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4.0 out of 5 stars
Well done attempt to explain training process, April 27 2003
Here in the Los Angeles area of California, about 20 twenty trainers get together once a month to discuss training, help one another solve problems and to discuss a book read during the previous month.One trainer, who specializes in classes and behavior problem solving in large and other independent breeds, such as Mastiffs, said it is the best of the big dog books; easy to read, and has found that her clients do read it and that it speaks to the owners of these dogs. The particular challenge of dog training books is to describe a physical skill, like dancing, with the added difficulty of a non-human partner. In addition, authors often try to get some basic learning theory across to explain why or how a particular exercise is done and to give some idea of the training from the dog's point of view. The book successfully meets this challenge for the most part. The writing is clear, and the layout is easy to follow; with "Novice Notes" through out which give personal diary-like observations of the training process. The pictures are good, some of the best I have seen, when showing owners where to place their hands to get the dog into position and, importantly, the effect on the dog when the hands are misplaced. Footwork is succinctly shown with pictures that show the right and wrong positions and how they influence the dog to position itself. The authors give a variety of approaches, not really coming down in one camp, and they include material not found in other books. Written in 1998, when many trainers were discovering learning theory, working out how to implement the theory in classes and how to present it to dog owners, the authors advocate the idea of "jack-pot" rewards for a really well done performance, and urge owners, when training, to adopt an intermittent reinforcement schedule. Now the consensus, at least within this group, is to not use intermittent schedules and that a "jack-pot" reward may make the owner feel good, but it doesn't have much influence on the animal's learning. This book met with approval by the group in general. Many members of the group said they would recommend it to their clients.
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