Our Closing Verdict
We give Easy methods to Prepare Your Canine with Love + Science a score of 4.95 out of 5 stars.
Writing High quality: 4.9/5
Coaching Worth: 4.9/5
Leisure Worth: 5/5
Basic Usefulness: 5/5
As a retired canine coach with a proper training in animal conduct, I in all probability learn much more coaching books than most canine house owners. Just lately, I picked up Annie Grossman’s Easy methods to Prepare Your Canine with Love + Science. It solely took studying 1 / 4 of the e-book to resolve that is one in all my favourite coaching books ever.
Not solely does Grossman write in an entertaining and engrossing trend, however she presents the data in a manner that means that you can increase it to topics past obedience coaching and even canine possession. With this e-book, readers are empowered to make use of behavioral science to vary absolutely anything of their lives, from a poor canine recall to annoying partner behaviors.
However there may be much more about this e-book to like than that. Maintain studying to seek out out why that is the one canine coaching and life handbook you want in my full Easy methods to Prepare Your Canine with Love + Science e-book evaluation.
Overview
Product Kind: | E-book |
Finest Suited For: | Canine house owners, novice and skilled |
Value Vary: | Inexpensive |
Content material: | 282 pages |
Codecs Obtainable: | Paperback, audiobook, Kindle e-book |
Coaching Philosophy: | “Good coaching” utilizing constructive reinforcement methods and conduct science |
Our Expertise
This e-book shocked me in a number of methods. I laughed out loud much more than I believed I’d whereas studying a canine coaching e-book, for one. I additionally discovered myself getting surprisingly emotional at occasions.
However the largest shock was discovering how Grossman has added an entire new stage to the constructive coaching world. Let me clarify.
My canine coaching training began on the age of eight after I entered 4-H with my chocolate Lab, Nell. There, I realized prepare with a mixture of treats, choke chains, and a tough stare.
In school, I pursued a bachelor’s diploma in biology with an emphasis on animal conduct. It was in these lessons that I got here to grasp the pitfalls of punishment-heavy coaching strategies (and why Nell by no means actually favored me that a lot). I used this data whereas I earned my canine coaching certification via a constructive reinforcement-based coaching program.
The coaching philosophy I used when educating my obedience lessons and through my in-home conduct consults was a constructive reinforcement-based strategy closely supplemented with conduct science. I believed my technique was positive-training-perfected.
After which I learn this e-book.
Grossman takes essentially the most progressive, efficient approaches to canine coaching and says, with out regret, we are able to do higher! Her philosophy: We are able to encourage our canine to interact within the behaviors we wish with out utilizing any type of pressure or coercion, and we do that by approaching coaching as a sport the place each side really feel like they’re successful.
She defends this stance all through the e-book with explanations of behavioral science, real-life examples, and horror tales from a notable punishment coach/TV character.
This deep dive into animal conduct consists of many current discoveries about how animal brains work. One among many anecdotes that has stayed with me from this e-book is the truth that “realized helplessness,” a situation that may come up when an animal is punished too regularly or for causes they don’t perceive, presents within the mind the identical manner despair does in human brains.
Grossman expands on this by saying you could assist your canine keep away from despair by giving them company to make their very own decisions. And that you need to use reward-based coaching to make sure they make the proper decisions.
However this e-book isn’t nearly canine coaching. As Grossman is fast to level out, people are animals, too. And that implies that the pillars of conduct science could be utilized to spouses, bosses, and strangers simply as readily as they will to canine.
In the identical vein as Karen Pryor’s traditional e-book, Don’t Shoot the Canine, this coaching how-to has purposes far past pet obedience.
As a licensed canine coach, animal conduct main, and canine proprietor of 36-plus years, I used to be amazed at how a lot I took away from this e-book.
The immense quantity of invaluable data mixed with Grossman’s participating writing type, humor, and honesty, make this not solely a invaluable learn however an entertaining one, as properly.
