Green Acres Kennel

by Pat Miller

SUGGESTED AUDIENCE: Anyone with a dog or thinking about getting a dog.

In The Power of Positive Dog Training, Pat Miller discusses the advantages of training with positive reinforcement and the pitfalls of training with punishment. The book outlines a 6-week program for training your dog or puppy to be the wonderful companion that you want. In her book, Pat also addresses behavioral challenges such as housetraining, chewing, digging, resource guarding, and more. Her suggestions are not only practical, they are "dog-friendly" and they work.

Pat has been a friend for years and I was thrilled when this book was published in 2001. Pat has been writing for the Whole Dog Journal since its inception and I have always found her articles to be thorough, well written and very "in synch" with my training philosophies. She is a skilled and compassionate dog trainer who really knows how to communicate to dog owners through her writing. Jean Donaldson, author of The Culture Clash says, "Pat Miller embodies all that is right about positive dog training."

KEY CONCEPTS:

1. All living things repeat behaviors that are rewarding and avoid behaviors that are not. You NEVER need to punish your dog to get desired results.
2. Your dog already knows everything you are going to teach him and he always has a choice.
3. Dogs can only learn one behavior for any particular cue.
4. Think in terms of what you want your dog to do, not what you want him not to do.

The Power of Positive Dog Training is a superb "basic dog book" for anyone with a dog, and Green Acres recommends it highly.