A must read for anyone considering getting a new puppy. The best book I've read on selecting, caring and training a puppy.

The housetraining instructions were especially helpful and my 11 week old puppy is doing beautifully and is even letting me know when she needs to go outside.

I checked this book out at the library and have been impressed thus far. I think the people who are writing negative reviews because of the "deadlines" are not really getting what he's saying. He's not saying you're going to ruin your dog for life, but it will be more difficult to train and live with your dog if you don't establish certain routines and habits by a certain time frame. I'm a firm believer that a dog can be trained at any point in their life, but I think every dog trainer can agree that dogs are creatures of habit. Establishing good habits early is better and easier then trying to break bad ones later on. Plus these bad habits are what cause dogs to become nuisances to everybody. And this is why there are so many dogs who are at shelters.

I don't agree with everything in his book, especially feeding your dog through kongs throughout the day. I don't see how this is beneficial to give a dog food all day while you are potty training him. A set schedule of feeding seems to be more inline so you know exactly when your dog needs to go.

This is the best puppy training book out there. ALL new puppy owners should be required to read this book before taking their puppy home. Easy to read, easy to understand, realistic positive puppy training!

I read this book a few weeks before I got my puppy, I'm really glad I did. I've never had a dog before so I really had no idea what to expect, I somehow just assumed that I would get a dog that would know exactly where to go to the bathroom and what not to chew. This book set me straight and I went out and purchased supplies that were recommended before I got my puppy. I bought kong toys, sterilized hollow bones, a crate and treats to stuff inside. Once I got my shih-tzu pup at 8 weeks I immediately started socializing her to everyone. (I didn't take my vets advice about not going outside before 16 weeks) She must have met well over 100 people before she turned 12 weeks old. I also took her to socialize with other puppies to work on her bite inhibition. She's 17 weeks old now, I've got her potty trained to go outside, chewing only on her toys and she is not frightened of anything. I know there is definitely more work to do, but having followed all the advice in this great little book I know my puppy has a great start on life.

If you are planning on getting a young puppy make sure to socialize, socialize, socialize, it's really the most important thing you can do to raise a well adjusted dog. I've started to realize that most of the issues that I see in older dogs all came from a lack of socialization when they were puppies.

I am only part of the way through the book but I've already learned so much about what to look for in a puppy and a breeder. There's a lot of sound and important advice in this book.

I highly recommend this book to anyone getting a new dog. You can pick out specific chapters or read the whole book. It has great advice, and if you stick to the routine you'll see the results in your new companion.

This book made me feel a bit overwhelmed. It has been a while since I had a puppy and a dog trainer recommended this book. Dr. Dunbar says you need your puppy to do so many things before the puppy is three to four months old ( ex. Introduce the puppy to 100 people before its three months old ). My puppy was two months old. To make myself less overwhelmed I'm taking one thing at a time and as for the people, there trickling in. I think he means well, he just comes across the wrong way.

Dogs and humans alike would benefit greatly if potential dog owners would all read this book! Lots of vital information, well presented, a good read.

I bought this book after reading several recommendations on AMAZON. The book was very informative as to painting a picture of what to expect with a new puppy. Some of Dunbar's recommendations are very unrealistic though. Such has having your dog introduced to many different people every day. Overall, I found it very useful.

I bought this book after reviewing some of the articles on the [...]website, which offers a preview of some of the key points of the book. I did read many of the reviews here and felt that the negative comments were somewhat over-reactive.

From my perspective, the book not only makes sense about how to raise a puppy, but also about how to raise a child! Why waste time trying to teach kids or dogs what is wrong, until they eventually figure out what is right? That seems really inefficient, now that I know the "lure-reward" technique. This technique lets you use the essential nature of the dog to train it to do what you want it to do: pee, chew, and poop where you want it to, for instance. Walk calmly on leash, for another. The trick is to not fall into the trap of thinking that a few weeks of short and long-term confinement is somehow cruel to the dog. Like children, dogs respond quickly to a consistent routine. It DOES require YOU to be consistent and to have discipline, and I definitely figured out where I was being lazy and too lax, and whenever I went back to the tighter crate schedule, things improved immediately. I realized that I confused a few days of successful potty events with "success" in overall training and went from confinement to total lack of restraint, so I referred to the book again and made some corrections.

