The Puppy Primer

This book changed my life-with-pup immediately and my understanding of dog training forever. It is the best-written concise manual to basic training I've ever encountered. I recommend it to anyone, even an experienced owner, who has a dog and wants to understand him better. It is divided into a set of progressive exercises and reviews, one major lesson per week. The authors briefly explain in the simplest, clearest manner possible both how to bring about a behavior---e.g., the sit or down or get-away-from-that-bottle-of-pills-that-just-spilled-onto-the-floor-and-will-kill-you-if-you-ingest-them---and why that particular method works. They explain precisely---step-by-step-- how to conduct the little exercise that will create the new behavior. The week is spent in short, repeated drills and practice of former lessons. I felt confident, once again at ease with myself and pup, by the end of page one. The basic message of the book? IT'S NOT MAGIC: dogs act from genetic, canine-specific behavioral patterns, just as human beings act from human-specific patterns. Learn those behavioral canine patterns and adapt your training to them. Then training will be easy, even fun for both owner and pup. It will be simple. I was ready for simple. I've owned rat terriers all my life. I like their zip and feistiness and sharp features. I love their spirit and admire their sharp minds. I have taken all my dogs through their basic training without instruction or classes, and I've had few problems, none that did not resolve themselves pretty quickly. And I'd just had fourteen wonderful years with the gentlest ratty I've ever known. So when The New Guy arrived, he was a mild surprise. I'd forgotten the all-teeth, all-chewing, all-running stage. The bounce. Nor was the New Guy was not the gentlest rat terrier I'd known. But we got along. He house trained quickly, learned the sit and the come and followed through on both about half the time. Not bad for a three-month-old. But soon, he began the "jump-on-her-and-lick-her-face" and the "mouth and snap at her hands and legs." One look at those little bared teeth and I called around for help, while I awaited an obedience class. Every trainer spoke of Alpha Animals and the occasional need kick or slap in order not "spoil" the dog. I'm a lifetime teacher and I'd never seen the equivalents of those recommendations work in my classrooms, but I was willing to try anything because daily The New Guy grew more defiant. I ordered recommended books and read them, marking key passages. I did things that ran against my instincts and tried some I simply could not pull off (the heel, for instance). Then finally, late on a day filled with frustration and punctuated by tiny canine teeth marks on my arm, I went to Amazon, seeking something simpler, maybe a set of progressive lessons. Something practical and simple. I wanted easy solutions, for I knew from past experience, they existed. That's how I discovered "The Puppy Primer." It is exactly what it says----a primer, a set of basic training exercises that will take a dog through his first year and teach him to become a good companion and family member, while retaining his individuality. The author is an animal behaviorist who is an active researcher, and she is also an experienced hand-on trainer, and that combination separates her approach from a lot of well-known advice givers. She understands the mind of the creature at the end of the leash and her training techniques are designed to meet the needs of the canine mind. The training exercises work exactly the way she says they will work. Exactly. They are so simple, I marvel still. They use small treats as rewards because eating is the greatest pleasure pups know and hence best reward. Couple it with lavish praise, and the pup will gradually transfer the pleasure of the treat to the praise and chest and belly rubs and link all with the behavior being taught---sit, stay, come, or other. In time, the pup comes to see the behavior itself as pleasurable and seek out that pleasure. My pup and I are not to the heel command yet, but I think that lesson illustrates the superiority of this book's method of training. The other books I've read start this exercise with the dog on leash. The authors do not start with leash. They begin with a set of preliminary exercises that reward the dog for following closely the feet of trainer. Ingenious and simple. Then they move to the leash, recommend chest "halter" at first because it is less likely to harm the head or neck. Then they build on the already-present skills taught in the preliminary exercises to teach the dog to heel. Such an approach just makes sense. As a teacher and student I learned two important things: one will never (possibly can never) learn from someone who he believes does not like him and a teacher cannot teach a student whose motivations and being she does not understand. We cannot beat or frighten or harry any student into learning. This understanding lies at the heart of "The Puppy Primer and accounts for its successful teaching. In fact, were I teaching pedagogy in an education school, I would assign this book as required reading. It would teach the importance of addressing human needs, the value of exercises that prepare students for mastering a skill, the value of rewards besides grades, and the great pleasure of teaching and learning that can bind student and teacher. This little book is witty, clear, engaging, and right. I will give it to the dog owners I know. And I shall always be grateful to it for helping me reach my pup before bad behaviors had become confirmed. Usually the best of anything is simple. This book is no exception. Thanks!

