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Beyond Obedience: Training with Awareness for You & Your Dog
Beyond Obedience is a revolutionary new training program for you and your dog from one of our country's foremost animal advocates and holistic practitioners. The idea that your canine companion is a fully emotional being and acutely sensitive to your changing feelings and moods is the foundation of April Frost's original and highly effective training program.
One of the most difficult aspects of training a dog is clearly communicating your intentions. Beyond Obedience is the first book to work on the way you communicate with your dog, providing you with the necessary tools to truly understand how your dog's mind works and, therefore, how you can create an effective and mutually satisfying relationship.
Drawing on her extensive experiences as an animal behaviorist, Frost teaches you that training your dog should not be a tedious chore limited to exerting physical and psychological control over an animal's drives, but instead an enriching and spiritually fulfilling experience--gratifying for both human and animal. Frost discusses such essential concepts as mutual respect, unconditional love, mental and emotional discipline, and your expectations and priorities. She shows you how the insights gained from working with your dog can have positive, far-ranging effects on many areas of your life. Beyond Obedience offers valuable insight into the emotional bonds that enrich the lives of animals and their companions.
One of the most difficult aspects of training a dog is clearly communicating your intentions. Beyond Obedience is the first book to work on the way you communicate with your dog, providing you with the necessary tools to truly understand how your dog's mind works and, therefore, how you can create an effective and mutually satisfying relationship.
Drawing on her extensive experiences as an animal behaviorist, Frost teaches you that training your dog should not be a tedious chore limited to exerting physical and psychological control over an animal's drives, but instead an enriching and spiritually fulfilling experience--gratifying for both human and animal. Frost discusses such essential concepts as mutual respect, unconditional love, mental and emotional discipline, and your expectations and priorities. She shows you how the insights gained from working with your dog can have positive, far-ranging effects on many areas of your life. Beyond Obedience offers valuable insight into the emotional bonds that enrich the lives of animals and their companions.
- GenresDogsNonfiction
368 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1998
19 people are currently reading
48 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
June 5, 2015
This is the woo-woo guide to training dogs. She recommends things like flower essences, homeopathic remedies, and massage for solving problems like barking too much--to be fair, she also discusses "repatterning exercises," which is apparently woo-woo for actual dog training. I didn't get too far in this book--if you know me very well, you know I can respect people who go for woo-woo, but it ain't my thing. I don't think I'll be trying to train the Mighty Ajax to stop biting me when I sit on the couch by visualizing him being calm.
May 3, 2009
An inspiring, compassionate treatise on how to connect with animals from the heart. A refreshing alternative to formulaic training guides that prescribe a relationship of rigid dominance to get better behavior in your companions...this book offers a way to get well-behaved companions by being a better companion to them. The spiritual perspective offered in this book can have ramifications far beyond one's relationships with one's animal companions.
February 22, 2010
I am embarrassed to give this book 4 stars... just this side of hokey and mystical, I really wanted to dislike this dog-training book. However, it's a clearly-written and very useful tool when thinking about ways to get through to your dog. Some alternate therapy suggestions that never worked for me and made me think that it whole book would not be as good. But I'm glad I got over it and read the whole thing.
January 17, 2009
Interesting stories of dog rescues and dog training by a woman who can communicate with animals. Supposed to teach dog owners how to train their dogs, too. Emphasizes consistency and correct timing with distraction and rewards, which is how dogs learn to do what you want them to do.
November 2, 2008
The new age stuff was really, really annoying, and the training information was always accompanied about crap about flower oil and healing symbols and positive visualizations.
October 22, 2010
"Awareness training, an inspiring way to establish a bond of mutual respect and communication with your dog." from the Introduction
This is the first book I recommend to people who ask me for advice on training a dog.
Its combination of practical exercises and discussions of how and why our relationships with our dogs matters - illustrated with lots of case studies - combines in one volume just about everything the new or experienced dog trainer needs to know.
This is the first book I recommend to people who ask me for advice on training a dog.
Its combination of practical exercises and discussions of how and why our relationships with our dogs matters - illustrated with lots of case studies - combines in one volume just about everything the new or experienced dog trainer needs to know.
August 25, 2007
Even though she comes across like a 'madame cleo' now and then, all in all her ideas brought me closer to my own dogs and got me to observing them with a sharper eye more then ever before. I learned their ability to comprehend commands is far greater then I previously knew. My dogs now understand and respond to 25 to 30 new words and phrases. I plan to reread this book in the future.
