How to Train Your Dog With Love + Science
On behalf of: Kathy Robbins - The Robbins Office, Inc.
Finally: A dog training book that makes sense―for both dogs and humans―using positive reinforcement techniques based on animal behavioral science. For generations, celebrity trainers have preached that dog owners must “dominate” dogs and have criticized people for daring to treat pets with affection.
How To Train Your Dog with Love + Science presents a modern and science-based approach to dog training, showing how behavior can be changed without coercion and force. Annie Grossman, a journalist-turned-dog trainer, breaks down what positive reinforcement actually is and makes the case that “good dog training” may even be a window into understanding ourselves.
Grossman offers building-block exercises and tips on how to train effectively using the reward-based methods she’s honed over the last decade with clients at her Manhattan training center, School For The Dogs. Whether you’ve just brought a new dog into your home or you’re wanting to teach an old one new tricks, How to Train Your Dog with Love + Science will help you consider what behaviors you want and help you to achieve your goals using techniques rooted in the science of behavior.
Woven into this lively how-to guide is the century-long history of positive reinforcement training, from Pavlov’s dogs and Skinner’s rats to today’s apartment-dwelling dogs using Wifi-enabled devices.
By employing the easy-to-understand techniques laid out in this book, you will be able to train your dog to live confidently, comfortably, and happily in your world.
Reviews
“This is the perfect book for people who want to learn positive dog training methods. The science is explained in an easy-to-understand way.” — Temple Grandin, New York Times bestselling author of Animals Make Us Human
“Annie is an astonishingly good trainer who leads with compassion, and this book breaks down how that compassion and understanding unlocks behavior modification. You see dogs and people in sync, learning. You can palpably feel the love and see the physical results. If dogs play a significant role in your life, you need this book.” — Maureen Johnson, #1 New York Times bestselling author, human companion of SFTD alumna Zelda and Dexy
“Using the latest science and wonderful stories, Annie Grossman shows us how to allow dogs to express as much of their dogness as possible and have satisfying dog-appropriate lives without forcing them to do things they’d rather not do. When dogs feel safe and trust us, it’s a win-win for all—what could be better?”—Marc Bekoff, Ph.D., author of Dogs Demystified: An A-to-Z Guide to All Things Canine and The Emotional Lives of Animals: A Leading Scientist Explores Animal Joy, Sorrow, and Empathy―and Why They Matter
“Every rescue and shelter should be giving away copies of this book. The easy-to-consume information about the science of learning is combined with relatable and interesting examples from Annie’s own experience living with dogs…It’s a dog training book, yes, but it is also a book that shines a light on the evolution of our own consciousness, and how it reinvents the world we live in—a world where our success and strength are rooted in our compassion and our knowledge.” — Debbie Jacobs, CPDT-KA, RBT, Author of A Guide To Living With And Training A Fearful Dog and Does My Dog Need Prozac?
“Brave and bold, humbling and transparent, critical, yet, empowering enlightenment on the science of animal behavior–all this, and more, packed in this book by The School for the Dogs’ Annie Grossman. Annie contends we all are responsible as stewards of dogs to learn the best we can about dog training/teaching, and it is imperative we realize there is the science of behavior to use as guideposts. We should forgive ourselves for our transgressions from what we thought was the right way to do things, open ourselves to the science, and the LOVE of positive training, and give our dogs this gift. Annie has knocked it out of the park.” — Cherrie Mahon, owner of River Valley Doodles
“Fortunately, there are knowledgeable and eloquent authors like Annie Grossman, who can explain the science and effective, humane procedures understandably and convincingly to any dog lover. This is a very worthwhile read for anybody having to do with dogs, and I wish this book all the success–in the interest of dogs and their owners.” — Andrew Luescher, DVM, Ph.D, DACVB, Prof. emeritus, Purdue University, Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences
“This book takes its people—dogs and humans—into worlds of deep connection and wise education with each other. Love and Science, indeed. Use this book! My dog Cayenne, now an ancestor, approves this message. Her successor, Shindychew, agrees.”—Donna Haraway, author of The Companion Species Manifesto and “Training in the Contact Zone,” in When Species Meet
“Both entertaining and educational, Annie Grossman’s How to Train Your Dog with Love + Science rises to the top of the pack as an extremely well-written dog training book based on the science of operant conditioning. Full of fascinating stories about the scientists who were behavioral giants, Grossman’s book covers sound dog training practices, and she’s not afraid to call out misguided notions and methods. How to Train Your Dog with Love + Science is here to make the world a better place for dogs and their people.” — Mary R. Burch, PhD, author of How Dogs Learn
“If there is ever a need to convince a dog parent (or trainer) that there is no need to ‘dominate’ a dog, then just hand them Annie’ Grossman’s book, How to Train Your Dog with Love + Science.” — Chronicle of the Dog