CLEAR CONCISE AND COVERS EVERYTHING! Gives you all the steps on all things New Puppy and includes the Why, How , and When on every subject. Easy to read and go back to as a reference. Absolutely get a copy!

This is a good tutorial on the basic steps to take in adapting your new puppy to your home. This book will be especially helpful to a first time puppy parent. But, as with all dog training books, you will find out that there is no magic bullet for getting your cute and energetic puppy to behave with grace and manners. Because each puppy is unique and is influenced by the home environment, most of the lessons will need to be adapted or modified to fit your circumstances. Above all else, you will need patience. The best advise repeated in this book is to remain calm and in control of your own emotions. Showing anger or frustration will undermine any training or conditioning exercise. So read this book and try each step as presented. But do not lose hope if some of them do not seem to work. With love, caring and patience, your new puppy will eventually adapt and become the loving companion you were expecting when you decided to share your life with another being. Good luck!

Love this book! Should be required reading for all new puppy parents. I am a retired dog trainer. Used to provide a copy of this book to everyone in my puppy classes so they could have the resource available to refer to between classes. It is brimming with valuable information beyond teaching basic commands. It teaches the pet parent about development, common mistakes in teaching commands and how to see the world through the dog’s eyes (and nose). Dr. McConnell writes with humor in an easy to understand manner. It is divided into weekly segments for ease of use. Also includes information about what to expect in behavior changes as the puppy becomes an adolescent. It exclusively uses positive reinforcement techniques and is an invaluable resource the owner will refer to throughout their dog’s life.

Great short, to the point, positive training program aimed at teaching a puppy the important basics. I also enjoy books on dog training with a larger page count, stories and in depth theory, but this is perfect for putting together a program for a new puppy with out having to do a ton of reading. All the training methods are positive, not corrective. There are troubleshooting tips if you have a problem with a particular exercise. We are experienced dog owners expecting a new pup in the near future. Training methods have evolved over the years and I'm glad to have a primer like this that teaches the latest, all positive techniques. This might also be useful for an older pup or adult shelter dog that is lacking on training. The book recommends clicker training and offers some tips on it, but before deciding to use a clicker, I think I would prefer a book that covers the technique as a focus. One interesting thing I learned is that most dogs actually learn visual cues easier and more quickly than verbal ones. The book teaches you how to combine them, while also working on getting the dog to respond to either a verbal or a visual cue equally. The book stresses short, frequent training sessions and setting the dog up to succeed, rather than fail. Positive only methods may, in some cases, for some dogs, take longer, but they build more love, respect and trust between the dog and the owner, while also rewarding the hard work with consistent responsiveness once a skill is properly trained.

Got a family pup, and went into a rabbit hole researching how to train it before he arrived. As a kid years back, my experience with our family dog growing up was pretty standard. We said "no" and "bad dog" a lot, had problems with him running away, rubbed his nose in it when he dumped on the floor. I knew there had to be a better way. Between Patricia McConnell, Sophia Yin, Ian Dunbar, and the (newer versions) of the Monks of New Skete we've been shown a totally different way. It's amazing... we train through positive reinforcement, never have to say bad dog, and now have a 9-month old puppy that we can pretty much walk off leash. Still working on his recall and some separation anxiety, but with these resources we feel totally solid in handling it. As a total sidenote, I went for the science-based positive reinforcement over dominance theory for a couple of reasons. I had read a couple of Cesar Milan's books a few years back and actually found them quite thin on the actual, tangible "what to do". There was also something about the whole pack leader thing that didn't sit quite right with my knowledge of learning theory. From what I've been able to gather since having our pup in the house, all of that's totally valid... and I just so love the results we've seen from more positive oriented methods.

Versand usw. hat super geklappt. Tolles Buch. Wertvolle Tipps zur Erziehung von Welpen.

I've had a number of puppies in the past but this is the first for my husband. This puppy primer is the perfect refresher for me and learning text for him. He has become a training guru and is working wonders with our now 4 month old border terrier. I highly recommend this regardless of your skill or experience. It will work for anyone. Trust Dr. Pat! She rocks.

This should be required reading before getting a puppy. Complete saviour in those early weeks!

Love it. A fun, easy read to prepare you for the arrival of a puppy. Clear instructions, examples and exercises. Easy to use, even when the puppy is there and you want to recap. Everything is clearly structured in chapters, easy to follow. Can absolutely recommend to anyone with a puppy!