Here are a couple of tips that helped make this book so useful for me. First, I had a consultation with a pet dog trainer who knew about (and recommended) Dunbar's technique. This really helped me when addressing the issues that I felt were not explained in the book (more on that later). Secondly, while I took Dunbar's stern advice as the kind of advice someone gives to people who might not pay attention...that is, I didn't take him quite so seriously. So, when he says that your dog needs to meet over 100 people in his first month (or whatever), I took that as the general message: socialize your dog as much as you possibly can. We have a really small house and we aren't hugely social, but I was surprised to find that I could make a list of 100 people pretty easily. They haven't all been over to my house, but I've been out and about and exposed my pup to a lot of different people, and I could see the change in about 2 weeks! And, I realized too that this socialization has to continue through adolescence, the difficult stage (again, think of children). I also found that "training" your dog to be OK when you are not around was particularly practical and helpful. It not only reduced my dog's anxiety, but mine as well, since it gave me a method to work with the dog to gradually introduce him to "alone" time, which will definitely be a part of his life. It also helped me to be aware of where I might be inadvertently feeding into the dog's anxious attitude when I returned home (or got him out of his crate).

The sit, lay down trick is a snap and I even successfully tried it on an adult pitbull that wouldn't lay down for its owner!

What I also found interesting was that the tips I learned in the book and shared with my other dog-owning friends helped them when it came to their adult dogs! I think that the Cesar Milan method can be quite effective, but it is based solely on dominance, and the lure-reward method can work wonderfully too in many situations (such as getting your dog to be calm when going on leash and learning to happily sit when greeting people).

Now, for some things that come to mind that I found lacking in the book. First, I happen to have a toy poodle who is bizarrely un-food motivated, and Dunbar doesn't mention that at all. I did learn from other poodle owners that this breed isn't the most food motivated one. I wish he would cover that situation in the book. So, for instance, Dunbar recommends putting all of the dog's kibble in Kong toys, yet if I put all of Buck's food in his bowl, he *still* wouldn't eat even half of it. So, if the open dish doesn't work, the Kong toy is like locking it away! And, freeze dried liver didn't work for Buck either. Advice: get those beef jerky sticks for dogs. Or try cheese. And strangely: Wheat Thins (even my cat loves them). Small bits of hot dog too. (I use this for the poop reward). Even so, all of these favorite items stuffed into a Kong toy won't work for my dog. Maybe when he gets a little older/bigger and I can try it out again, but for now I'm mystified about turning him into a chew-toy-aholic.

Secondly, I would have appreciated more information on the puppy interaction when you have a really small dog, or a really large dog. I think the problems you encounter as a dog owner do vary when you have a "non-average" sized breed. How do you keep your little dog from being completely frightened of huge dogs (and then later turning into one of those yappy jerks)? How do you keep your rambunctious, lovey Great Dane from bowling over the chihuaha? And, when you do finally take your dog to the dog park, how can you as an owner to a better job of evaluating other dogs as potential problems? Most people don't even bother to socialize their dogs, so how do you evaluate?

Finally, while I initially started asking people to offer a treat to my dog to get him to sit, I quickly learned that most every person will use a different visual method in asking the dog to sit, while only using the word "sit." So, it's really too onerous in my opinion to try to get every person to get the dog to sit, since the lure/reward technique of holding the treat over the head works, but most people don't know the signal! So, my dog dances on its hind legs while people say "sit!" and give it the treat because he's so cute. This pretty much has de-sensitized "sit" as a keyword so I quickly dropped the idea of asking people to make him "sit." What *does* work is asking people to offer the dog a treat, since then they naturally great the dog with a lowered hand, palm up, which is far less threatening to the dog and not a dominance display. I am really not going to burden every human social interaction with an instruction on the sit technique that is required. Later, when the dog learns the word itself, maybe then. I feel that in this respect, Dunbar's advice is a bit impractical.

Overall, I am very glad that I bought this book, and it's been an essential tool in my working with my puppy and understanding the nature of dogs.

