Manstopper!: Training a Canine Guardian

"Manstopper!" is a must read if you are interested in protection work. Overall this book was a great read. Entertaining yet informative and what I enjoyed the most was the author's obvious love for dogs that surfaced in his work with them and in his writing. It was not a how to guide for training a killer, and anyone who claims they used it as such did not heed the advice given by the author. Not only did he warn potential manstopper owners of the financial and moral responsinility of owning protection trained dogs, he also warns about training the wrong dog for this work. This is terribly important because most owners assume any German Shepherd, Rottie, or Doberman can do protection work. If I had not bought this book I may have made a big mistake and trained my German Shepherd mix for protection. His temperment was just not right for it but I never knew until I read this.

I purchased this book hoping that through reading it I would gain insight not so much on how to train a dog for personal protection but to learn more on how a dog processes information and learns from it. It was truly an eye opener. There is much to be said about Mr. McMains apporach towards this subject. With extreme caution to the reader at all times he lays out and gives more insight into the dogs way of thinking than I've ever seen before. His tecnique humane and his approach always with love and respect towards the animal and those involved in it's training. A master at what he does. The rapport established in his previous books carried on one step further. I was amazed and pleased at what I learned from this book and highly recommend it to anyone interested in training or simply understanding 'Fido' at home.

I have trained my German shep (now 17 months old) according to the author's suggestions in this book. My dog is now a wonderful companion and protector. What has amazed me is how incredibly fearless my dog is in his desire to protect me, but what a gentle and reliable companion he is around me, children and family. Mr McMain's techniques do work. I love the format, he teaches through telling about his experiences. I read the book cover to cover in one night....and I still pick it up and read sections just to make sure I am training correctly. The best proof for my dog was several weeks ago, we were in a large local pet store, my dog was in a sit stay at my feet, and out of no where a little 2 year old girl came running and threw her arms around my dog. My dog sat there and licked the little girl's face....no reason for concern. The scenarios taught in this book teach your dog to "think".....my dog has been taught through proper training when a situation demands his concern and when it does not. PS...this review format would not allow me to enter an age over 12...:)- I am am a bit older than that! Paula and "Axel"

I loved this book. McMains's writing style entertains while his instructions are easy to follow. I especially like the fact that he is very no nonsense is his suggestions. There are several points where he says that if a dog reacts a particular way, it's time to stop the protection training and be content with just a pet. I know some trainers that would try to work around that problem. McMains truly understand the dog mind as well. As a dog owner, I found myself laughing out loud at some of his descriptions. Great book, I'd recommend it to any dog owner even if they have no desire to protection train their pet.

Manstopper provides a detailed and comprehensive guide on training a protection dog while emphasizing safety and addressing legal issues related to such a dog. Author McMains exceeds the stereotypical how-to book by explaining how trainers can appeal to inherent canine drives and instincts. He does this with a page-turning writing style that will have you reading far into the night. If the rating system allowed giving a book more than 5 stars, I would have. I believe time will prove Manstopper to be the definitive book on training a canine guardian. If you're thinking of protection training your dog or if the subject imply interests you, this book is a must-read. In fact, it's a gold mine for any owner who simply wants to better understand her pet.