Good Dog 101: Easy Lessons to Train Your Dog the Happy, Healthy Way

I’ve had dogs for a while, but never actually trained a dog. Which is an issue, since I’m looking for a new puppy. My late Sophie was a very well-behaved dog, but entirely on her terms. This time around I’m not going to be pushed around by a 17 pound miniature schnauzer.

Sophie says that the project ain’t gonna get done unless maybe some treats fall off the back of a truck

Dahl provides a brief theoretical lesson on dog training, which is surprisingly recent given the long history of canine domestication. Formal dog training is a late 19th century invention, literally created by a Prussian disciplinarian to train combat dogs. The traditional model based around domination and punishment has been carried forward by Cesar Millan and others. The other major school is “positive discipline”, which avoids harsh consequences altogether.

Dahl is nearly entirely aligned with the positive discipline school. Her framework is that dogs are intelligent social animals with complex carnivorous behavioral drives. Misbehavior comes from poor socialization, boredom, and instincts that are ill-suited for suburban life. While traditional discipline can tell dogs what not to do, dogs need to know what they should be doing, because instincts can only be partially suppressed.

Basically, behaviorialism works. Proper conduct is rewarded with treats, praise, and the clicker (an unambiguous signal that the dog is doing the right thing). The wrong behavior is extinguished by pausing the activity, a gentle “ah ah”, and time-outs. The hardest part is that the trainer must be constantly attentive to ensure that dogs learn to model the right thing and not develop superstitions.

The theory seems plausible to me. The implementation is very detailed, if repetitive. For example, three slightly different scenarios of digging in dirt, grass, and furniture are all prefaced by the same explanation of the importance of digging behavior. This probably works better in a paper reference rather than an ebook. For all that, I feel much better prepared for a new puppy.