I read this book twice before even getting my puppy it has been a godsend. Right now my puppy is napping quietly in his doggy den. It has great information for new dog owners and for people who have had dogs for years. The training methods are a lot different from when I had my last dog. The lure/reward way is much easier on the dog and owner. My puppy was a little undersocialized, and information in this book has really helped me to build his confidence. I highly recommend this book, get it if you are even thinking about getting a puppy. It prepared me for all the work you have to do to be a dog owner.

I found this book to be a valuable source of information because I am a novice dog owner and needed guidance in caring for a puppy and getting the behaviors I am looking for in my pet. This book helped me learn what to expect in caring for a puppy and to understand the "dog thinking" behind the behaviors I encountered. It also gave me a better framework for raising my dog than those my parents used. I bought the book before I had chosen my pet. The information helped me prepare my purchases before my pet arrived and to cope with the critical first two weeks at home. I did think the book was repetitive and strong in doling our consequences of an owner who lapses in training. However, I now have had my puppy for 5 weeks and I can see the difference in my puppy's behaviors as a result of my more diligent and consistent training efforts verses those I have allowed to lapse. I also keep the book on my coffee table to refer to when things go wrong. So in reflection, I think Dr. Ian Dunbar used the repetition and the serious tone to drive the reader into action that would prevent problems and a poor outcome for the pet. I highly recommend.

What is with the negative reviews? I think there is a little self-promoting going here on among others in the "dog training community."
This was the absolute best "dog training book" I have ever found. I didn't just buy and read this book and then comment on what I "thought" of these techniques - I have USED them!
When I got a Labrador, I got this book from the local library (with SEVERAL other not-so-good books) and took a ton of notes. Then I implemented most of these things that Ian said to do with my lab and now she amazes my friends when she obeys my words with out getting "physical". She is a GREAT dog!
Over the weekend I got a beagle for an early birthday present. The first thing I did was buy his book!!!
I got the dog on Saturday evening. It is Wednesday evening and I just let the dog out to pee. He ran to the door and whimpered to be let out. He played for a little while and we did a little training and then he walked into his crate and went to sleep. He also goes in his crate by himself whenever he is tired. He turned 6 weeks old yesterday. He also "sits" & "lays down" using the food lure techniques Ian talks about.
My lab is loving having the little guy around and because of her bite inibition (from Ian's book), they play and she just kinda mouths him with absolutely no pressure. We don't have to worry about a thing. I have never seen a more gentle giant.
I really have to thank this book & Dr. Dunbar for 2 great companions that fit into our family. We don't have to fit our family around them. People comment all the time to me about how hard it must have been to "train" dogs, but I have to confess, it really wasn't that difficult. It just takes patience and consistancy and a lot of peanut butter & dog food filled Kongs!
My Lab is wonderful. She doesn't chew furniture & settles down when I ask her to. She is also an incredible retreiver! I say "Newspaper!" in the morning and she goes and gets it and brings it to me for a bacon flavored dog treat. We have a good deal worked out for both of us.
I hope you will purchase this book & I hope you will use the training techniques. It really does pay off in the long run. When you get frustrated, just take a breather and think about what it will be like when your pup finally gets it!
Have a great time!!

This book does have good advice, but is way too negative. It emphasises how quickly you can ruin your dog for life, which isn't what a new puppy owner needs to hear. And if you have gotten your puppy before reading the sections on choosing a puppy and breeder you will feel doomed perhaps. I think the Power of Positive Dog Training is much better. Having a puppy and working with it should be a joy not an overly anxious experience.

I don't know what to make of Ian Dunbar. I really don't. On the one hand he's so good-natured, not to mention tireless in his dedication to improving the lives of American dogs by doing everything he can to get rid of punitive and aggressive training methodologies, based on the myth of alpha. Yet there's something more than a little strange about his views on training, or at least his way of presenting them in this book.

Here's what I mean:

"From the first day you get your puppy, the clock is ticking ...there is so much to teach and nearly everything needs to be taught right away."

Don't you think that's a bit much? Doesn't that sound just a little too frantic to you? I wanted to like this book. I really did; I like the man. But I've worked with a lot of dogs and a lot of dog owners, and it would never in a million years occur to me to say that the clock is ticking from day one, or that nearly everything needs to be taught right away. In fact, I caution my clients not rush their puppies into training too early. That's because learning is not just about when all the dog's neurons are in place, it's about when the dog has finished developing emotionally as well, which takes a bit longer. In fact, I'd rather start formal training at nine months at the very earliest.

