How to Behave So Your Dog Behaves [Paperback]

How To Behave So Your Dog Behaves--A practical and intelligent guide for dog owners

by E. Kathryn Meyer, VMD
President, American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior

The first thing that engaged me in Sophia Yin's How To Behave So Your Dog Behaves was its title. As a veterinarian who treats behavioral problems in dogs and cats exclusively, I strive to teach my clients that we can't use a magic wand to eradicate unwanted behavior in dogs. We have to first understand the behavior and then devise methods of changing the behavior in a positive way--usually by giving the dog a good reason to engage in an acceptable alternative behavior. If we read our dogs correctly, we can teach them what is desired and then use motivators specific to our individual dog and situation to reinforce the right stuff. Dr. Yin's book is aptly titled and provides a wealth of science-based information translated into witty and easily understood language, accompanied by helpful and charming illustrations.

To build a foundation of basic dog knowledge, Dr. Yin first educates the reader about the origin of dogs, their social behavior, and body language. Then, she introduces and explains the science of learning, its potential and its limitations. But the real gold mine for dog owners lies in the Five-Minute Guides covered in the last two sections of the book on Basic Good Dog Behavior and Solving Common Canine Problems. The first section gives the reader explicit instructions on how to teach very specific behaviors that are incredibly important to having a well-behaved, well-adjusted dog. The recommendations for "Say Please by Sitting" and "Walk Nicely on Leash" are the most effective tools I've encountered for creating a well-mannered dog--substituting specific and acceptable behaviors for unruly behaviors that are often unknowingly reinforced by owners. (Do you look at, speak to, and/or touch your dog when he jumps up on you? Bingo--you're rewarding that behavior!) Methods to train other very important basic behaviors, such as learning to focus on the owner with "Watch Me," coming when called, staying, and going to "your place" are also thoroughly described.

In addition to covering the prevention of problems, Dr. Yin also devotes a section to solving some common behavioral issues encountered by dog owners. The problems are briefly described and recommendations are outlined for such topics as Housetraining, Chew Training, Food Possessiveness, Aggression Toward Non-Family Members, and Barking.

For the intellectually curious, this book provides the reader with a goldmine of information about the natural behavior of dogs, learning theory, and applied animal behavior. Of particular note is the inclusion of two landmark scientific papers on animal learning by Keller and Marian Breland (1951, 1961), in their entirety, in an Appendix. Dr. Yin prefaces these articles by giving a brief historical perspective of "How the Science of Learning Made it to Animal Trainers" and then whets the reader's appetite by providing an interview with Marian and her second husband, Bob Bailey. I would encourage anyone with even a flicker of curiosity about animals and how they interface with their environment to read this section--paying particular attention to how the 10 years of experience training thousands of animals changed the outlook of the authors in terms of the role of instinct and limitations to learning.

If you are more utilitarian in your approach to reading this book, it will still be of great use to you. The reader can simply consult the "Five-Minute Guide" section on common behavioral problems to learn about a specific issue. A glossary is also provided, which will help the reader understand terms that may be unfamiliar. However, I would strongly urge the reader to review the entire Guide to Basic Good Dog Behavior section prior to addressing specific problems for best results.

"How to Behave So Your Dog Behaves" is a fabulous resource for every dog owner. All of the tools you need to allow your dog to be the best dog (and best behaved dog) he can be are at your fingertips. These approaches are truly a "win/win" for dog and owner alike.

This book is great. If you've ever read a training book that bored you to death, you need this book. Dr. Yin's writing is easy to read. I never got lost in technical talk; whenever she talks about science she makes sure to define the terms or give the background so that anyone can understand it. If she wrote fiction books, she'd have best sellers, she's so funny. I never felt like reading this book was a chore. The illustrations will make you laugh, and you'll never forget what they're trying to teach you. The content of this book is right-on. You learn the basics of animal behavior, how to train, why it isn't working for you and how to fix it. I've read other books on dog behavior, and this one answered the questions those left me with. She lists resources when you need them so you don't have to flip back and forth searching for them (though flipping the pages is fun and worth another laugh). And if the book isn't enough, you can download exercises and videos from her website. Get this book, and a second one too, to loan to all your friends.

I could not disagree with the previous review more. Dr. Yin has written a clear, accessible and useful "manual" for dog owners that is grounded in proven science and backed by experience. It is wonderfully well-organized, informative and entertaining without being cloyingly cute. How to Behave has become my preferred gift to new puppy-owner friends, and I think it is among the best introductions into dog training and behavior that I have read. If you have a new puppy or dog, and are uncertain what to do next, this book will give you just about all the information you will ever need to have a happy, well-adapted pet/companion who is a joy to have around. I think the sections on how dogs learn are worth the price of the book alone, and her suggestions for dealing with problem behaviors could save your sanity. (Not to mention Dr. Yin has a wonderful website with training "movies" that clearly demonstrate much of what she has written in How to Behave - a great resource for those of us who need to "see" how things are done to understand.) I highly recommend How to Behave So Your Dog Behaves. It won't gather dust on your shelf.

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