Reviews:
Library Journal:
Life will be better for readers who heed Bjelland’s advice. The strength of this book is the practical, user-friendly motivation it provides for owners, to shape both human and dog behaviors.
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The American Dog Magazine calls my book, “a must- read book” :
The author gives explicit, positive advice on tackling any problem you may have with your dog. Bjelland tells you how to change your communication with your dog so that you will have “stress-free, unconditional love for years to come.” She also has a web site so you can contact her, and donates
a portion of her profits to help dogs. This is a must- read book that can help your dog as well as other deserving canines.
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A Happy, Healthy, Holistic Way to Train
This book impresses on every level! Julie Bjelland has infused clear-cut, easy-to-follow canine training steps and tips with a refreshing positive psychology approach. A truly holistic work, her book is extremely user friendly, detailed without being at all tedious, and delightfully personable - the reader is gently but confidently led through all the training measures and many other valuable topics in a style that reflects the author’s own calm, sincere manner. Whether you’re looking for a puppy, re-training an adult dog, or considering saving a senior pooch, this book is entirely appropriate. Julie Bjelland leaves no stone unturned, no corner darkened in her book, including step-by-step guides to training various behaviors and even tips for adoption. As a current adoptive parent of a puppy, an adult dog, and a senior canine, I was in dire need of addressing all my doggies’ various needs and only this book covered all those bases for *all three* of my dogs. I find myself referring to this book over and over again because its content so useful and so easy to use! The training guides and tips alone are worth the purchase, but there is so much more valuable information that truly makes this book a gem! If you want an experience far more positive versus punitive, more holistic versus one-note, and more loving (yet successful!) versus whip-cracking, then this is the best buy on the market for you and your pooch!
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Family fun: Behavior training
By KIM BROWN World Scene Writer
Tulsa World Newspaper
How to have a great dog
According to a survey from the American Veterinary Medical Association, 53 percent of dog owners say their furry friends are considered part of the family.
And we certainly treat them that way, which can lead to some behavior problems.
Author Julie Bjelland hopes to fix those quirks with a positive approach in her new book, “Imagine Life with a Well-Behaved Dog: A 3-Step Positive Dog-Training Program”.
The experienced dog trainer offers help for the most common doggie behavioral issues: jumping to “greet” guests, chomping on shoes and furniture, and letting them walk you.
Bjelland said she wanted to come up with a way to train your dog at home using the same approaches expensive dog trainers use.
“You can actually teach your dog to listen to you,” she writes. “Having a well-behaved dog really isn’t complicated, but it does take patience, practice and consistency.”
In the book, Bjelland focuses separately on adult dogs and puppies and has designed a program, which stems from her popular Web site, www.webDogtrainer . The book is designed so you can read about a particular training method, then follow up online by asking her a question.
Her best advice is the simplest: “When you are calm, your dog becomes calmer.”
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This book is *outstanding*! SO user-friendly, covers SO many truly important, relevant topics, and is clear and precise and yet still a fun read! I recommend it for anyone who has or has ever thought about having a dog - puppy, adult, or senior! Thank you for sharing your valuable insights so publicly, Julie!
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I loved your book-wish I had it with my first dogs.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Great book–very easy to understand.
This book is perfect for the average dog owner who wants an easy to read, easy to understand book that will help them have that “well-behaved dog” or for the person who wants to learn more advanced training. After reading this book, I almost felt like I could train any dog! It has good step-by-step instruction that makes sense. The author’s approach is kind and gentle, but firm as well. You will get great results if you follow her instruction. This is a book every dog owner should own. From just the family pet to a more advanced obedience training, it has it all. You will not regret owning this book. And, the author’s offer to answer questions on her website, gives you even more personalized help. You will love it! I think it is so good, I plan to give it to my friends, who own dogs, as a gift.
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Excellent book for beginning and experienced dog owners
This is a well written easy to follow dog training book. I particularly like how the author spends time in the beginning talking about how to match one’s personality with their dog’s personality. Other dog training books I’ve tried have talked about being an assertive leader for your dog, but haven’t talked about how a passive personality and a dominate dog personality will clash. This author makes it clear that if you are a low energy and passive person you’ll be happier with an older dog and one that is also passive or shy, and your dog will be happier too.