Yes, puppies need to learn (or continue learning) bite inhibition, they need to be housebroken (though they shouldn't be crated right away as Dunbar suggests--read HOW TO HOUSEBREAK YOUR DOG IN 7 DAYS by Shirlee Kalstone), they need to learn some simple househould "manners", and to have their oral impulses re-directed away from the carpet, furniture, shoes, and electrical cords. But that's hardly everything, is it?

From my experience, nothing is ever quite as urgent, crucial, or critical as Dunbar keeps saying to (or hammering at) the reader. The book is peppered with small sub-sections labeled for their levels of "importance" or "urgency", as if puppy training is taking place at Chicago General's ER, not in someone's happy, safe home environment. And out of 11 chapter titles, I counted 7 with the word "deadline" somewhere in the heading! To me this comes across as a combination of hysteria, paranoia, and ignorance. (And yet the man seems so normal!)

Many of Dunbar's deadlines aren't even deadlines at all. Dog trainers have believed for years that there was a "critical socialization window", and that if your dog misses it, that's it; he'll never be socialized. And it's just not true. The original studies that gave us is this term were done in the mid-50s, when we knew less about how brain cells grow than we do now. Most trainers are now calling this a "sensitive period" because it turns out that it's not that critical, urgent, all-or-nothing, or anything else that Ian Dunbar says it is. Most puppies are extremely flexible and adaptable, whether their owners have met all of Dunbar's deadlines or not. I've personally known many dogs who had limited social contact during this supposed critical period and were not marred by it at all. I don't know why Dunbar has written it this way, but this book is pure scare tactics. (If his agenda is to warn people away from ever owning a dog, he's done an excellent job.)

On the other hand, just when I was ready to dismiss everything Dunbar has to say, I had to come across the following sentence:

"The more dogs bite as puppies, the softer and safer their jaws in adulthood."

Truer words were never spoke. I've never seen this tiny bit of dog wisdom in any other book on training (all but one--NATURAL DOG TRAINING by Kevin Behan).

Still, I think Ian Dunbar needs to ease up and have a little more trust in the goodheartedness of dogs. They're just doggies, Ian, not uncontrollable monsters with time-bombs attached. Relax!

There are some really good exercises here, so I give it two stars.

I really don't know what to make of Ian Dunbar. I really don't. On the one hand he's so good-natured, not to mention tireless in his dedication to improving the lives of American dogs by doing everything he can to rid us of aggressive training methodologies, based on the myth of alpha. Yet there's something more than a little strange about his views on training, or at least his way of presenting them in this book.

Here's what I mean:

"From the first day you get your puppy, the clock is ticking ... there is so much to teach and nearly everything needs to be taught right away."

Don't you think that's a bit much? Doesn't that sound just a little too frantic to you? I wanted to like this book. I really did; I like the man. But I've worked with a lot of dogs and a lot of dog owners, and it would never in a million years occur to me to say that the clock is ticking from day one, or that nearly everything needs to be taught right away. In fact, I caution my clients not rush their puppies into training too early. That's because learning takes place through emotion, and puppies need time to develop emotionally before they're ready for obedience instruction. In fact, I'd rather start formal training at nine months at the very earliest. Yes, owners need to reinforce the bite inhibition lessons their pups have already learned from their mothers and littermates. And most owners, particularly first-timers need to know the simple secrets of housebreaking (mostly that it's a natural process that shouldn't be rushed either, and that a puppy shouldn't be crated until he's at least 4 months old). Puppies also need to be gently taught a sense of "manners" and have their oral impulses re-directed away from the carpet, furniture, shoes, and electrical cords. But that's about it. And that's hardly everything, is it?

From my experience, nothing is ever quite as urgent, crucial, or critical as Dunbar keeps saying to (or hammering at) the reader. The book is peppered with small sub-sections labeled for their levels of "importance" or "urgency", as if puppy training is taking place at Chicago General's ER, not in someone's happy, safe home environment. And out of 11 chapter titles, I counted 7 with the word "deadline" somewhere in the heading! To me this comes across as a combination of hysteria, paranoia, and ignorance. (And yet the man seems so normal!)

