Five Best Dog Training Books

Owning a dog is not just a lot of fun, but has actually been proven to provide plenty of health benefits as well. They can help you to stay fit by keeping you active, reduce your stress, combat depression, and even improve your social life as studies have shown that dog owners tend to make friends more easy. Of course, owning a dog is not all fun and games as you also have a responsibility towards your canine companion when it comes to food and shelter. However, one aspect of owning a dog that is often overlooked is their training. Training your dog properly may once have been considered a luxury, but we now know how essential it is when it comes to preventing behavioral issues. With proper training you can ensure that you have build up a positive relationship with your dog and earned their loyalty as well as companionship. When it comes to the best dog training books available, check out these five to help you with the task.

Zak George's Dog Training Revolution: The Complete Guide To Raising The Perfect Pet With Love

by Zak George with Dina Roth Port

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Zak-Georges-Dog-Training-Revolution/dp/160774891…

If you still think that dog training involves fear or punishment, then Zak George's Dog Training Revolution will be an eye-opener. For those not familiar with Zak, he is not just an excellent dog trainer, but also a firm believer in positive reinforcement. Zak also knows something that a lot of other guides seem to ignore, which is that dogs all have unique traits as well as their own energy levels. By educating you on how to tailor your training to your dog you are able to not only get better results, but also keep your dog happy throughout the process. Zak George's Dog Training Revolution covers everything from the very basics like house-training, barking and chewing to things like traveling tips and the types of activities that you can enjoy with your job. The book also works great in conjunction with his Zak's YouTube channel, so you will actually be able to see some of the advice he gives in action if you go online. 

Lucky Dog Lessons: Train Your Dog in 7 Days

by Brandon McMillan

Link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062479024/

Brand McMillan is another big name in the dog training world and anyone who has seen this celebrity dog trainer in action with his CBS show Lucky Dog, will know that he is able to perform miracles with his methods. McMillan has had a lot of success with transforming dogs that even shelters deemed "unadoptable" into well trained and well-mannered pets. This is his first book and he doesn't hold back on any of his expert advice to get your dog not just trained, but well-trained. His approach focuses on being kind, careful and playful, so there is no need to worry about stressing out or scaring your dog. Once your dog has mastered the seven common commands, the book will also assist with tackling common behavioral problems, like barking or chewing. The photographs, illustrative examples and easy-to-follow steps all make for a book that is informative and very useful. The heartwarming stories about some of his favorite doggie "students" are also very inspirational and contribute towards making this one of the best dog training books on the market.

Don't Shoot the Dog!: The New Art of Teaching and Training

by Karen Pryor

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Dont-Shoot-Dog-Teaching-Training/dp/1860542387/

Although Don't Shoot the Dog is an older book, it still contains plenty of valuable information on how to train your dog with positive reinforcement. In fact, it was one of the few best-selling books on dog training that actually has information that is not scientifically inaccurate or based on outdated punishment-based methods. This was the findings of a doctor at the University of Waikato who actually examined some of the most popular books in the dog training category, which goes to show that even if a book is a best-seller doesn't necessarily mean it is the best choice for your dog. The information in Don't Shoot The Dog isn't just specific to dogs either, so you might just learn a thing or two about training yourself while reading the book. 

Train Your Dog Like a Pro

by Jean Donaldson

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Train-Your-Dog-Like-Pro-ebook/dp/B00DNKYMEY/

It doesn't matter what the size or age of your dog is, this book by Jean Donaldson will help you to train your pet like a pro. As with the other books on this list, Train Your Dog Like a Pro only highlights persistence, patience, as well as positive reinforcement methods for teaching your canine. The instructions in this book are all very clear and detailed, which is hardly surprising as Jean Donaldson is a three-time winner of the Maxwell Award from the Dog Writers Association of America. She is also the founding member of the Academy for Dog Trainers, so suffice to say that she knows a thing or two about working with dogs. Another thing that makes this one of the best dog training books is the fact that Jean doesn't just explain to you how to train your dog, but also to assess how well it is at performing commands and whether or not they are ready for the next step. In addition to the crystal clear instructions, this book also has accompanying videos on YouTube to keep you on the right track. 

It's Me or the Dog: How to Have the Perfect Pet

by Victoria Stilwell

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Its-Me-Dog-Have-Perfect/dp/1401308554/

It's Me or the Dog is another resource packed book with information that is clear, accessible and very easy to follow. If the name of the book sounds familiar, you might have seen her television show of the same name that aired in more than forty countries a few years back. The show cemented her reputation as an expert dog trainer and was successful enough to air more than 90 episodes in total. In addition, Stilwell has been honored with more awards than we can mention here, so you are in good hands when it comes to following her advice. It doesn't matter how problematic your dog is, with It's Me or The Dog you can be sure that Stilwell will not only help you train the animal, but also understand it a little better. There's no need to worry about dominance-based training either as Stilwell is a big advocate for science-based training and this is very clear in her book.