Good Owners, Great Dogs
by Brian Kilcommons, Sarah Wilson
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Book Reviews of Good Owners, Great Dogs
Book Review: necessary guide for any dog owner
Summary: 5 Stars
I was recommended this book by a friend who is heavily involved with dog training - she swore by it and stated that it was practically the bible of dog training. I went and got a copy - and haven't been disappointed so far.
I have fostered 2 dogs (a foxhound and a walker hound cross) and now own a greyhound - all three were rescues that arrived at a veterinary hospital here and had very specific behaviour problems when they came to me - fear (most of all), aggression, uncertainty, separation anxiety, and for the most part complete lack of basic behavioural/ house training. They had all been abused in the past, neglected and poorly socialized, but each had a willing spirit and desire to form a trusting relationship. I used Kilcommons' book often to help lay the groundwork with each of these dogs to address their issues, socialize them and establish a loving, lasting bond. My foster dogs are now happily adjusted with their forever families as is my greyhound (who spends the majority of the day sleeping and dreaming).
Kilcommons' book is a must-read guide for any dog owner. His patient, understanding and sensitive narrative dictates a very gentle and overall humane approach to training your dog or puppy. The pages are richly illustrated with helpful pictures which instruct you visually on various training techniques. Though a lot of it caters towards new puppy owners, dog owners who have acquired an adult dog with behavioural issues from the shelter or rescue organizations will find that they can use many of these techniques as well.
All things said and done - this is an amazing book that will help you through many bumps in the road with your new dog. Any owner will be deeply appreciative and so will your dog... from new puppies to the many rescued dogs, who may have once thought humanity had given up on them, but have finally found a loving, understanding home with you.
Book Review: Wow! Did I ever need to be trained!
Summary: 5 Stars
As the title cheekily suggests, the key to good dog behavior is good owner behavior. When my beloved terrier mix of 17 years passed in February, I wasn't sure I wanted another dog at all, but I was sure I didn't want another terrier. I loved my dog dearly, but he was a bit of a handful at times. After reading "Good Owners...", "Paws To Consider" and TiVo-ing every episode of "The Dog Whisperer", I realized a lot of my dog's issues had been my issues! Ouch! So, when I agreed to foster Flash 2 weeks ago, I was clear that I would only foster him 'til a forever home could be found, as he is a Cardigan Welsh Corgi/Jack Russell Terrier mix. He had been abused and his owners had given him to the shelter with nothing more than a name. With "Good Owners..." never more than an arms-length away, I decided to go ahead and exercise him daily and start trying out my new-found skills, so I would be ready when I found "my" dog. Needless to say, 3 days later I called the rescue group and told them they were never getting Flash back. Simply put, the book works!! Flash is walking calmly on a loose lead, doesn't flinch anymore when he passes a man or a loud truck, sits and lays down on command, and we've just started working on "stay". I never realized how crucial daily, brisk exercise is for even a smaller dog. The authors say, "A tired dog is a good dog" and they've made a believer out of me. I would have never expected such good things from a JRT. The BEST part is, his separation anxiety has all but disappeared! He's learned to remain calm when I get home--er, I mean I'VE learned to remain calm when I get home and not baby his anxious behavior. He gets affection & attention when he's calm, which is now happening within about 90 seconds, thanks to this book. It works like a charm!!Book Review: Very useful and solid information
Summary: 4 Stars
I've said this in other reviews of dog training books: we recently adopted a puppy, and I've read a lot of books on dog training recently. They all have slightly different advice, but many commonalities: concentrate on praise, understand why your dog does what he does, take responsibility for your own mistakes instead of blaming the dog, give a command once and then teach/enforce/expect it -- the list goes on.
This book is very complete and very detailed. It's written in a style easy to understand. The advice is all very sound, including teaching you to know when you're in over your head.
What I liked: the above-mentioned commonalities with other books, the advice to not make a big deal of certain things (encouraging fear by comforting your dog, for example), the assurance that it'll all work out OK if you do the right things (particularly useful to me as I'm working with a 12-week-old smart and headstrong furball), the advice to work obedience commands to focus your dog's behavior (tried this yesterday -- it was like a miracle!), and many other wonderful suggestions.
What I was less crazy about: all the leash-popping. Who knows? Maybe I'll use it when our puppy gets older, but it just seems kind of excessive. Also, I really don't see anything wrong with using food to motivate a puppy, especially one as active as ours, but Kilcommons discourages it, while not banning it outright.
Overall, this is a great book and gave me much insight into my little puppy and much wonderful advice on how to turn her into a citizen of the world. Read it along with several others (see my other reviews for more ideas) to tailor your lifelong training plan to your own dog's needs.
Book Review: The BEST, and ONLY, dog training book anyone ever needs!
Summary: 5 Stars
Brian Kilcommons is the only American who trained with the famed British dog trainer, Barbara Woodhouse -- that alone should give him more credibility than any other dog trainer. If anyone remembers, Barbara Woodhouse was already on in years when she appeared on Good Morning America (or similar morning show), with the pronouncement that she could train any dog in just a few minutes. People brought "untrainable" dogs, and sure enough, within the time she had given, the dogs knew how to sit, stay, heel, and down. I saw this! The woman had a gift, but she also had an understanding of the nature of dogs, and knew just how to use it to socialize the dogs for human companionship.
Brian Kilcommons' great book, "Good Owners, Great Pets," has memorialized Ms. Woodhouse's methods for dog owners. Read this book, apply his methods, and watch how your dog will become the peaceful and happy companion you want. An untrained dog is a nuisance to owners and visitors alike -- but this need not be. You CAN train your dog! But please, really read the book, don't just go to the parts you want to know, and skip the text. It's the text that teaches you WHY it all works, and without that knowledge, you're on your own when confronted with a new situation. If you know why, then you'll apply the principles and make a better decision about how to react.
We have a German shepherd dog, and went for private instruction with her. Luckily, the canine-squad-policeman who taught us was a follower of this book, and recommended it to all of his students' "parents." It worked wonders! I have a Great Dog!
I heartily recommend this most excellent book!
Book Review: Old school methods
Summary: 1 Stars
Kilcommons' and Wilson's methods belong to the 'old school' of dog training, which are nowadays seen by the representatives of the 'new shcool' as unnecessarily harsh, punitative and problem prone while not being particularily effective. It is a major shortcoming of this book that it fails to discuss the wide range of different approaches to dog training, and merely presents the authors' own view as the only truth.While I have little doubt on that the methods described by Kilcommons and Wilson wouldn't give working results in many if not most cases, I think that someone learning about dog training should at least be aware of the modern non-coercive approaches, like those of Janet Donaldson, Ian Dunbar, Karen Pryor and Turid Rugaas. I find the reviews on this page a bit scary, as it seems that many of the reviewers have found "the" solution in Kilcommons' and Wilson's book.
The kind of approach that a particular dog trainer should choose from the continuum of approaches should probably depend on his and his dog's personality, as discussed eg by Susan Barwig and Stewart Hilliard. As also described in B&H's excellent book on Schutzhund work, the novel insight taken from behavioral science to dog training during the recent decades, as pioneered by Pryor, has clearly shifted the emphase towards the non-coercive end of the spectrum. Kilcommons' and Wilson's book largely fails to reflect these developments, and I therefore find it outdated. Much like the other respected old school books, eg those by the New Skeete Monks and Carol Lea Benjamin.