Began gives a level headed and easy to understand into to dog training. Narration was also easy to listen to and paced very well.

I was hoping this would be more instructional but I should have realized when it was almost 13 hours long that this was a lot more history and has a lot of the authors thoughts on how a dog thinks. I found it interesting but just too long for my taste. I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for more inside the mind of a dog and less how to train your dog.

Excellent I would definitely recommend this audiobook to anybody that's wanting to learn how to train their dog I learned so much stuff here
Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC

I might be in the minority here, but when I pick up a non-fiction book about a topic, particularly one that is supposed to teach me something or help me accomplish something, I went to get to the teaching/information right away. Here actionable anythings didn't come along until 32%

I don't mind a little philosophy but this was too much and may have been better broken up with the various "actionable" chapters. I ended up skipping quite a lot as I imagine any dog owner would trying to get to the "solutions." If you've picked up this book because you have a 'problem' you don't want to slog through his beliefs. There's a reason Caesar Milan's show got straight to the point every episode and then offered the explaining with application.

Unfortunately for me, this book seems wholly useless if you don't have a puppy. Of the actionable chapters almost all of them are for puppy training. The title should evoke this as well as the blurb.

Behan quips later if you have an older dog you can still get help just relisten to the puppy chapters and figure it out. Not helpful.

In my particular case, the behavioral issues (whining) didn't seem to come up nor was I offered much in the way of a solution. I can't be the only person with a whimpering dog. The training that was offered (e.g. how to properly walk a dog on a lead) I have no problems with, having used techniques by others (e.g. dog classes, caesar milan books).

Sighs,

I will say the vibes did not give “this is for all dog owners”. They refer to small dog breeds as a sort of “other” (in my opinion) and mention big breeds often. Such a bummer, because I’m sure most of this is applicable to the referenced “toy breeds” and they deserve training just as much. Though I totally agree that when most people buy small dogs, it’s not to put them to work. Regardless, good dog training keeps all pets safe and alive. As a shihtzu owner, it was a bummer to read most of this. Would recommend for hunting/working dog owners though as the training advice feels solid.

I’m confused by the jargon the author chose. I can understand wanting to use big words to show people that you know what you’re talking about, but if your goal is to teach everyday people who to train their dogs — using the most fancy version of most words isn’t relatable. Wouldn’t say this is language that is inviting. It gives “I know more than you and it’s your fault if you can’t follow along”.

The advice is very puppy from breeder based. They mention breeders very often. It’s almost discouraged to adopt a rescue if you want to be able to train them? At least they bash puppy stores.

I’d say the information of this book definitely taps into the ancestry of a dog as a domesticated wolf. They refer to pack mentality a lot and it gives macho vibes. They also refer to dogs as “he” which is another bummer as a girl dog owner.

This book isn’t for the DINKWADS of the world. The author very clearly states that we can’t view dogs as family, they’re our dogs. We shouldn’t kiss them on the nose/forehead, etc. I kiss my dog on the head and she’s a good girl!!!

This book gets released May 14th! I received it as an audiobook and the narrator read it kind of the way you would expect a textbook reader to read it. Very neutral, but factual. Towards the end it felt a little long and drawn out, but the actual audio production was great.

Thank you NetGalley and Brilliance Publishing for an ARC of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.