How To Train Your Dog

by Jen & Ryan Tate

The complete guide to raising a confident and happy dog, from puppy to adult

Genres: Nonfiction, Animals

288 pages, Paperback

Published March 16, 2021

Reviews

[Anna Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really sensible and practical guide to dog training.

[Cameron · Rating 4 out of 5]

A detailed and usable guide for selecting, caring, training and developing a canine companion. I really like the "why" explanations that this book provides, rather than just saying "do it this way" etc. I think this will be a valuable resource for our family to keep coming back to having recently welcomed a new puppy.

[Catherine Lutvey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would’ve given this book 5 stars but it lost a stars for me because there is no index. There are great tips and advice but it’s very frustrating when you have to flick through the entire book again to reread information. Makes it a lot less user friendly! I think the purpose of this sort of book is to use it as a guide and revisit and reread information when needed, but a book needs an index to do that!!!!

[Tahlea · Rating 5 out of 5]

My edition of How To Train Your Dog has so many scribbles, diagrams, highlighted sentences and ideas written in it by me, as encouraged by Jen and Ryan! After devouring this guide I have so many new thoughts about what it takes to raise a dog, and it has given me a boost of confidence in how to train and promote a dogs physical and psychological well-being.

I love that this book takes on a light hearted tone with its witty writing and goofy jokes, and always encourages having fun with your dog above all else. It is not hard to see the expertise and passion of Jen and Ryan through their words and reasoning on raising a confident and happy dog, and it has inspired me to be the best dog parent I can be! I don’t know what I would do without their included checklists, puppy socialisation plans, training guides and goals!

I undoubtedly have gained a wealth of new knowledge about the genetics of dogs and what is required to satisfy and fulfil a dogs life! Thank you Jen and Ryan!

[ThDogs · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a hard one to review. I started out really enjoying it, some nice fresh modern takes on choosing a dog/puppy. I really enjoyed the chapters on the breed groups, preparing/puppy proofing, the first 48 hours, socialising, confidence building and raising an independent dog. I like how they covered both the expectations for a puppy and a new adult dog in a crisp modern approach that considered all the factors of a dogs physical and mental wellbeing.

It provided a good thorough understanding on individual dog needs, breed needs, genetics, personality. I could overlook the mandatory requirement of crates (there are alternatives, which the book did discuss but did not articulate as alternatives) and one confusing section where "high drive" was described as a personality trait and not...drive.

I had a huge plummet in interest on Chapter 10: Walking on a lead. Whereas all the other chapters had been flexible and explained things in a way for the owners to decide their own approach, chapter 10 was very strict and gave me flashbacks to attending a compulsion group obedience where you march back and forth with your dog in a heeling position. The chapter was not that, it used rewards and phrases like gentle, but it was the same nonetheless in that it mistakes a heeling position as the equivalent of loose lead walking.

I got the impression this chapter was confused, as it kept giving instructions for a casual sort of formal-obedience with requirements to sit in front to be lured into heel positions, and an unnecessary amount of focus on footwork for about turns, auto sits, figure 8s ....for a chapter that is meant to simply be about loose lead walking.

Loose lead walking does not mean your dog must be in a heel on your left hand side. It does not mean your dog cannot be in front of you, or behind you, or off to the side. It simply means your dog isn't channeling their inner weightpull, head down shoulders forward and hauling ass. But I think this chapter forgot the delightful flexibility of loose lead walking and turned it into some kind of hybrid of obedience-heeling with loose lead walking, but not really either.

It was just very strict, rigid and full of unnecessary rules that will cause conflict between dog and owner when they try to follow them. Simone Mueller's Loose Lead Walking book is much more comprehensive and without all the ridiculous rules about how to walk.

I did enjoy the subchapter on lead pressure. I prefer an errorless approach personally, and for it to be taught to ALL my dogs first before loose lead walking, not just the "sensitive" dogs. But it was a good subchapter.

It lifted again in Chapter 11 with the exercise play and outlets chapter. I thoroughly enjoyed this chapter as a refreshing modern take on addressing and responding to our dogs emotional physical and mental needs before fussing over obedience. I would have had this chapter before the lead walking chapter and even before the training your dog chapter, as the content within is much more valuable and precedes those obedience chapters. I'd quite happily read a book entirely on exercise, play and outlets.

Unfortunately the book became quite unhelpful again in chapter 12. I recognise it was providing a range of common problems and describing then and it did this well in some parts, the thunderstorm phobia for example, but for others it droned on and on and on (e.g. the aggression subchapter) when it was entirely unnecessary considering the main point was identification of types of aggression, then find a professional to help you through it.

So the book had a really good strong start for the first half and then kind of slowly died off, except for a blip of life with the exercise play outlets chapter.

I would recommend this as a pretty good book for a first time owner, someone looking to get a dog, or someone whos a bit clueless about the dog they have and has an understimulated dog. But I wouldn't recommend it for training topics, only for puppy section and exercise/enrichment/play/outlets. Although even for those latter I can think of better books that are entirely on those topics.

It is nice to read an australian book though. And I am still tempted to buy it just for the puppy section. Maybe if I snap up a secondhand somewhere so I'm not paying full price when I only want half the book.

[Chooi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some really good and sound tips in here, but could have done with being a little less long-winded.

In addition, the crux of almost every chapter was to conclude that if you have any issues, see a qualified trainer or take your dog to a training school. Which after a while became a bit too transparent.

[Carmel · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent resource- I’m about to get a puppy so borrowed a digital copy from the library. This book is so good and one I’ll need to come back to so I will order myself a physical copy tomorrow. I wish it had an index.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book with lots of background information.
I did want me chapters on training and tricks. I was also hoping for some tips on dogs behaving badly

[lily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was useful until the dog in question ate it

[Kate Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great starter guide to dog training with a new puppy! So effective and easy to learn