BOOK REVIEW-GOOD OWNERS, GREAT DOGS

The author, Brian Kilcommons, trained under the late legend Barbara Woodhouse. She had a reputation for being as stubborn as he is effective. Surely legends will follow Kilcommons as well.

Good_Owners,_Great_Dogs offers excellent advice on choosing the right dog for you and your family, and choosing the right source for a dog. Just as importantly, it is a reference text you will want for training now and for solving problems later.

In Part 1, he lays the groundwork, and explains the reasoning behind the training methods he employs. One must read these 26 pages first, before trying to start training methods. Part 2 describes training in puppyhood, and it's intense, at 50 pages. Part 3 describes care of the adult dog and Part 4 gives 84 pages of simple but effective methods of solving problems.

His methods are as simple as the smiley face, you find yourself saying repeatedly, "Why didn't I think of that". For example, Kilcommons points out that dogs respond to three tones of voice: their whine correlates to our "praise" tone of voice; their bark correlates to our "command" tone of voice and their growl correlates to a "correction" tone of voice from humans.

In explaining the pack mentality of dogs, Kilcommons describes how to use "Structure and Direction" to show your dog who's boss without being macho. Found on page 116, this may be the most important page in the entire book. He writes, "Dogs adore and respect a leader who is decisive and fair."

While he shows you the basics of training at home, the author encourages obedience classes for their additional guidance and socialization with other people and animals.

An important part of his methodology involves "Action vs. Reaction". Instead of correcting a dog after he has done a bad thing, anticipate it, or even set up a "sting" operation, so that you can correct the bad behavior after he thinks of it but before he acts on it. That way the correction is connected to the very concept of thinking of improper behavior.

Kilcommons may sometimes shock you with his frankness, but many dog owners need that shock to see the reality of the effects of bad behavior.

Thus the importance of this book for parents. Not only will you enjoy your pet more if he's under voice control, a pet that's been trained in the basics of obedience knows his place in the family, is more likely to want to be a member of the team, and less likely to try to establish himself as the leader, or use aggression to get his way.

Priced at $21.95 and available at most bookstores, Brian Kilcommons has produced a reference text that every dog owner must have. Considering how much more you will enjoy your dog if he is trained than if he is out of control, these 300 pages would be cheap at twice the price.