The book that I chose to review was How to Raise the Perfect Dog: Through Puppyhood and Beyond, by Cesar Millan and Melissa Jo Peter. It is of import to note that Cesar is, apparently, a renowned dog behaviorist, and he starred on National Geographic’s The Dog Whisperer. Already, there is some credibility attributed to the major author of the book. Going in, I was expecting to come out an expert dog parent. However, this was a different type of training book. This book was extremely personal, essentially a narrative about Cesar’s experiences raising his own dogs. As a result, this is not a book heavily based in science. We’re not looking at data and studies or the tried and true methods of dog rearing. So, this is also is not a good book for
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So, while informative, this does not feel like a professional training guide. That does not mean there is nothing to take away from it, I learned a lot. But if you’re like me, and just want the pertinent information, you will likely not want this book. Millan frames this book by taking us through his puppies’ lives. Following the natural chronology of dog development, he describes his experiences through the various stages of dog life. When his puppies are puppies, he expands on things like the neo-natal period, the period of socialization, how you should prepare your home for the arrival of a new puppy. During each of these periods, he may share a story or some helpful advice and facts. If reading the tidbit on socialization, for example, he will describe the age this period becomes important, tendencies of the dog during this period, and offer a story or advice on how to properly navigate this time in the dogs’ life. One such story was dedicated to crate training, for example. What it is, how it works. He shares with the reader a schedule that he had his young puppies on. He goes on to tell the reader things that they may need to make this period as smooth as possible, describing the use of baby gates, potty pads, and older dogs leading new …show more content…
While some of what he says has merit, other things are questionable, though, granted, it is hard to work with concrete theories and ideas pertaining to higher-order living beings. We can theorize all day, but dogs have free will…so as with any advice, some of his may work, but some may not, depending on your pup. For example, he advocates against using the crate as punishment, though with my dog, the threat of a timeout corrects behavior immediately. You have to take things from this book and all others with a grain of salt, and just apply what you can take away in relevant ways to your own life. This is far from the holy grail of dog training books, but in reality, you’re the best parent for your dog and you probably know the best way to reach them. When I got my dog, I didn’t follow any advice but my own, and I have a great dog. He’s very well behaved. I can see how some of the training techniques I read about or have heard about can be helpful. But it’s all trial and error really. So overall, good read, good information, okay training advice. 6.5/10. I would look elsewhere for more knowledge, this definitely should not be the only training book you read,
So, while informative, this does not feel like a professional training guide. That does not mean there is nothing to take away from it, I learned a lot. But if you’re like me, and just want the pertinent information, you will likely not want this book. Millan frames this book by taking us through his puppies’ lives. Following the natural chronology of dog development, he describes his experiences through the various stages of dog life. When his puppies are puppies, he expands on things like the neo-natal period, the period of socialization, how you should prepare your home for the arrival of a new puppy. During each of these periods, he may share a story or some helpful advice and facts. If reading the tidbit on socialization, for example, he will describe the age this period becomes important, tendencies of the dog during this period, and offer a story or advice on how to properly navigate this time in the dogs’ life. One such story was dedicated to crate training, for example. What it is, how it works. He shares with the reader a schedule that he had his young puppies on. He goes on to tell the reader things that they may need to make this period as smooth as possible, describing the use of baby gates, potty pads, and older dogs leading new …show more content…
While some of what he says has merit, other things are questionable, though, granted, it is hard to work with concrete theories and ideas pertaining to higher-order living beings. We can theorize all day, but dogs have free will…so as with any advice, some of his may work, but some may not, depending on your pup. For example, he advocates against using the crate as punishment, though with my dog, the threat of a timeout corrects behavior immediately. You have to take things from this book and all others with a grain of salt, and just apply what you can take away in relevant ways to your own life. This is far from the holy grail of dog training books, but in reality, you’re the best parent for your dog and you probably know the best way to reach them. When I got my dog, I didn’t follow any advice but my own, and I have a great dog. He’s very well behaved. I can see how some of the training techniques I read about or have heard about can be helpful. But it’s all trial and error really. So overall, good read, good information, okay training advice. 6.5/10. I would look elsewhere for more knowledge, this definitely should not be the only training book you read,