Many of Dunbar's deadlines aren't even remotely close to being a deadline at all. For instance, dog trainers have believed for years that there was a "critical socialization window", and that if your dog misses it, that's it; he'll never be socialized with other dogs or people. And it's just not true. The original studies that gave us is this term were done in the mid-50s, when we knew less about how the brain develops than we do know. Most trainers are calling this a "sensitive period" because it turns out that it's not that critical, crucial, all-or-nothing, urgent, or anything else that Ian Dunbar says it is. Most puppies are extremely flexible and adaptable, whether their owners have met all of Dunbar's paranoid deadlines or not. And I've personally known many dogs who had limited social contact during this supposed critical period and were not marred by it at all. I don't know why, but this book is pure scare tactics. If Dunbar's agenda is to warn people away from ever owning a dog, he's done an excellent job.

On the other hand, just when I was ready to dismiss everything Dunbar has to say, I had to come across the following sentence:

"The more dogs bite as puppies, the softer and safer their jaws in adulthood."

Truer words were never spoke. You rarely come across this tiny bit of wisdom in any other book on training (all but one--NATURAL DOG TRAINING by Kevin Behan).

Still, I think Ian Dunbar needs to ease up and have a little more trust in the goodheartedness of dogs. They're just doggies, Ian, not uncontrollable monsters with time-bombs attached. Relax!

Two stars.

Despite some of the negative reviews, I'm throwing my hat in as a postive review for this book. Early on in the book, Dr. Dunbar stated that the reason he gave such exact specifications was because he found that if he didn't, pet owners would then not follow his instructions at all. I think what he says are meant to be guidelines, but obviously each dog is different, as is each owner.

Having just finished this book, I now feel equipped with the tools I need to help get my puppy off on the right start. I would give 5 stars, except I agree with some of the other reviews that Dr. Dunbar neglected to include alternatives in the event that some of his techniques don't work. (Like what to do if the puppy eliminates in his crate, etc.). But this book DOES provide a solid foundation of the basics. I'll just look elsewhere for some of the details.

Great book. Now let's see how it all turns out with our puppy!

The best is to get this before you get a puppy it will help you to find the very best breed and breeder for you. Being prepared for all the fun and pitfalls of a new puppy in the house will make you a happier and better owner. I reccomend it to anyone inquiring about a new puppy from us. But sad to say we do not have them obedience trained before they go home. Fun and new experiences are a higher priority for us.We do litter box train and that will be a huge asset as you will see from Ians Book.
As in any book read it, learn from it and follow what you believe will work for you.

I tried reading this book a few months ago, but couldn't get past the author's warnings about the perils of not having puppy parties and meeting a specific number of new people per day. I did just finish reading it, for real, and can say the author knows what he is talking about. My puppy went to a puppy class where Dr. Dunbar's methods were recommended, especially meeting new people and teaching bite inhibition. My 5-month-old puppy now has a soft mouth and meets a lot of new people happily. I do treat him whenever he does, and introduce him to new things all the time. If you plan on having a real canine pal for the next decade or so, read this book and pay attention to the appendix where Dr. Dunbar rates the most urgent things to teach your dog. I have had other dogs before, but not trained ones. There is such a big difference, and it's easy. If everyone would read Dr. Dunbar's book before getting a puppy, no one would need to read Cesar Millan's.

