Clicking with Your Dog: Step-By-Step in Pictures

I adopted two puppies at the same time and have been using this book to train them. They are now 5 months old. My husband and I can pick a lesson and we both see the correct way to teach the pups. By each of us following the same recipe, the pups are learning rapidly and aren't confused by each of us having our "own" way to train them. The pups are always happy to see the clicker come out and my husband and I are having lots of fun, as this is the first time we have dogs that actually do tricks! One of the best investments we have made since we got the puppies.

Tillman's book is clear, uncluttered, and beautifully illustrated. It's well organized and easily referenced. It has aspects of a cookbook combined with insights into the nature of the bond between humans and their companion dogs. Best of all, it turns dog-training into a pleasurable shared activity rather than a chore. If you don't have a dog but have one or two uncontrollable people in your life, I'm sure it would work with them too!

The ideal training guide for everyone; especially those who don't have time or interest to sit down and pour through long blocks of text, or highly technical writing. Tillman's clear, concise, easy-to-follow illustrations make comprehension a snap, for every type of learner. This is the book my students find the easiest to follow, and it's absolutely marvelous for children. Feedback from dog training students I mentor worldwide consistently note that the book's presentation style makes it impossible to put down. Because each chapter can be read individually, those who like to "skip around" instead of reading from beginning to end will still find it simple to follow the step-by-step directions.The pictures are clutter-free, elegant and simple, helping the reader focus easily on the behavior being shown. One example of its effectiveness is how accessible it is for those with learning disabilities. My husband, severely dyslexic, cannot read blocks of text without great difficulty. Yet, I was able to randomly open the book, give him a clicker and treats, and watch him "shape" the behavior just by following the illustrations. He didn't need to read any of the accompanying text (which is concise, without a wasted word) in order to get the behavior from the dog. Students with Attention Deficit Disorder find Tillman's book to be a guide written just for them: it moves so quickly, is so simple and easy to follow, that there is no time to get bored, no time for the mind to wander. ADHD students who have never been able to make it through other fine training guides seem to relish Tillman's book from beginning to end. It's just plum FUN.Tillman's message all the way through the book is that training a dog should not be stressful for the dog or the human, but a dance of joy, fun every step of the way. Of all the books I have recommended over the years, this is the book I am wildly enthusiastic about, as it opens up the science of shaping behavior to the casual pet owner as well as the serious performance enthusiast. Void of techical terminology that sometimes confuses those just learning how to clicker train, Tillman present science in a way anyone can understand--have a darned good time, to boot! Tillman not only addresses teaching all the basic behaviors for "good manners," but shows how to solve behavior problems without resorting to force, coercion and pain. How effective do I think Tillman's information is? With the information presented in this book, I was able to turn around a fear-agressive dog who went on to win the National Service Dog of the Year award, as well as become a certified therapy dog. When traditional correction-based training only made his problem behaviors worse, it was following the guidelines Tillman offers that saved this dog's life and helped him become such a phenomenal service dog, therapy dog, school demo dog and marvelous, loving companion. And, he was the first toy breed service dog to help carry the 2002 Winter Olympi

It took me five minutes of looking through "Clicking with Your Dog" to realize it's the book we've been dreaming of for our clients. Moments later we'd already ordered 100 copies. This book gets the average American started on the right foot with clicker training. It doesn't bog down the people who "just want to know how to do it" yet directs those of us who can't get enough to further information. It provides excellent guidance to children who are beginning to train and communicate with their dogs. I can only hope 4-H training groups will make it their manual. The majority of owners who come to see us for assistance with their pet's behavior problems leave with a clicker in their hand. Now they'll be leaving with a clicker in one hand and "Clicking with Your Dog" in the other hand.

Clicking with Your Dog is the absolute BEST dog training book I've ever seen. That tells a lot because I think I have the majority of dog training books published in the last 10 years, and have had my hands on the rest (usually those who don't say anything new at all, are the only ones that do not end up on my shelf).Step-by-step instructions do not describe this book at all. The directions are clearly written and suitable for those from about 5th grade on up to the most educated college professor. It is the illustrations though that make this book. Anyone can literally take this book and a dog, and figure out how to teach each behavior with no problem. It is better than a video tape (while those are good), since the illustrations freeze the position the dog, trainer, and other objects in time.In other words, each behavior is not only described in words, but the individual components of the behavior are broken down. There are seven illustrations alone for teaching the sit.I really cannot praise this book high enough -- if you want to train a dog, but have no conveniently located classes, or if you want to try clicker training, but can't find someone to teach you, this is the book for you.