January 20, 2022
I confess to starting this book with some reservations. I've had many personal experiences of deep connections with animals including goats, cats, birds and dogs. I believe animals have spirits, and any relationship between a human being and a member of another species will by its very nature contain spiritual aspects. But start talking to me too much about auras and the law of attraction and flower essences, and I'm gone.
April Frost does talk about all those things quite a bit. But she also talks about how people can relate to their dogs in a more holistic way. For her, the relationship isn't a hierarchy of owner to pet. It's a meeting somewhere in between of two individuals who both decide they want to have a relationship.
Perhaps Frost's best advice to dog owners is to be accepting of their dogs as they are rather than idealizing them or trying to make them into something they can't become.
She emphasizes the importance of patience, consistency, confidence and respect, with stories of dogs she rescued or helped train to illustrate. The book also contains useful worksheets and exercises to help owners develop these skills. One of my favorites was called "Fill Out Your Dog's Profile." Asking everyone in a family to separately answer the questions and then discussing the answers together will result in a more nuanced picture of the family dog and a clearer picture of how all the humans in the house relate to that dog.
The author reminds us:
"Dogs are born knowing how to bark, bite, dig, chew, chase, jump up on one another, eliminate when they need to, and snarl when they feel threatened. It is a challenge to get a dog to suppress or modify his instincts in order to make human existence more pleasant. If the dog reverts, you need to remember that these acts are not malicious; the dog is simply doing the best he can with the information he has been given about living with and behaving in a socially acceptable way toward a totally different species.
"Dogs can learn whatever you can find a way to teach them, so long as it is within their physical capability to perform."
This truth is on display in the countless dogs that have been trained to guide the blind, detect specific items, perform tasks their owners cannot physically do themselves, alert people to dangerous medical situations, or guard, herd, hunt, retrieve, and comfort to meet the needs of their human companions.
The author advises people to remember the "three T's": teach the desired behavior; train until the dog is giving that behavior consistently; and test the dog in various settings and situations to ensure that the behavior will be given no matter what.
Training tasks are grouped in common-sense ways: first, a dog learns "let's go" (walking on a lead without pulling), "come" (a word Frost urges us only to use when we want a dog to immediately join us wherever we are, regardless of what they were doing before), and "wait." Once these three are mastered, we move on to "sit," "down," and "stay".
We are reminded to keep our directions clear and simple for our literal-minded canine companions, so that rather than just shouting "No" or "Bad dog," we use phrases like "Leave it!" or "Off!" or "Stop that!" Even better, Frost suggests getting to know your dog well enough that you can anticipate when they're going to do something you don't want and give them a completely incompatible task instead. For example, if you see your dog getting ready to jump on someone, telling her "Sit" gives her a choice. You want her to think, "I'd rather sit and get rewarded than jump and get corrected." And of course, you can't jump if you're simultaneously trying to put your butt on the ground!
The author describes the difference between "trainable-smart" dogs, who do everything by the book but can't think beyond how they've been taught, versus "initiative-smart" dogs, who analyze situations and use what they’ve learned in training to creatively solve problems. I found this extremely helpful in describing my current guide dog. At first, Stardust seemed like a very quiet, obedient, and somewhat cautious dog whose main goal was to please me by doing everything right. As she's gotten older and gained confidence, we've discovered that she's "initiative-smart." Faced with situations while traveling together, she has led me off course in order to go around obstacles or avoid potentially dangerous situations. She always returns to the desired course as soon as she can. It has been an exhilarating and humbling experience to watch her blossoming into herself.
Frost writes movingly about the powerful human-dog bond:
"When the energy of two separate beings can harmonize in a free exchange of love, trust, and communication, especially when each is of a different species and has a unique spiritual presence and perspective, there are no words to express the greatness of the gift."
Or elsewhere:
"We can achieve a level of connection with a dog that we cannot find in any other relationship—not with parents, children, a partner, or friends. It is totally unique to the energy of dogs."
As a longtime guide dog handler who has worked with six different partners, I can deeply appreciate these statements. By reading this book, I gained valuable insights and techniques that will benefit my current guide and any others who follow in her footsteps.
April Frost does talk about all those things quite a bit. But she also talks about how people can relate to their dogs in a more holistic way. For her, the relationship isn't a hierarchy of owner to pet. It's a meeting somewhere in between of two individuals who both decide they want to have a relationship.
