I recently had the supreme honor of
editing the new Denise Fenzi/Deb Jones book. Dog Sport Skills:
Developing Relationship and Engagement is the first in a series,
and it’s a damn cool book. You should totally run out and buy
several copies.
But I beg of you, don’t tell me if
there are any grammatical errors. Please. Look, editing is not easy.
Not only did I “copy edit” for grammar, but I also helped take
two very distinct writing voices and help them blend together so that
it will (hopefully!) provide you with a more cohesive reading
experience. This is, all in all, way more work than I could have ever
imagined.
Not that I’m complaining! Not at all;
after all, I got to read the book way before most people. It’s
just that I poured a ton of work into this book (not as much as
Denise and Deb of course), and I still found errors when I did
the last read-through. Dear G-d, I hope I found them all. I probably
didn’t. I’m sorry. But please don’t tell me.
So! About the book.
I think the thing I like best about
this book is that there is something for everyone. I know that Denise
and Deb wanted it to be accessible for people new to training in
general or crossing over from traditional training techniques while
still providing value to experienced positive trainers. I think they
did a nice job achieving this goal. As someone with a fair bit of
training experience, parts of the book were review for me. Even so, I
really enjoyed it.
I appreciated their honesty throughout
the book. Sometimes positive trainers don’t like to admit that
traditional training works, but… it does. Denise and Deb
acknowledge this, but they also clearly explain why they choose not
to use it. They believe that it is the trainer’s responsibility to
“clearly communicate expectations to the dog, rather than the dog’s
responsibility to figure out what the trainer wants.”
They also take on some of the myths
around positive training. I love this excerpt in particular:
One criticism of positively trained
dogs is that they are not as precise or reliable as those trained
with pain compliance. This is simply not a valid argument. Strong
performances have more to do with the effectiveness and experience of
the trainer than the training method used. Because motivational
techniques are relatively new, particularly in competitive dog
sports, trainers using pain compliance techniques are generally far
more experienced. There are very few experienced trainers that
exclusively use motivational techniques. One of our goals in writing
this book is to change that!
They display similar candor when they
acknowledge that all dogs and all trainers are different; they point
out that it’s impossible that a “training recipe” will work for
everyone. There are two chapters to help someone newer to positive
training get started; one on the theoretical knowledge, and one on
practical applications. The theory chapter points out that there are
numerous dog-friendly ways to train the same behavior, a fact that I
think is often overlooked by critics.
Regular blog readers know that I’m
big on the human-animal bond, so it’s probably not a surprise that
I really enjoyed the chapter on relationships. But I’d never
considered that there is a difference between what Denise and Deb
call the “personal relationship” and the “working
relationship.” They describe how these are different, make a good
case for why each one is important, and then discuss how to develop
them both.
Another thing I really appreciated was
a frank conversation about the fact that a wise trainer will consider
the dog’s “genetic package” when creating a training plan. They
urge readers to accept the dog they have, but also note that, “dogs
with all sorts of baggage can become successful performance dogs with
the right environment and training.”
There is an entire chapter on stress,
and I wish I could have read it several years ago. Denise and Deb
discuss how to recognize stress as well as how to “inoculate”
your dog against it. I also love that in their discussion on drive,
they talk about the difference between enthusiasm and frantic
behavior, something that many people mix up.
Another fabulous section is on the
difference between attention and focus. They rightly point out that
when dogs have to work away from their handler (agility, upper levels
of obedience), unwavering handler attention is not helpful. The dog
needs to learn how to focus on the right task at the right time.
But maybe the best part of all is that
this book is the first in a series. I’m not sure how long the
series will be, but I do know the second book will offer instructions
on developing motivators- including personal play. I’m definitely
looking forward to that!
Dog Sport Skills Book 1: Developing
Relationship and Engagement doesn’t have a release date yet
(this whole book publishing thing takes longer than one would think),
but I know it's been sent to the printer, so... soon! Go like
The Dog Athletepage on Facebook to get the official updates.
This month (well, last month, but I'm late in posting about it because OMG I got married!), the dogs got to try Primal's Beef Liver Munchies, courtesy of chewy.com 
This month, the dogs and I tested out Nutrisource Soft and Tender Lamb Treats, courtesy of chewy.com. Everybody liked them! The dogs all scarfed them down, and even the kitty tried a piece. You know it's good when when picky-cat eats it and asks for more! I loved how easy it was to break these into small pieces (smaller than a Zukes, so awesome for training!) using just my hands. Bonus: minimal crumbs! 
There's a lot to like about these. They come in large, round discs, but break apart easily and with very few crumbs. Although they don't go quite small enough for an intense clicker session with a wee dog, they do break up well enough to reward around-the-house manners. Plus, the dogs like them enough that they make a great high value reward for recalls and the like. The ingredients are good, and the treats are made in the USA. About the only thing I don't like about them is the fact that they have a lot of ingredients. Quality ingredients, but quite a few, which is a concern for the allergy dogs among us. But, it's a teeny, tiny quibble.
