The Dog Listener: Learn How to Communicate with Your Dog for Willing Cooperation

I am so grateful for this book! I have two HUGE dogs whom I love very much. I have never minded how excited they get when I first get home. But others are not as amused to be mauled by 210 pounds of maniacal raving canine exuberance. I have tried the old standbys: stepping on their back feet, kneeing them in the chest, scolding them, and nothing worked. I bought this book with much scepticism and a jaundiced eye (I've tried others). I am pleased to report that the first time I tried Jan's techniques I saw a huge difference. And they're embarrassingly simple to do! You don't need props, you don't need to behave like an idiot, you don't have to be The Big Meanie...just act like the Alpha dog, as instructed by Jan, and watch the transformation. I thank you Jan, my mother-in-law, real estate agent and mailman thank you, and my "babies", Ruck and Xena thank you!

I came home from work one day and my wife was excited to see me as she said, "come look at this." She called our dog, a seven year old Westie, into his area where he is always reluctant to go. But this day he walked right in without making a scene. She told me she had seen Jan Fennell on television that day and had simply tried one of the concepts she talked about. We got the book, and immediately our Westie has settled right in to our new pecking order, and has significantly settled down.We are more than impressed with the insight that this book gives. It has greatly improved our relationship with our dogs, and I would recommend this book to any dog owners. Understanding the canine culture is fascinating.

This book is well written and easy to understand. The frequent referance to wolf pack mentality is right on. I have watched PBS documentaries on wolf packs and observed my own two dogs and the behavioral similarity is astounding. I think Jan has nailed it with this book. I'm presently applying the techniques Jan has developed to my dogs and the results are as predicted. I recommend this book to anyone who is trying to gain control of their dog and to those who want to start out right with their new puppy. Dale Friedly

Since I have studied human psychology, animal psychology has also fascinated me. I loved this wonderful book by an author who has definitely spent much time researching her canine subjects. So many trainers use an agressive, commanding approach to training and disciplining dogs, tossing them a treat as a reward. I thought about how this method would teach anything of value to a human, and the potential (and horrendous) results this method of training would bring. What would happen if people were kept tied up in the back yard, or someone kept yelling "no," in your face all day long? How would a human feel if they were slapped and hit every time they did something that was not acceptable or did not live up to someone else's standards?I have disciplined my dogs (and cats) with the same loving kindness used in raising a child. I have had cats and dogs my entire life and the results are living proof this method works. Many pet owners who purchase a cute little puppy do not fully realize and understand the stamina and commitment involved in training a puppy. What it does take to train your canine friend is a lot of love, patience and encouragement. Hitting and slapping teach aggressiveness and mistrust; being yelled at teaches barking, being alienated from the family teaches loneliness, dispair and rejection. Love, acceptance and gentle discipline on the other hand, will allow your canine friend to develop into a happy, loving, sociable, well-behaved friend and companion. I very much liked this author's approach and any person who is a canine owner will benefit tremendously from this excellent book. It is highly recommended reading and definitely worth a five star rating.

Jan has delivered a stunning piece of work here - her years of observation and research have enabled her to develop her technique of Amichien Bonding, the likes of which I have never before seen in dog training manuals.Having read stacks of dog training books, and always feeling like there was something missing, I was left with my dog still barking at strangers, misbehaving off-leash, and howling for hours when I left for work. Jan explains it all, and how to fix it, in such a clear and easy way that readers are left wondering why they never thought of it that way before...All the missing puzzle pieces are not only found in The Dog Listener, but assembled into a stunning portrait of the canine psyche. Jan explains how to enrich both our lives, and theirs, by learning how they think, and how to communicate with them in language they can understand. Her testimonial case studies are incredible and encouraging for owners with dogs who have similar problems.Truly a breakthrough in training - changing the way we think about dogs, changing what we know about the way they think, and building a bridge between the two. A must for any dog owner, especially if the dog in question presents behavioral problems that seem to be unsolvable.