Unless you can spend every waking moment training your dog please do not read this book. (And by training I mean following this book to the letter, there is no room for mistakes says Mr. Dunbar! Allowing even one will make your dog untrainable and horrendous!)
Consider this review a warning. I read this book and after six days with my 12 week old pup I felt like an utter failure. Mr. Dunbar's book is completely unrealistic and rather extreme. (What if I cannot make my dog meet 100 people in my home in the first three months of his life at multiple 'meet-the-puppy parties'?! Then, says Mr. Dunbar, your dog will be unsocialised and you will eventually abandon him and he will die.) Unless you can devote every moment of your time to the Dunbar method of training your puppy you will be unable to follow any of his methods. (Don't let him *ever* doo in the house. If he doos in the house ONCE then he'll FOREVER doo in the house!! And be sure that you have at least fifty Kong toys. Kong. It's very important that they are Kong. Say it with me. *Kong*)
My main concern is that this book forces concrete deadlines and his make-believe concept of 'errorless house-training' down your throat. Honestly, I felt that every little normal natural puppy behavior (chewing, having accidents on the carpet, barking - things puppies are famous for doing!) was due to the fact that I was an unfit puppy mother. The book leads you to believe that all of these things are bad bad bad and the dog only does so because you have not trained him properly. That it's your *fault*, when in truth he's behaving like a normal puppy! And once he has gotten a taste of such odious misbehavior you'll never be able to make him be good again. This book is all meticulous, unrealistic prevention. Not ways to curb unwanted behaviors, which would be much more beneficial.
Bottom line, if you have a job or another being in your life besides your new puppy (and your puppy wasn't already partially trained by its breeder before you got him - yeah right. What if your puppy isn't a high dollar pure-bred pre-trained dog? Is he then hopeless?) you will be unable to train your dog according to this book. So please, don't read it. You'll only make yourself feel terrible and inept. Your very young animal will make natural, normal mistakes. It's ok.

Unless you can spend every waking moment training your dog please do not read this book. (And by training I mean following this book to the letter, there is no room for mistakes says Mr. Dunbar! Allowing even one will make your dog evil and wicked, untrainable and horrendous!!)
Consider this review a warning. I read this book and after six days with my 12 week old pup I felt like an utter failure. Mr. Dunbar's book is completely unrealistic. (What if I cannot make my dog meet 100 people in my home in the first three months of his home by serving 'healthy gourmet food and premium beverages' at a 'meet-the-puppy party'?! Then, says Mr. Dunbar, your dog will be unsocialised properly and you will eventually abandon him and he will die.) Unless you can devote every moment of your time to the Dunbar method of training your puppy you will be unable to follow any of his methods. (Quit your job! You can't leave him, he'll doo in the house and if he doos in the house ONCE then he'll FOREVER doo in the house!!)
My main concern is that this book forces concrete deadlines and his make-believe concept of 'errorless house-training' down your throat. Honestly, I felt that every little normal natural puppy behavior (chewing, having accidents on the carpet, barking - things puppies are famous for doing!) was due to the fact that I was an unfit puppy mother. The book leads you to believe that all of these things are bad bad bad and the dog only does so because you have not trained him properly. That it's your *fault*, when in truth he's behaving like a normal puppy! And once he has gotten a taste of such odious misbehavior you'll never be able to make him be good again. This book is all meticulous, unrealistic prevention. Not ways to curb unwanted behaviors, which would be much more beneficial.
Bottom line, if you have a job or another being in your life besides your new puppy (and your puppy wasn't already partially trained by its breeder before you got him) you will be unable to train your dog according to this book. So please, don't read it. You'll only make yourself feel terrible and inept. Your very young animal will make natural, normal mistakes. Accept it and try again. You are not an evil moron.

One of the better books I've read on training. Most of the ideas presented are very good, although the average person will have a difficult time fully adhering to some of his suggestions. There's a little too much "My approach will work every time." My experience is that dogs are a little like people in that they have their own personality, and what works with one will not necessarily work with another. These are really small "complaints" and most of the book provides very practical and good approaches to training your dog.

I'm usually not that motivated to write a review but in this case I am. I'm glad I read the book however it's about 200 pages and organized and indexed very poorly. It is also extremely wordy and repetitive and found at least one spelling error. It can be condsensed into a 46 page bullet chart!

The advice is good but a lot of it way over the top and it gives you the sense that if you don't follow the advice completely your puppy will be unmanageable inevitably wind up in a shelter where no one will want to adopt it. And frankly some of the advice is really overdoing it. For example, having the puppy parties and making all your guests wash their hands and take off their shoes prior to working with the puppy. While you really decrease your chances of the dog becoming ill that way, it really harps on the need to do it when it could spend more pages addressing the issue of what to do when the puppy doesn't want the chewtoys.

It also tells you to avoid breeders who don't teach the puppy basic commands and sorry to say that most breeders don't do this. Its just not a realistic expectation especially if its a rare breed or there was a waiting list which was the case for my dog.

