The Power of Positive Dog Training by Pat Miller (2001, Paperback, Illustrated)

I found the first edition some years back, when we adopted an abused golden retriever. (Not just neglect/etc.; she'd been whipped, beaten, choked & kicked; had a front tooth broken off; even had some shallow stabs on the sides of her neck.) Although I'm not a trainer by profession, on my own I'd previously trained, certified & then qualified as handler for our last golden, as a Delta Society therapy dog. Before we adopted the abused (our current) golden, I realized I'd need better knowledge/skills. I went back to the books &, essentially, did a survey of everything out there in the field of dog training. (I'd used a 70's-based method of lure training for our previous dogs.)

Doing my survey, I looked @ everthing I could find. I either bought (& read it) or skimmed it (& rejected it as a purchase) while in a bookstore/library. All the "Idiots' Guides", "How To"; if it was out there, I took a look at it, because I knew what I was getting into w/our soon to be adoptee. (Rescue had a behaviorist coming in to work w/the dog, due to behavioral problems.)

Result: in 2005, Pat Miller's "Power of Positive Dog Training" was the single best book on training available. Unquestionably the best. Miller is well-organized, comprehensive yet succint (important to me, as my background was all math/science type stuff). While quite thorough, Miller's information is available to anyone who cares enough to read the book. No previous experience in psych, teaching or anything else is necessary to absorb, then apply, her material. (And the only reason I use past tense is due to the fact that she's since revised it. I have a copy of this edition also; it's even better.)

She includes basic concepts for dog owners, both experienced & new. She describes the three types of dog training: corrections (punishment); lure (treats); & operant conditioning (what dumb name, I thought; actually means the dog "operates" on her environment -- she controls treat access; anyway, this is clicker training). Miller continues, with a six week training program, followed by suggestions for specific tougher problems.

Before she even starts Chapter 1, Miller lists her Four Principles, which will give you a flavor of the book; [paraphrased; my remarks inside brackets]:

1. All living things tend to repeat behaviors which are rewarding; they avoid those which do not. [Note that punishment is not mentioned; merely the absence of reward.]
2. Your dog already knows everything you want to teach her.
[Sit, speak, lie down, etc.]
3. One command word means only one thing to your dog.
["Down" cannot mean "get off the couch", "get your feet off me" & "lie down". ]
4. Think "What do I want my TO DO", not "What I want my dog to stop doing".

For dog owners, "Power of Positive Dog Training" would be the #2 book to put on your reference shelf, second only to "Culture Clash" by Jean Donaldson. ("CC" is not a training book per se, & has no comparable peer that I've seen. "CC" is unique.)

If you've hung in this long, you deserve a laugh; a blonde Q & A:

Q -- What do you call a smart blonde?
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A -- A golden retriever, of course...