Training the Hard-to-Train Dog
Pet behaviorist and winner of the 2002 Dog Writers Association award for best training article, Swager has written a manual that debunks the idea that independent-thinking, dominant dogs must be trained using aversive methods. She begins by explaining characteristics that make certain breeds more difficult to train. She then discusses how a dog's pack position influences its desire to comply, and she demonstrates how a person can become the leader of the pack. She covers basic obedience commands and addresses problem behavior, e.g., housebreaking accidents, excessive barking, biting, and guarding. Unlike TV dog-training personality Cesar Millan, who believes in the alpha roll (holding a dog down on its side or back), or Kathy Santo (Kathy Santo's Dog Sense), who recommends the "jerk and pull" correction method, Swager espouses positive reinforcement. Other recent books such as Tamar Geller'sThe Loved Dogand Dale Stavroff'sLet the Dog Decidealso explain motivational methods; however, the beautiful and sometimes humorous color illustrations, the easy-to-read style, and the emphasis that all dogs, regardless of temperament, can benefit from reward-based training make this book an outstanding addition to public library collections.--Florence Scarinci, Nassau Community Coll. Lib., Garden City, NY--Library Journal, December 15, 2008