2008-05-26 A great read and a useful primer

I've read most of Katz's books on dogs and enjoy them all thoroughly. He tells a wonderful story and most people will, I'm sure, find his books highly entertaining. Finishing them is never a pleasure though, as you know that the story goes on and you'll have to wait for the next book to fill you in.

This book is different, however, as the theme is strictly training rather than simply being the tale of one of his dogs. The book is a greater starting place for anyone looking for a training method for their dog. It's not set out like a standard training book with a chapter on house-training followed by steps 2, 3 and 4. Instead it's the author story of what has worked for him and what hasn't; what he's learned over the years and how he got to where he is; and how successful, or not, he is when trying to apply all that he's learned to one particularly puppy.

It's a lovely and descriptive, rather than prescriptive, book full of references and the writing comes alive, as usual with Jon Katz, through the stories of the dogs that animate his life.

I loaned my copy out and haven't got it back so I'm about to order a second copy. Lucky me.