She also spends a good amount of time explaining how much exercise is required for a dog and challenging the reader to examine if his/her lifestyle is compatible with having a dog. She also makes several good points about how one’s level of activity should match the dog’s level of activity. Particularly if you are gone all day and don’t have energy for an active dog, you’d do better with an older dog. She makes a great case for adopting older dogs which has really made me rethink the myth that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.
The training section is easy to read and the steps are broken down so that they are easy to follow and implement. I particularly like her reminders to remain calm, clear, and consistent. The book has lots of real life cases and how the author has helped people overcome issues with their dogs. I find these extremely helpful in understanding why my dogs behave as they do and how my fears, anxieties and emotions impact their behavior.
Particularly helpful in this book is that the author gives lots of examples of how we inadvertently reinforce negative behavior by giving in to our dogs. Many of the dog books I’ve read talked about being the leader, but this author shows how we undermine our leadership in our house and elsewhere and what we can do to get it back. A good example is how when your dog wants something and barks we give it, then we end up having a dog that barks excessively because we’ve always given them attention or the reward when they bark. She gives some very good ways to stop such behavior by redirecting the dog and leaving the room, and making the dogs wait until their calm before giving them food, and attention.
All in all I found the book VERY helpful. We have 3 dogs of various ages and I’ve seen a dramatic change in our dog’s behavior when I remember to be calm. The book has made it clear to me how we have confused our dogs by our family members giving in and not being consistent and now that we have started to work together as a family on being consistent with the dogs it has helped a great deal.
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I liked your holistic positive approach…your [book] description sold me…I originally went to buy a Cesar Milan book but your description seemed to be my style..Also posted you on my facebook on best dog books I have read…
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An easy read packed full of helpful content!
Solid book. I loved it! It is well organized, well outlined, well written, and packed with great content. The book has an introduction and 9 chapters as follows:
0. Introduction: About the book, me and my dog
1. Adopting a dog
2. Preparing for a new dog
3. Step 1: Getting ready for obedience
4. Step 2: Training begins
5. Step 3: Advancing your training
6. Behavior modification
7. Special situations
8. Fun things to do with your dog
9. Conclusion: Let’s save lives together
The book includes a 3-step positive dog-training program. The author is a professional dog trainer who has impressive credentials as dog trainers go. And she has loads of experience doing what she talks about in this book. Besides being a published author on the subject, she is also the creator and owner of an online coaching service you learn about in the book. The book and the author’s Web site seem to be partners in helping wanta-be dog owners and actual dog owners become better pet owners.
It is hard to believe, but this book is a “one-size-fits-all” kind of book. Regardless of who you are, what breed of dog you have, what age of dog you have, or what activity level of dog you have, this book will help you be a better owner and your dog be better behaved. You not only learn what to do, but why you are doing it. And for me, that is the best kind of training or coaching that can be delivered.
The information contained in this book is consistent with dog training I have experienced in the past. When I was age 10 my family adopted a Hungarian Puli that was 6 months old at the time. My folks promptly enrolled my dog and me in a dog training class offered at the local YMCA. I was actually too young to enroll (age 12 was the cutoff), but an exception was made for me. My dog won the class dog show competition (final exam), and went on to compete in a dog show or two thereafter. Smokey (my puli) was my first dog. And what a joy he was.
So if you are thinking of getting a dog, or already have one that is not well behaved, then I highly recommend this book. It is an easy read packed full of helpful content. 5 stars!
PS. The author offers in the book to provide email counseling to purchasers of the book. Just a half-hour counseling session normally would cost more than the price of this book. What a deal!
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I read this book and through the exercises not only did I better train my dog, but it helped me to develop a closer bond to my dog. I definitely approved of the positive approach in training the book uses as well as enjoyed the personal touch the author gives the book by talking about her own dog experiences. My dog got rid of some bad habits (like chewing my son’s stuffed animals) and together we developed some good habits like playing games like “Find It” together. I have become a “dog lover” through this book and me and my dog have developed a mental as well as emotional connection. I could definitely see myself adding another dog to the family in the future (and I may even consider a senior dog as I never before realized their wonderful companionship potential). Great book. I recommend it for people who want to develop an even closer relationship to their dogs!
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Imagine Life With A Well-Behaved Dog, A 3-Step Positive Dog Training Program, by Julie A. Bjelland (St. Martin’s Griffin 2010) is available in bookstores now.
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