Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 6-10 of 11
 Loved this author August 22, 2006
Kellu (Omaha, NE)
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
I saw a seminar by this author, dog trainer Turid Rugaas. Her approach was wonderful. It was a bit different than traditional dog training advice, but seemed more in line with my own philosophies. Her advice is logical and it works.
 A great book that you probably don't need to buy. May 25, 2006
Kelly Pickell (South Bend, IN)
76 out of 76 found this review helpful
Turid Rugaas is well known for her expertise in dog communication and canine language. I highly recommend all of her material. But truth be told, you probably don't need to spend the $10 it'll cost you to get this booklet. The booklet is very small, filled with a lot of great pictures and a few paragraphs of instruction. If you don't need the glossy pictures and explanations then you can get all the same information for free on her website TuridRugaas.com. Just go to her Q&A section and look for all the articles on pulling.
If you do decide to buy this booklet, you'll find that the instructions she give are clear, concise and easy to follow. And most importantly of all, the method works. The best part is that there are no gimmicks, no special equipment to use, and no harsh corrections. There's also not really anything special to her method--which is basically the "stop and switch directions" method of loose leash walking, with lots of praise and some noise motivation added in to speed up the process. Understand that her goal is not to get your dog to heel on your side all the time, but just to walk on a loose leash. As long as the dog isn't pulling, she doesn't care if it's in front of you or behind you or walking in circles next to you.
I will say that she does seem to go a bit overboard (perhaps even exaggerating the negatives) in the sections where she explains why other methods and equipment don't work. Her hatred for halters, chokers, pinch collars, short leashes, no-pull harnesses, and corrections of any kind comes through exceedingly loud and clear. She encourages the reader to use just a simple buckle collar and lots of a positive praise and reinforcement. That works for me.
A must-have for dog trainers April 18, 2006
K. Roche
18 out of 21 found this review helpful
This slight little volume contains the most effective and clearly explained leash-walking instructions I have ever seen in print. A professional dog trainer can teach dogs how to walk on leash within five minutes of meeting him, but most fail to pass their skills on to their human students. Rugaas's technique requires little in the way of training "chops," no ugly training collars and can be quickly taught to even the clumsiest, most easily frustrated students.
Be A Tree ala Turid April 17, 2006
Tami M. Hawes (Hillsboro, OR USA)
14 out of 17 found this review helpful
What is really cool is that Turid uses scientific data to back up her work here. Many have had issue with the lack of scientific data with her Calming Signals work and I think she includes it here well.
I reviewed the booklet as part of her upcoming visit, April 18-21st (2006) at CSDogBookReview (a YahooGroup) along with her 2nd Edition version of On Talking Terms with Dogs: Calming Signals booklet/DVD. We always love having Turid as a guest because we learn so much from her in the short amount of time she can give us in her busy schedule. It's wonderful that we have had her as a guest each year we've been in exsistence as a group and that she loves coming back!
Neither of my dogs currently have a pulling issue so I wasn't able to really practice Turid's methods. I think adding in the work to have a unique sound before actually going outside to work on loose leash walking will really help a lot of people that are frustrated with the standard 'make like a tree' that is often suggested.
The reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because I think Turid, or possibly her UK editor who helped with the translation from Norwegian, got a little heavy handed in telling the readers that various equipment is bad to use. Yes, as a positive dog trainer I'm not happy seeing a dog in a prong, choke, slip collars but there are less heavy handed ways of stating than what was used.
The bonus is the lovely full color photos and the use of color throughout the booklet. If this is a dog issue you are working on, this booklet should help you!
Excellent - Easy to follow directions March 9, 2006
Lynn D. Holzner (Tonopah AZ USA)
11 out of 13 found this review helpful
As always Turid gives the facts - facts that follow a systematic - easy to follow direction. Her approach makes absolute sense and REALLY works. I was amazed in the difference it made in getting my dog to say beside me on a more consistent basis. I love that she uses POSITIVE reinforcement.
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