Execs & Cons
Execs
- Beneficial conduct insights
- Actionable steps and coaching recommendation
- Humor and honesty
- Actual-life examples
- Applies to canine and past
Cons
- Few step-by-step directions
- Some explanations are buried
Key Features
Science-Primarily based Strategy
Grossman wastes no time diving into the heated debate about the most effective technique for efficient canine coaching. Her reply: “Good coaching” is the most effective coaching.
Overlook constructive vs. punishment, treats vs. shocks. Grossman defends good canine coaching as something that produces dependable outcomes and a cheerful canine with out unwanted effects. And she or he makes use of behavioral science as her information to seek out these strategies.
She explains intimately all through the e-book how staying within the quadrant of “constructive reinforcement” is commonly the most secure and best technique to prepare a canine (or human or dolphin). She additionally helps the reader set up a strong basis for efficient coaching on this realm by educating you the fundamentals of classical and operant conditioning.
Far-Reaching Purposes
In case you’re after a e-book that spells out step-by-step approaches to coaching frequent obedience instructions, this isn’t the e-book for you. However in case you’re on the lookout for a deep dive into canine conduct and coaching idea to determine a agency basis from which you’ll be able to prepare something, Grossman has you lined.
This e-book delves into well-liked coaching strategies and why they do or don’t work primarily based on behavioral science. She then offers you the instruments you’ll want to perceive change and manipulate your canine’s conduct in any state of affairs. From there, she supplies real-life examples and tales that can assist you see how these strategies could be utilized to frequent points.
Partaking and Entertaining
I’ve learn a number of coaching books and much more animal conduct texts. Few are particularly participating and even fewer are entertaining. Grossman manages to perform each with Easy methods to Prepare Your Canine with Love + Science.
She supplies a lot data on arduous conduct science. However she does it whereas telling emotional tales, providing hilarious anecdotes, and giving entertaining examples. This ends in a e-book that’s as enjoyable to learn as it’s instructional.
Extra importantly, this e-book presents behavioral insights that each individual—canine proprietor or not—can use. The truth that the e-book is enjoyable to learn simply makes it that a lot simpler to suggest to individuals.
In regards to the Writer
Annie Grossman, CPDT-KA, KPA CTP, is a licensed canine coach, former proprietor of Faculty for the Canine in Manhattan, podcaster, and journalist.
She has printed articles on pet possession in numerous publications, together with The New York Occasions, Boston Globe, and Vice. She can also be a co-founder of Petcademy, a platform that gives inexpensive coaching to households who adopt shelter dogs to assist cut back the probability of these canine being returned to the shelter.
Earlier than she turned a canine coach, she was a workers reporter at New York Observer and New York Submit. She has labored as a author on a number of TV reveals, together with Too Cute! On Animal Planet and the hit gameshow, Money Cab.
Steadily Requested Questions
Is that this e-book for a brand new pet proprietor?
Sure! Actually, I extremely suggest anybody even contemplating getting a canine learn this e-book first. It supplies an exquisite basis from which to strategy canine possession and coaching.
Does this e-book clarify prepare totally different instructions step-by-step?
No, this e-book doesn’t give attention to particular obedience instructions or prepare them, with a number of exceptions. As an alternative, it explains basic training principles that may be utilized to varied obedience and drawback behaviors.
Is that this e-book going to be arduous to comply with if I don’t have a science background?
Under no circumstances! Grossman explains the science behind her strategies in a manner that’s straightforward for even essentially the most science-adverse to comply with.
Conclusion
Whether or not you will have a brand new pet, have simply adopted a canine, or have had your pooch for years, How to Train Your Dog with Love + Science by Annie Grossman has lots to supply.
With invaluable insights on pet (and human) conduct and a contemporary have a look at the best technique to prepare animals, this e-book supplies a agency basis from which to construct your canine coaching routine. Grossman’s deep information of conduct science and a long time of expertise on this discipline supplies the reader with all of the instruments they should tackle any behavior issue and obedience command. And she or he does all of it with humor and honesty for a learn that’s as entertaining as it’s invaluable.