Another time recently, I was talking with a couple who said they watch the program regularly. They know I have a dog training website, but they didn’t ask my opinion so I kept quiet.

But I don’t want to keep quiet any longer. I am really in a different place than Milan and it’s worth saying why.

I think it’s beneficial that Milan has increased interest in dog training, but a lot of his techniques are not what this website is about. They are not positive or pain-free dog training methods, and that is what I think this world needs. Milan makes dogs afraid of him if that is what it takes to have them obey his will. I would never hang a dog by his neck. While I used choke chains in the past, I have not in some years now.

The belief that you have to be dominant over your dogs in the pack you form is part of the problem. I have read in various places that this is based on bad science. I think that is likely true, but what I do know is that clicker training is based on how animals — not just dogs — learn most effectively. So I will stick with positive, pain-free dog training.

I was very pleased to see that there is a new two-DVD set at Dogwise, with Dr. Ian Dunbar and Jean Donaldson, two of the dog trainers/writers/public speakers I respect most. It’s a bit pricey but I’ve put it on my wish list, to learn more about dominance theories and how true they are. This is pertinent not only to Milan but to the work of many other dog trainers.

The DVD set is titled Fighting Dominance in a Dog Whispering World, and it is about four hours, from a seminar given in the summer of 2007.

Here is part of the blurb at Dogwise:

Watch Jean Donaldson and Ian Dunbar take on the controversial and often misunderstood concept of dominance behavior in dogs. Do dogs really try to be “the boss”? Learn what science knows, and doesn’t know, about canine behavior. A timely subject given the popularity of television shows featuring dogs behaving badly and trainers rehabilitating them–all within an hour!

Often, viewers are told that the problem is that their dog is trying to be “dominant” and that the owner simply needs to assert him/herself as the “leader of the pack”. While this may make for compelling TV, dominance in dogs has not been subject to much scientific research… In this new DVD, leading canine authorities Jean Donaldson and Ian Dunbar take on this sometimes-controversial subject.

Click on the image or the title to go to the Dogwise page and read more. There is a very interesting short online video clip you can watch, where Jean Donaldson is talking about what really constitutes a wolf “pack.” I’d way rather watch Fighting Dominance in a Dog Whispering World than get all upset by watching Milan’s methods.

Cesar Milan: Not Positive Dog Training is a post from: Training Dogs Blog

Well, I know I like to eat in different places, but it hadn’t crossed my mind regarding my dogs. And of course, it isn’t exactly the same as it is for us. I like to look out at the view from our sunroom, and I have yet to see a dog doing that!

My dogs are already trained to sit while I put their food bowls down and to stay until I say “Okay!” I wondered if that would transfer over completely to this approach of spreading their kibble out along the floor.

It worked fine. I do already feed my dogs in separate rooms, so there was no competitive aspect.

When I spread the kibble out on the sunroom floor near her, Lola thought about going for it immediately, but a glance at me showed her that was not okay, so she waited. With some interest, of course, specially while I turned on my camera and took a few shots.

But both our dogs seem to enjoy eating this way. I often feed both a good quality kibble and some homemade food, and I don’t anticipate spreading raw hamburger around!

Nor did the DVD recommend it. The program is really concerned with more essential training elements and does a topnotch job of teaching them — here is my review of the Train Your Dog DVD. The link at the top of the page takes you right to the DVD’s page at Dogwise, where you can watch a selection of the program. It is an upbeat and informative introduction to positive dog training, covering things like come, sit, stay, down, plus a section on such puppy training topics as housetraining, crate training, and so forth.

Dinner at Last

In the second picture, Lola is finally enjoying the fruits of her patience.

One thing that interested me was that the first time I fed her this way, Lola missed a few of the bits of kibble that rolled onto the part of the floor you can see is made of little inset stones rather than of tiles. Since a dog’s nose is said to be a much more important part of their sensory equipment than their eyes, this surprised me.

Dining from the Floor, for Fun is a post from: Training Dogs Blog

It covers a lot, and it is easy to use and learn from. You can watch a short lesson once or twice, try it yourself at home, and go back to pick up any pointers you missed before you actually tried the methods out with your puppy or dog. With the menu system, it’s easy to go back and find any particular topic.

The DVD demonstrates with both puppies and dogs of many breeds (and mixed breeds), and mostly they have not been trained to do the exercises before. Sometimes that’s hard to believe, as they often learn quickly. That’s what dog training really can be like, when you know what you are doing as dog trainers Nicole Wilde and Laura Bourhenne do obviously do!

What is in the program? It starts with the basics:

Sit, Down, Stay, Come, Heel.

Then it moves on to some other extremely useful things to teach a puppy or adult dog:

Leave It, Give, Wait, Gentle, Touch, Go To Bed.

Further sections cover

Housetraining, Potty Training, Door Behavior, Crate Training, Ring Bell, Nipping, Jumping Up, & more.

The bonus section includes:

Training, Play Toys, Training Treats, Leadership, Car Safety, Rewards & Consequences, A Day at the Park.