It doesn't tell you what to do in many common scenarios such as the puppy not eating right and it doesn't discuss whining and crying through the night and that was the information that I found myself needing the most and it wasn't in the book.

I also found that it takes time to get the puppy to want to play with chew toys. Mine was not immediately drawn to them and still doesn't have much interest in them apparently. And again, it does not say what to do in that instance.

When I read that the goal is to have zero accidents I was excited and thought I could do it. But it's really really difficult to get through with zero accidents. Heck my puppy has even gone in his crate twice and came back to find him laying in his mess. Again no backup plan. I take the puppy out 12-15 times a day but that is unrealistic for most people.

And experienced trainers I have talked to advise against the long term confinement potty area because you really dont want the pup going in the house at all and it prolongs the houstraining big time. Not to mention the smell takes hours to get aired out!!!

The book also says to stuff kibble into the chewtoys thus giving the puppy access to food all day. This is a really bad idea in my opinion and everyone else I have talked to because it makes housetraining more difficult and sets the puppy up for not eating at appropriate times.

My background on this book began well in advance of me getting my puppy. Because I wanted to ditch all of my prior held beliefs and training methods with dogs (punishment, dominance, showing the dog 'who's the Boss'), this book at first felt like what I was looking for. I guess I initially ignored Dunbar's condescension and arrogance mistaking his tone for him being funny, conversational or just British, or whatever. Dunbar writes in hysterical, alarmist prose, repeating over and over how one single mistake on your part can literally doom your dog to one day being dropped off at the pound, his fate sealed by lethal injection as he joins the millions of unloved dogs put to death for the terminal but preventable disease of bad behavior. Well, what happened to me was that I became overly paranoid about 'managing' my puppy, over-reacting to my predictable failures as a dog owner because I couldn't pull off Dunbar's 'errorless' housebreaking and 'errorless' chew-toy training. Dogs are masterful creatures at reading your emotional state, and anxiety will rub off on them. This certainly happened with my pup. Ian should really get one thing through his skull - nobody is perfect, and your puppy...excuse me, you will make mistakes. I can look back and laugh now at how distraught I felt after watching my pup stop in mid-sprint to relieve herself on the living room floor. Oh no! I'm a total failure as a dog owner!

If you want to sum up Ian Dunbar's approach, it is basically crating your dog for about 22 out of the 24 hours in a day, with the poor puppy's only breaks consisting of being led outside on lead to do his business. He constantly extols the virtues of the stuffed 'Kong' as being criticial to combating every single behavioral problem your pup might exhibit, so much so that one wonders if he receives royalties for each Kong sold at your local pet store. His method is entirely treat based (more later) and embraces the 'positive-reinforcement-only' dog training movement's mantra of early obedience training, starting at 8 weeks old or even earlier. The strangest thing I read in this book is that you should be suspect of buying a puppy from any breeder who has not housebroken and taught every puppy basic obedience skills by the age of two months old. Huh?

My pup managed to wreck Dunbar's training methodology at every turn. How? In any environment except the kichen, she could care less about treats, and even less about being rewarded with her kibble. This rendered his entire approach to teaching a dog how to walk nicely at your side while on leash utterly useless. And, so what if my 8 weeks old puppy can sit on command? He drones on about how 'Sit' can replace just about every unwanted puppy behavior since sitting is mutually exclusive to jumping or running around excitedly. I soon found out how useless it was to ask my puppy to sit politely while I greeted guests at the door. Telling a rambunctious four month old to sit in the face of powerful enviromental distractions will only test your patience and increase your anxiety beyond reasonable levels.

Advice to socialize your dog is good, but is it really necessary that your pup must meet at least 100 humans by the time she is three months old? It seems to me that most dogs will like most humans just fine, even if they only met 10 total humans by three months, providing, of course, that those interactions were positive. And, I'd love to know how many people who read this book actually arranged to have a 'puppy socialization party'.

