It's Me or the Dog
How to Have the Perfect Pet
By Victoria Stilwell Hyperion: New York (2007)
ISBN 10: 1-4013-0855-4
ISBN 13: 978-1-4013-0855-1
Reviewed by Auggie Moore - March 26, 2007
Ok. I admit it. I love my dogs and they are horribly spoiled. They also refuse to mind me unless I'm calling them to go for a walk or for a treat. Could I use some help training them, and retraining myself? The answer is a resounding, YES! To the rescue comes Victoria Stilwell in the form of her wonderfully helpful book, It's Me or the Dog: How to Have the Perfect Pet. Stilwell is a world renowned dog trainer, and she has distilled her well-honed wisdom into this wonderful guide that will help you not only train that new pup, but which will also help you teach an older dog how to behave!
This book covers everything you need to know about basic dog training from how to house-train a puppy and keep your dog from jumping on people to learning to be the top dog in your pack and teaching your dog the basics like sit, stay, come, and heel. Most important, especially for city dwellers, Stilwell teaches you how to stop your dog from barking all day while you are away earning all those dog biscuits. Throughout, Stilwell lists common, and not so common, problems that you might be having with your dog, and then provides easy to follow, step-by-step solutions to these problems. She not only explains the steps you need to take to train your dog, but also offers insights into how dogs think and why doing things one way, which might seem odd in human terms, is very logical in doggie terms. For those that don't yet have a dog, Stilwell offers advice on where to find a dog, how to choose the right type or breed of dog for your situation, feeding your dog, and how to start out on the right foot with your new companion.
It's Me or the Dog is a wonderfully insightful and practical guide to dog training. Stilwell advocates a positive training methodology that is both effective and loving. I've tried out several of her techniques on my own dogs and have noticed a marked improvement in their behavior in a very short period. I highly recommend this book to new dog owners, and those who have older dogs which are in great need of learning a few new tricks!