As I watched each section, I was evaluating it for how well it explained what you need to know. I was consistently impressed and I even picked up some tips that I hadn’t known… a bit to my surprise! Many dog owners — both adults and kids — have sung the praises of this excellent program.

As a former librarian in public libraries, I would recommend this to libraries as well as to people, for a top choice for mastering the essentials of dog training. You can suggest it to your library, and you would be doing them a favor, but if you want it soon, keep in mind that for most libraries, acquisition and cataloging processes are rather slow.

Who is This For?

Keep in mind that this is a program for beginning dog training, not a compendium of esoteric fine points. Train Your Dog is chiefly for beginners of any age. It would make an excellent gift to a person or a family who is getting a puppy or dog.

Tips for Learning Dog Training from a DVD

How can you best learn to train your dog from this DVD? Here is a suggested approach, which of course you can adapt to your needs.

1. Sit down and watch the whole program in one or two sittings. It’s about an hour and a half. Warning: if you do this at bedtime, you might be so enthused that you’d be up training your dog at midnight!
2. Then go to the first section that you want to do with your dog. It will just be a few minutes long. Watch it once or twice, until you have a good sense of what to do. Make a few notes if you want to.
3. Practice training your dog on that topic. It may go great, or you may discover some questions.
4. In either case, then watch that segment again. You may well pick up some tips. For example, the section on how to stop a dog from pulling on leash has all the essential points there, but they go by fast enough that you could miss them.
5. Keep training! The dog learns by repetition, and you learn how to teach by repetition too.

How does watching this DVD compare with taking a dog or puppy training class? Ideally, you would do both, because in a class your dog learns a lot about being around other dogs. If you find a really good trainer who uses positive, gentle methods as the DVD does, it’s well worth the trouble. But you can do it all with this DVD, if you don’t find a great class or it doesn’t fit your schedule. (I have learned most of what I know from my own experiences, with the help of books, DVDs, and the internet!)

About the Dog Trainers

Nicole Wilde is a Certified Pet Dog Trainer, a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, a popular workshop speaker, and the author of several books on dog training.

Laura Bourhenne runs a dog training company handling all aspects of dog behavior. Laura is a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, and she earned a degree in Exotic Animal Training, including clicker training.

In short…

The publisher’s blurb for Train Your Dog says, “This DVD makes dog training easy.” I was skeptical when I read that, but after watching the program, I have to say it’s true!

Click on the image below to see this award-winning program at Amazon (where many people have reviewed it enthusiastically) or take a look at the Train Your Dog page on Dogwise website, where you can watch a short segment of the program.

[tags]dog training, dog training dvd[/tags]

Train Your Dog: The Positive Gentle Method DVD with Nicole Wilde & Laura Bourhenne — A Review is a post from: Training Dogs Blog

[1] Use a bit of firm massage around your dog’s neck as a reward after clicking sometimes, combined with praise.

[2] To promote overall well-being, give your dog a good massage every week. This will help with his general level of relaxation, and we learn better when relaxed.

[3] When you are watching TV with your dog, go down on the floor with him (or invite him up onto the sofa with you, if that’s your preference) and casually rub him, in the direction his fur grows for the most part.

[4] Teach your dog to accept toenail clipping more gracefully by massaging his paws.

Naturally, do be alert to your dog’s signals to you that he isn’t comfortable with something you are doing. In that case, back off to something he does like for the time being.

I recently watched a lovely DVD called Bodywork for Dogs, which I reviewed here:
http://training-dogs.com/dogtrainingdvds/bodyworkfordogsdvd.html

I liked it enough to think it’s worth watching multiple times, one of my criteria for a DVD I’ll buy.

[tags]dog massage, dogmassage[/tags]

Using Dog Massage with Dog Training is a post from: Training Dogs Blog

Dogwise carries dog books and DVDs that you can find nowhere else, including Amazon. With such a wide selection (over 2000 items), it’s easy to find what you need. Owned by a family who are passionate about dogs and dog information, Dogwise is also fun to browse, just to keep up with what’s being published about dogs.

With my particular interest in clicker training, here’s a link to clicker training books and DVDs at Dogwise.

Not content to just be a distribution center, back in 2001 Dogwise began its publishing arm and has now created numerous very useful books and DVDs. From any page on the site, click on the tab that says Publishing to read about their publishing program, and scroll down a little to see what they have published. I counted over 35 titles just on dog training and behavior.

If you go to a dog show, you may see their booth there. My credit card would be in serious trouble if I did that, but maybe you have more restraint. There’s a tab on the website called Shows & Info which lists the shows they will be attending, all over the US.

While I’m describing the tabs, the Welcome one takes you to their homepage, with featured new items. The Features one I would have called Categories, because it is a detailed list of the many topics that they cover. Bargain Books and Help/Contact, both self explanatory, round out the upper menu. As a webmaster, I like this clear, clean navigation.

On the left side, you can search for anything, and browse a number of interesting things, including their forums, reading lists created by customers, and more.

Click on the image to go explore Dogwise:

[tags]dog books, dog training books, dog dvd, dogwise[/tags]

Dogwise: What It Is and Why I Like It So Much is a post from: Training Dogs Blog