What Is It?Secrets to Dog Training presents a very detailed and thorough look at how to both prevent and deal with the more common problem behaviors exhibited by dogs. As the owner of a some troublesome dogs myself, I’ve spent a fair amount of time searching the Net for reliable resources on this topic, and I have to say that the level of knowledge and detail contained within the pages of this book is unusually accurate for an online book. Not only that, but – again, unusually for this medium – the information at hand is actually (gasp!) reliable. Yes this one’s a complete new kettle of fish. Written by a seasoned dog trainer, you can relax in the knowledge that all the tips and advice included are tried  tested and true, and come from Stevens’ real-life experiences as a professional dog trainer. There is also a straight-talking, easy to follow 30-minute downloadable video which provides real-life examples of dogs bad behavior along with solutions and remedies to change them.

What’s Covered In the Book ?
There’s a pretty impressive range of information packed into this guide. It’s not just the problem behaviors that are covered: the book starts off with new-owner advice (how to choose a puppy/dog, the best places to get one from, Dog breed information, puppy/dog-proofing your home, the first vet visit, housetraining, etc) and then moves on to the more advanced training stuff: behavioral problem’s (such as aggression, dominance, chewing, digging, excessive barking, separation anxiety, to name a few), intermediate-level obedience commands, health-related dog problems (allergies, cat/dog coexistence, fleas, heatstroke, and so on), and advanced commands and tricks.

The 30-minute downloadable video gives a great insight into a dog’s quest to be the alpha dog and how you can prevent this. Its quick steps to stop bad behaviors such as housebreaking right through to leash pulling are so simple you can start trying them out on your dog straight away.

It makes for some pretty interesting reading – and, after trying out the basics on my own stubbornly disobedient dog, I was totally amazed at how effective the techniques suggested are. Highly recommended!

The book itself costs $39.95. For this price, you get a complete and detailed manual on training your dog, preventing and handling behavioral problems, and a whole bunch of general-knowledge tips and advice.

I love Freebies??

You also get a handful of practical freebies: four bonus books, dealing respectively with advanced housetraining how-to’s and troubleshooting (including both the crate- and paper-training methods); a detailed study on resolving canine aggression; how to effectively groom your dog (including information on coat care for specific breeds, dental care, and nail-clipping how-to’s); and finally, how to begin training your dog for security work.

Another particularly useful freebie: a personalized consultation with a member of the Kingdom of Pets team. If you’ve got an issue with your dog that you’d like some individual attention on, you can flick them a quick email and receive a personalized, thorough reply packed with expert advice and practical tips.

Several of the training techniques present a common-sense, down-to-earth approach to dog training; others require a little more effort (take dog whispering as an example) but yield some pretty dramatic results. I liked the way that more than one training technique is detailed, to allow the reader to pick and choose the techniques that best suit themselves and their individual dogs.

I have no qualms in recommending this package to anyone who owns, or is thinking about owning, a dog for any purpose whether for hunting or for a family pet . You don’t need to have a “problem pet” for the manual to be of assistance: there’s information included that is essential for any and all dog owners.

In a nutshell: highly recommended.