The Canine Good Citizen: Every Dog Can Be One

Howell reference books

by Jack Volhard, Wendy Volhard

The Volhards'...approach to training, which they call the Motivational Method...is designed to do just that--motivate the owner and the dog. The Motivational Method is grounded on a thorough knowledge of how people learn and dog behavior. SInce 1983 they have authored or co-authored four major books on dog training and teaching dog Obedience classes, and have produced four video tapes.

Genres: Dogs, Nonfiction, Reference

176 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1994

Reviews

[Alisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is some useful information in here, but it uses force in many of the activities, and this is considered outdated and less effective for training. I do appreciate the quiz that lets me know that my puppy is more prey driven, and intend to use the list of skills required for theoretically passing the test. However, I won't be employing many of the recommended methods.

[Louise Radet · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book contains treasury information on dog training. It proposes you to draw in 40 questions the psychological tendency of your dog, in order to tailor your training method accordingly.
You will learn a lot of amazing techniques, of do's and don'ts that will maybe surprise you and can really change your dog's behaviour, and eventually your relationship with her in only 8 weeks (if you train 30 minutes a day).
Disappointedly, their approach is oudated in some fields, where they advise you to use violent jerks with the leash. This is now recognised as a method which will lower your dog's confidence in you. Be careful when reading such advice.

[Laney McBean · Rating 3 out of 5]

there’s good and bad techniques in this book. I can see how it could be helpful for first time dog owners but has very outdated ideas of leading a pack. I don’t agree with the uses of force throughout

[Camille · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderfully logical method for training your dog. I recommend this book to anyone that is serious about having a well behaved dog. The illustrations and pictures are very helpful.

[Camille Hope · Rating 5 out of 5]

practical and useful! concise.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick read with good information. I've gone through in-person basic training classes a couple of times, and their training method is similar to the one in this book. What I found especially useful about this book was the "Understanding Your Dog" chapter (p. 47-62). It helps you understand (with a personality quiz!) what drives your dog -- prey, pack, or defense (with defense further broken down into fight/flight). I've recently taken in two drastically different foster dogs, and the personality profile gave me kind of an ah-ha moment in understanding some of what was going on. In the same vein is the info on positive and negative stress (p. 64) -- how your dog manifests its stress in either increased or decreased activity -- and how to react to either manifestation (p. 72-73).

I like that the book has a training schedule. It sprinkles the relevant training exercises throughout the book, but it also has a summary of exercises all in one place as a reference at the end.

Good tips:
- p. 76, 85 - Use a sit/stay preemptively for dogs that jump on people to greet them, door-dashers (or every time you open any house or car door, as a way of reinforcing your pack leader status), and before going up or down stairs.
- p. 105 - Use a set of commands like "let's go" and "easy" to do an informal dog walk. This is good for times when you don't want to do a "heel," but you want to make sure the dog isn't pulling.
- p. 109 - "Many dogs do not come when called because they do not get enough physical exercise. When they do get the chance, they run off and make the most of it by staying out for hours at a time. Every morning your dog wakes up with X amount of energy or need to exercise. If that energy is not used up, it will transform itself into the behaviors... [such as] running away or not coming when called." (This is my dog in a nutshell.)

While it's an older book, I feel it's a good resource for new dog owners who haven't yet gone through training (I think "Pack Leader's Bill of Rights" & "How to Become a Pack Leader" are especially useful for knowing common pitfalls). It gives good info for pursuing the Canine Good Citizen certification, too, though you'd want to look up more up-to-date requirements. I like that it gives tips for differently-driven dogs. I'll probably buy a copy of this to use as a reference as I'm learning how to deal with different types of dogs.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this book before it outlines some training ideas for passing the Canine Good Citizen (CGC) test, something my dog, Dahlia, and I are going to be doing this April. I thought it would be a good idea to read as much as possible on the test. This book was written back in 1994. The CGC test, which is intended to test dogs in 10 basic things to prove that they're a good citizen, was only about 5 years old at the time. One thing I found out was that the test has changed slightly, but not a huge amount since it began. The one thing that HAS changed since this book came out was the focus of dog training from dominance theory (disproved) to more positive methods.

The Volhards sit somewhat in between dominance theory and positive training. They do talk a bit about being the pack leader and how dogs supposedly strive to always one-up their owners (simply not true), but they also talk about positive reward-based training.

The book is VERY basic and I'm ultimately glad I didn't buy it. It's not a bad book if you know NOTHING about dog training, but if you know a bit and have spent a lot of time reading up on training methodology and getting your dog into training classes, the book is a bit too simplisitc and explains some of the things you already know as well as including some things many don't agree with (like physically forcing your dog into sit/stay).

The Canine Personality Profile was interesting, but I'm not sure how useful it is. It did seem to somewhat match my dog -- she's "pack driven" (in other words, she loves her people), does not have a strong fight/flight response, but while the test said she had a decent prey drive I've yet to see a hugely strong one (ok, she does try to chase buses and geese, but that's her herding instinct, which may be part of the prey drive).

Overall, I'd say that if you're a beginner in the dog training world and looking to teach your dog some things for the CGC, this is a decent book.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this. It's a fast read, with lots of illustrations, and I read it all in about an hour (after having it on my bedside table for over a year). I've also read Mary Burch's official AKC guide to training your dog for the CGC. Each book is great in it's own way. The Volhard's book gave me some interesting information I hadn't previously considered. I very much enjoyed the chapter on stress and your dog, and the concept of using/working through your dog's different drives in order to teach and problem solve in certain situations. I think that will come in handy. The instruction and training concepts and skills taught in this book are a bit different from those one would normally encounter, and different from the official CGC guide, but either book will get your dog ready for passing the CGC, and this one was more entertaining.

[Kerrie Hoar · Rating 1 out of 5]

As a newly certified CGC evaluator, I picked this book up, hoping to get some good information and tips on the evaluation process.  I wish that I had checked the date of publication first.  Originally published in 1996, this book is based in the aversive and punishment-based training methods of that era.  As I read through the book, the few good training tips that I came across were overshadowed by a plethora of aversive training techniques.  I was continually appalled by things like the Do's and Don'ts of How to Become a Pack Leader and the Leadership Exercises section - seriously??!!!  While this book may have been useful in 1996, it has no place in today's world and is long overdue for a complete re-write.

[Paul Klammer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seems to be an excellent guideline that is exclusively focused on training a dog to pass the canine good citizen test. Having owned and done basic obedience training for two dogs previously, I found little here that was new other than the personality profile tool which did offer some great insights to explain behaviors I have observed with my dogs and others. The outlines at the end of each section for week by week training steps make up a syllabus and practice plan which I am looking forward to putting to use with my new puppy alongside professional training classes.

[Kimberly J Hale · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the easiest book I've ever read related to training a dog. It is quite focused on a specific test of the AKC;however, the skills taught are all skills that are useful in living with your dog.

I have used this book to train several dogs. I can't recommend it enough.

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perhaps if I'd employed this book's techniques more assiduously, my canines would be better citizens. ;)

[Diane · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book outlines the necessary exercises a dog must be able to perform to pass the Canine Good Citizen test.

I found some of the training advice outdated.

[Thalia · Rating 4 out of 5]

My dog got his CGC after I read this and entered him in a nearby show.

[Abby · Rating 2 out of 5]

Full review here: http://thedoggerel.wordpress.com/2011...

[Rey Stephens · Rating 4 out of 5]

The authors have many years of experience working with dogs. For myself, I have a hard time complying with all of their dog rules of obedience, but it is a treasure trove of good material.