Perhaps Frost's best advice to dog owners is to be accepting of their dogs as they are rather than idealizing them or trying to make them into something they can't become.
She emphasizes the importance of patience, consistency, confidence and respect, with stories of dogs she rescued or helped train to illustrate. The book also contains useful worksheets and exercises to help owners develop these skills. One of my favorites was called "Fill Out Your Dog's Profile." Asking everyone in a family to separately answer the questions and then discussing the answers together will result in a more nuanced picture of the family dog and a clearer picture of how all the humans in the house relate to that dog.
The author reminds us:
"Dogs are born knowing how to bark, bite, dig, chew, chase, jump up on one another, eliminate when they need to, and snarl when they feel threatened. It is a challenge to get a dog to suppress or modify his instincts in order to make human existence more pleasant. If the dog reverts, you need to remember that these acts are not malicious; the dog is simply doing the best he can with the information he has been given about living with and behaving in a socially acceptable way toward a totally different species.
"Dogs can learn whatever you can find a way to teach them, so long as it is within their physical capability to perform."
This truth is on display in the countless dogs that have been trained to guide the blind, detect specific items, perform tasks their owners cannot physically do themselves, alert people to dangerous medical situations, or guard, herd, hunt, retrieve, and comfort to meet the needs of their human companions.
The author advises people to remember the "three T's": teach the desired behavior; train until the dog is giving that behavior consistently; and test the dog in various settings and situations to ensure that the behavior will be given no matter what.
Training tasks are grouped in common-sense ways: first, a dog learns "let's go" (walking on a lead without pulling), "come" (a word Frost urges us only to use when we want a dog to immediately join us wherever we are, regardless of what they were doing before), and "wait." Once these three are mastered, we move on to "sit," "down," and "stay".
We are reminded to keep our directions clear and simple for our literal-minded canine companions, so that rather than just shouting "No" or "Bad dog," we use phrases like "Leave it!" or "Off!" or "Stop that!" Even better, Frost suggests getting to know your dog well enough that you can anticipate when they're going to do something you don't want and give them a completely incompatible task instead. For example, if you see your dog getting ready to jump on someone, telling her "Sit" gives her a choice. You want her to think, "I'd rather sit and get rewarded than jump and get corrected." And of course, you can't jump if you're simultaneously trying to put your butt on the ground!
The author describes the difference between "trainable-smart" dogs, who do everything by the book but can't think beyond how they've been taught, versus "initiative-smart" dogs, who analyze situations and use what they’ve learned in training to creatively solve problems. I found this extremely helpful in describing my current guide dog. At first, Stardust seemed like a very quiet, obedient, and somewhat cautious dog whose main goal was to please me by doing everything right. As she's gotten older and gained confidence, we've discovered that she's "initiative-smart." Faced with situations while traveling together, she has led me off course in order to go around obstacles or avoid potentially dangerous situations. She always returns to the desired course as soon as she can. It has been an exhilarating and humbling experience to watch her blossoming into herself.
Frost writes movingly about the powerful human-dog bond:
"When the energy of two separate beings can harmonize in a free exchange of love, trust, and communication, especially when each is of a different species and has a unique spiritual presence and perspective, there are no words to express the greatness of the gift."
Or elsewhere:
"We can achieve a level of connection with a dog that we cannot find in any other relationship—not with parents, children, a partner, or friends. It is totally unique to the energy of dogs."
As a longtime guide dog handler who has worked with six different partners, I can deeply appreciate these statements. By reading this book, I gained valuable insights and techniques that will benefit my current guide and any others who follow in her footsteps.
July 12, 2008
A great philosphical read about creating more sustainable and truly affective relationships with your dogs. Not a particularily good training manual - more about learning about your dog and your relationship and how to alter that in order to create a more rewarding experience for both.
September 13, 2021
Some good exercises and games. A bit out of date in terms of dominance and older training methods rather than the force free training techniques that are now in use. Author has a spiritual aspect to how she works with dogs. Some nice excerpts about the dogs she has dealt with.
October 8, 2008
Her chapters on treating dogs with flower essences and colored lights were New Age bullshit, but her points about trying to understand dogs by empathizing them were persuasive, and a good antidote to the dog books that teach you to train through rigid authority.
February 1, 2012
This was a great book.I learned a lot about training, life, dogs and healing. I would say its definitely worth the read. Thank you for writing this Ms. Frost
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews