The Culture Clash: A Revolutionary New Way to Understanding the Relationship Between Humans and Domestic Dogs

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(5 stars) - This is a must read if you have recently rescued a dog
I wish I had purchased this book first; before the four other books on dog training and behavior. Jean Donaldson explains her theories and techniques clearly and succinctly. It really helped me understand how to tackle our german shepherd's fears and anxiety, and gave me a good idea of why he had been in 2 shelters and 3 (maybe 4) homes before we adopted him at about 14 months old. Ms. Donaldson writes beautifully and has a delightful sense of humor and optimism. If you own a dog or are considering adopting one, read this book! It will make your relationship with your dog so much nicer.

StarMark Clicker
Karen Pryor, Getting Started: Clicker Training for Dogs Kit
Designer Quick Access Treat 'N Training Bag - Colors May VaryPremier Busy Buddy Tug-a-Jug,Medium/Large

(5 stars) - A must read for every dog owner
This is a must read for all dog owners. Jean Donaldson does a great job explaining in layman's terms how dogs learn, and why they behave the way they do. People need to stop humanizing dogs, their emotions, and intentions and realize that they are still animals. This book was informative and entertaining. I work in the veterinary field and will definitely recommend this book to anyone with dog behavior questions.

(5 stars) - GREAT DOG BEHAVIOR BOOK
As a Dog Trainer and Canine Behaviorist, I have read many, many books on canine behavior and training. This book is one of best I have ever read. The dog training and veterinary behaviorist world also acknowledge this book as an icon. It is well written, sensible, and an enjoyable read. If you are a canine professional or just want to understand your dog better, this book will be invaluable. Buy it!!

(5 stars) - A Powerful, Useful Book for Anyone Who Owns a Dog
This is an extremely well-written and useful book. It's also heavy-hitting in the sense that is emphasizes the work involved in responsible dog ownership. The author, Jean Donaldson, pulls no punches. She says, for example: "It is my overwhelming experience that [dog] owners who absolutely demand fast fixes to undesirable behavior need to downgrade from organic to plush animals. Dogs are time-intensive and not for every body. It is a huge privilege to own one, and we've got to start feeling some obligation to do right by them." And she certainly provides the detailed carefully-thought-out advice to enable anyone who is willing to take the time and trouble to do just that. At the same time, she is not sentimental about dogs and does not anthropomorphize them. As the title of her book indicates, she emphasizes that dogs and humans belong to entirely different species that do not naturally live harmoniously together,that dogs are predators with "small, smooth, lemon-sized brains" but, as she says, "I like them anyway." Indeed, her realistic, unsentimental affection for dogs shines through this book.

The whole book is packed with detailed, useful advice, but the final chapter in particular is worth the price of the whole book. This chapter, "The Nuts and Bolts of Obedience Training," takes six fundamental commands/behaviors(sit, down, stay, stand, recall/come, and heel)and breaks them down into training levels: kindergarten level through college and even PhD level. Detailed advice is given for each level. The useful (but often ignored) distinction between heeling and loose-leash walking is also explained and illuminated. (The only better advice on heeling that I have found anywhere is in Morgan Specter's book "Clicker Training for Obedience.")

The book also gives excellent advice on playing with your dog. Especially useful for me was her discussion of "predatory games" such as tug-of-war. Since most dogs I've ever owned have been big and powerful (bull-terriers, a bloodhound, Rhodesian ridgeback, German shepherd and shepherd mixes, and now a Newfie) I have until now tended to avoid games which I believed encouraged aggression and could get out of hand. Donaldson points out that such games are highly motivating for dogs, that many dogs prefer playing tug to any kind of food reward, and that's it's a pity for trainers to deprive themselves of this motivating power. The whole point is to teach the dog to play by the rules, your rules, and at the same time to teach the dog to obey even when s/he's in a highly aroused state.
Along the same lines, she points out that motivating fun like chasing squirrels and rabbits, playing with other dogs etc. should be identified and named and then deliberately put into the training schedule as rewards. ("Good dog. Now go chase rabbits" etc.)

Donaldson is informed about clicker training, but she does not write as if no other method of successfully training a dog is possible.

(1 stars) - Just opinions & where is the science?
After reading just 10 pages, I decided that it would be waste of my time to read more. First, she states that dogs are incapable of observational learning. Well, I just wrote an article that talks about observational learning in dogs by citing scientific peer review journals. So, J. Donaldson didn't get that right. Perhaps the research about observational learning in dogs came after she wrote Culture Clash. Second, she states that dogs are incapable of abstract thinking, etc. Now, how does she know that? I doubt that there is any research to date that is able to tap into a dog's cognition. Studying human cognition is complicated enough. But dogs? Anyway, for someone who is into science, this book is a disappointment.

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