive regard of behavioural medication and otherwise stays in its training lane, recommending a vet visit.
All up a 3 because there's a lot of good information but the underlying compliance-or-else, the focus on extinction and negative punishment over rewards, the inability to set up to succeed and the subpart basic skills chapter drag it down from being a 5. It gets the misinformation label for not being the positive reinforcement training it claims to be.
The book also failed to cite any of the science articles quoted.
This book started out really strong with Parts 1-3 and two sections of Part 4, which contained information on what is a dog, what makes a good owner, how to train your dog, information on puppyhood and socialisation approaches. Information was all presented in a delightful infographic format with a nice balance of information and graphics. Some minus disappointing bits with the author micromanaging dogs, focusing on coercion and compliance over communication, but primarily positive training based.
Unfortunately the book went downhill in Part 4 from the Basic Skills onwards. The majority of the skills are NOT taught through positive reinforcement but instead rely on negative punishment and extinction. The trainer goes entirely into compliance methods, advises ignoring dogs trying to communicate with you (ignore dog asking for things), uses social punishment (removing social interactions) to enforce compliance...and just all around very "nothing in life is free" which is NOT a positive reinforcement method of training but a stock standard compulsion and compliance method. Just not positive at all.
This book, like many others, is confused about the difference between heeling and loose lead walking. So the loose lead walking just describes heeling and dogs within are punished for trying to sniff or pulling if something scares them. Just more power games for compulsion and control.
The advanced training with the tricks was much more positive for some bizarre reason, and actually talked about splitting behaviour and setting up for success in those sections and not in the basic skills.
Part 5 Behaviour Modification wans't too bad, not a lot of detail but they would make good infographics if you're interesting in sharing the book. It even has a section on dog emotions and instinct related behaviours which are pretty good. I especially liked the sections comparing "bad attitude" approach to problems and "good attitude" approach to the same problem, showing alternative training methods.
Although these are conflicting since earlier in the training section the book tells you to ignore your dog asking you to fulfill their needs and gives a whole bunch of "bad attitude" method approaches to basic skills like loose lead walking, waiting to eat, sitting to greet.
Part 5 also includes a summary of assorted behavioural modification techniques. Most of these are reasonably decent except yet again a dependency on extinction and it does not go over the negative emotional effects and stress this process causes (for both dog and owner). It does surprisingly have a positive regard of behavioural medication and otherwise stays in its training lane, recommending a vet visit.
All up a 3 because there's a lot of good information but the underlying compliance-or-else, the focus on extinction and negative punishment over rewards, the inability to set up to succeed and the subpart basic skills chapter drag it down from being a 5. It gets the misinformation label for not being the positive reinforcement training it claims to be.
The book also failed to cite any of the science articles quoted.
August 16, 2020
This is a good read if your're looking for a book about rewards based puppy training. It talks a lot about understanding your dog and his/her feelings. I felt it was a good introduction to that style of training.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews