Reviews for Dogs: Homoeopathic Remedies

The average rating for Dogs: Homoeopathic Remedies based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2015-01-03 00:00:00 Robert L. Wendt This review became lengthier than I anticipated, but if I can dissuade one person from using the techniques prescribed in this book, it will have been worth it. I would like to preface my review with a comment on my own experience. A few years ago, I taught myself nonviolent training methods studying the works of Paul Owens and Karen Pryor, among others. The books were recommended by the shelter where I planned to adopt a dog. I started studying long before I even planned to get the dog, and felt more prepared as a result. Once I understood the essence of the nonviolent approach, I was convinced that this was the way. Thus, when we brought home an extremely unruly Border Collie that had been found running loose deep in the mountains, I had a good idea of how to start. She came home as skittish and wild-eyed as could be imagined, and popped around on the end of the leash like a pinball. Yet by carefully following the methods and principles, I trained her to be an extraordinarily well-behaved dog who happens to love everyone she meets. I never once jerked on the leash, let alone hit her or punish her by doing anything more than ignoring her. I did, however, learn a new level of patience I didn't know I had--I tend to be a hothead. As a result, I found this book shocking and extraordinarily outdated in its approach. The monks dismiss nonviolent training in their chapter 'Discipline: The Taboo Topic'. They state that while "it is understandable that most owners would prefer to use no force whatsoever..., it is fair to ask whether such an approach is reasonably possible and in harmony with the natural dynamics of pack existence. In a wolf pack..." (p. 65-66). And thereby begins the fallacious analogy that dogs function basically as wolves, and the human as the pack leader that is responsible for dealing out punishment. Sadly, this comparison has been found to be completely misguided by every sort of legitimate study. 'De-Bunking the "Alpha Dog" Theory' in The Whole Dog Journal gives an excellent overview of the bad science it is all based on, so I don't intend to go into it here. Nonetheless, the Monks can't give it up. That is understandable, as it is the only conceivable justification for using their techniques--without it, they would be simply inhumane. Their fundamental opposition to the core of positive reinforcement based training is expressed when they claim that the dog must understand that "not paying attention to you in a given situation will have serious, unpleasant consequences" (p.66). This approach is more familiarly known as 'spare the rod, spoil the child(dog)'. They also provide an absurd linguistic rationale for discipline, pointing out how the word itself is indirectly related to a Latin term for 'to learn', which "implies that good discipline flows from good teaching and good leadership" (p.67). The Monks should know that an observation of a curiosity of the genetic relationship of an English word to its Latin root is hardly a justification for any philosophy, let alone one that goes on to describe how you should hit your dog. However, despite their weak foray into the field of language, the Monks are fully aware of the power of words. They know that it must be stressful for a potential dog-owner to read how they need to regularly 'pop the leash' (which has a choke collar on the end of it). As a result, jerking the leash becomes "a correction", which sounds much more professional and antiseptic. Of course, this should only be "mildly unpleasant", so it must be OK. "How hard do you hit the dog?" the Monks ask us (p.75). "A good general rule is that if you did not get a response, a yelp or other sign, after the first hit, it wasn't hard enough." The words speak for themselves, but they continue and emphasize how a "sharp smack under the chin followed by a a quick string of obedience commands lets him know just how displeased you are with this behavior." This, to me, displays a fundamental misconception of how 'obedience commands' work. Taught correctly, the 'obedience commands' provide a positive experience for the dog--they want to perform them because they know that good things happen. Thus, showing your displeasure by getting the animal to successfully do what you have taught her to do seems, frankly, too bizarre to comprehend. Should you continue to castigate the dog while she obeys? To be continued...

Review # 2 was written on 2016-03-04 00:00:00 Cliff Otto I've never been so confused from a dog training book in my life. "Hi, we are inspired by St. Francis" but then you discipline dogs by cuffing them under the chin, the "shakedown," and the alpha rollover. I don't believe for a minute that St. Francis would approve. Here's what I like about the book: their concept of outdoor kenneling and making sure the dog has the right kind of setup, raising/training puppies, the "Round Robin Recall" exercise, and their suggestion of not training your dog to attack but instead fake it. What I don't like - Road working your dog...you've got to be kidding me! Jog a dog on a bike, don't "Turner & Hooch" the dog out the car window. That is just absurd! A million things can go wrong and I can't believe they'd put that in a book to be attempted by desperate people looking to fix their dog's behavior issues (people like that will try anything without thinking through it.) The disciplining of course was blowing my mind. If you have to take it that far with your dog, then YOUR DOG DOESN'T LIKE YOU. It really is that simple. Teaching a puppy to not bark in the car does not consist of stopping the car and beating the crap out of it, rolling it, etc. If you have to do that, then you shouldn't own a dog. Teaching a dog to not jump by squeezing its paws, giving it a swift bump to the abdomen with your knee with surprise and drama = idiotic. And my personal favorite...older dogs that potty in the house means physical discipline may be in order. (Although, I'm wondering if they actually meant "healthy, adult dogs with attitudes" versus "geriatric dogs that are too old to hold it." Hopefully they didn't mean the latter.) Should you get this book to learn how to train your dog? ABSOLUTELY NOT. The only thing you can get out of this book is learning about bad dog behavior and how it develops. It does not show you how to cure it (and if you have a truly aggressive dog, be prepared to be made into mincemeat if you try any of their suggestions, because BUDDY, you'll have to sleep sometime and that's when your dog will pay you back.)