Ugh, why did I ever buy into this book? I can't answer that really, except that I just wanted to try something different than the old rolled up newspaper. (I'm kidding - I've never actually hit any dog with one). After all, just about everyone you talk to will still tell you the best way to housebreak any dog is to rub his nose in his own filth every time he makes a mistake in the house. *sigh*

My advice is to let your puppy be a puppy. Puppie's really aren't ready for obedience until at least six months, and probably more like 9 months. Never punish a puppy for anything, and witholding attention, frequently prescribed in this book, constitutes punishment. Concentrate instead on positive socialization experiences, low pressure housetraining, re-direction techniques, maintaining a patient, upbeat attitude and always engage in lots of play, play and more play. Sadly, Dunbar barely mentions playing with your puppy. Dogs learn everything they really need to know through play with their humans. The side effect of playing alot with your puppy is improved attention, a healthy bond and an intense social attraction creating a willingness to cooperate and learn.

I learned this stuff the hard way. I'm still undoing some of the damage done by inappropriately pressuring my sensitive Rhodesian Ridgeback with unfair expectations. See my review of 'Natural Dog Training' by Kevin Behan - he presents the right way to view dog behavior and motivations, and presents a much more rational and FUN way to raise a pup and eventually an obedient, attentive dog. Further, author Lee Charles Kelley's comedic murder mystery/dog training novels based on Natural Dog Training are extremely helpful, as is his AmazonConnect blog. Go there for very interesting discussions of dog behavior and training.

I've read every dog training and behavior book out there since 1982. And I've raised six puppies as my own pets over the years. When I found myself in a bind with a challenging, rambunctious new challenge, I read everything looking for help- CESAR MILAN, GOOD OWNERS/GREAT DOGS by Kilcommons, PERFECT PUPPY Gwen Bailey , MOTHER KNOWS BEST by Carol Lea Benjamin, HOW TO RAISE A PUPPY YOU CAN LIVE WITH, SARAH HODGSON, THE ART OF RAISING A PUPPY, Jan Fennel'S DOG LISTENER, UNCLE MATTY.... you name it. I'd spend hours reading looking for suggestions. Far and away the #1 book that helped me the most and offered me the most practical advice was IAN DUNBAR'S BEFORE & AFTER YOU GET YOUR PUPPY- mostly the 'after' part! The book contains short and sweet, easy to read and apply how to's for raising a well-behaved, well-adjusted puppy. You know the kind that goes potty outside, is quiet through the night, will go into her crate and stay quietly without whining. After all these years, I thought I knew it all. I didn't. When I needed help, IAN DUNBAR provided it. The best advice ever, 1-2-3 housetraining, confinement, rules, restrictions, 'sssshhh', etc.

ONE (1) complaint: my puppy can't get the stuffing out of the Kong - any size - and whines terribly over it in frustration.

Also recommended: MOTHER KNOWS BEST, Carol Lea Benjamin/ THE ART OF RAISING A PUPPY, Monks of New Skete/ NO BAD DOGS Barbara Woodhouse/ TV Show: Cesar Milan's DOG WHISPERER on National Geographic.

This book is a must read for anyone considering getting or that has a new puppy! It takes you through all of the steps necessary to raising and teaching a new puppy. You may think you know what you are doing but after reading this book you realize you really don't. This book should be required reading in school as well. It would really help cut down on the amount of dogs that wind up in shelters due to "bad" behaviour and would teach young people about the enormous task and responsibility required in raising a dog properly. It gives you excellent insight into why the puppy does what it does and how to train the animal not to bite and to be happy and social around all types of people throughout its life. It may serve as a deterrent to those that think dogs are all fun and no work!

Good books like this should be bought BEFORE (and not afterrwards!!!) buying a pup.
Buy it, read it, let its contents go deep into your brain/heart, and THEN buy a pup.
You'll see the difference!

Plenty of dog training manuals pepper the market, but Dr. Ian Dunbar's background is as both a vet and an animal behaviorist and writer: the blend of disciplines lends well to Before And After Getting Your Puppy: a guide to positive puppy raising. From the initial considerations in selecting the 'right' dog for a family to the important early lessons a puppy must be taught, Dr. Dunbar's book is loaded with sidebars of information, photos, and a structured plan for everything from socializing the animal to preventing predictable problems at different points of the puppy's growth. If it's only one dog-training 'bible' you're after, make it Dr. Dunbar's Before And After Getting Your Puppy.