Training the Best Dog Ever

“A comprehensive, easy-to-follow guide to the power of positive reinforcement training.” —The Bark (Editor’s Pick)

Best Training and Behavior Book—Dog Writers Association of America

The first-ever Canine Life and Social Skills Award—Association of Pet Dog Trainers

Training the Best Dog Ever, originally published in hardcover as The Love That Dog Training Program, is a book based on love and kindness. It features a program of positive reinforcement and no-fail techniques that author Dawn Sylvia-Stasiewicz used to train the White House dog, Bo Obama, and each of Senator Ted Kennedy’s dogs, among countless others.

Training the Best Dog Ever relies on trust and treats, not choke collars; on bonding, not leash-yanking or reprimanding. The five-week training program takes only ten to twenty minutes of practice a day and works both for puppies and for adult dogs that need to be trained out of bad habits. Illustrated with step-by-step photographs, the book covers hand-feeding; crate and potty training; and basic cues—sit, stay, come here—as well as more complex goals, such as bite inhibition and water safety. It shows how to avoid or correct typical behavior problems, including jumping, barking, and leash-pulling. Plus: how to make your dog comfortable in the world—a dog that knows how to behave in a vet’s office, is at ease around strangers, and more. In other words, the best dog ever.

“If this wonderful book were universally used, every dog would live up to its potential. Love, respect, and rewards work even better with dogs than they do with people . . . Buy this book. Use it. Be Happy.” —Dean Koontz