Prior to adopting our dog, my husband and I knew very little, if anything, about dog training. We weren’t even aware of the different schools of thought among dog trainers (and the intense debate that goes on – my goodness!). We enjoy watching The Dog Whisperer and figured that those methods were the most common and well-accepted ones around. However, after doing a bit of research, we have determined that reward-based training, rather than the dominance/pack-leader approach of the Dog Whisperer, seems the most attractive to us for our fragile, nervous dog. (Please note: I am not criticizing the Dog Whisperer and, actually, greatly enjoy watching his program.)

While exploring this approach, we’ve gone through several books and one of them is The Dog Trainer’s Complete Guide to a Happy Well-Behaved Pet. This is a clear, concise, enjoyable, and well-written guide, filled with humor and entertaining stories of the author's experiences. It’s especially useful for new dog owners (like me). The chapters cover finding a dog (shelters, breeders, etc.), early socialization, step-by-step instructions on how to teach basic commands, reading dog body language, and annoying/worrisome things that dogs do. I read the book cover to cover and I now plan to use it as a reference guide. There is also a free website associated with the book (not all content is available yet, since the book comes out in November 2011), that will have more information, as well as YouTube videos. Highly recommended. ( )