How to Raise the Perfect Dog: Through Puppyhood and Beyond

Unlike several reviewers here I actually enjoyed the personal and conversational tone - this is applied William Zinsser's *On Writing Well* at its best: make it personal, engage your reader, don't be afraid to use the first and second persons. Yes, the book is full of anecdotes, but Cesar uses them as illustrations, not as evidence. It's not about Junior the pit bull or Mr. President the bulldog, it's about the lessons the author has learned from hundreds of dogs throughout the years. The anecdotes make it easier for the reader to relate to the story, that's all.

There are some wishy-washy passages ("dogs are instinctual", etc), but on the whole I learned a lot from this book. It contains so much counter-intuitive information that I had show more to pause the reproduction (I had the audio version) every ten minutes or so to take notes and process what I had just heard. Ex.: you don't pick the puppy that comes running into your lap (that's a high energy dog, only suitable for trainers and people with lots of free time and patience); you don't introduce the dog to your whole house on the very first day (he must learn that *you* are the pack leader and owner of the territory); it's better to adopt a "no talk, no touch, no eye contact" policy in the first days (it avoids overexciting the dog and teaches him that he must *earn* your affection).

Maybe some of it is hogwash. And I have no idea what the results are *relative* to other training philosophies. But that's a guy who's successfully trained hundreds of dogs whereas I failed miserably with the three dogs I owned as a kid (a Belgian Malinois, a Weimaraner, and a Brazilian Terrier, all of whom deserved better). I'm probably better off following Cesar's advice than doing whatever *feels natural* or whatnot. And that’s probably true for most owners. show less

My dream is of a world where there are fewer dogs accidentally biting children, fewer dog altercations, and no more fatal dog attacks. By socializing your puppy to dogs and people when she is young and making sure her manners are in order with both species, you are not only shaping a better life for the both of you, you are also contributing to the pro-dog society that I am committed to helping build. p. 228

The quote above is just about as Cesar Milan as a person can get. When I was looking for puppy books, I kept finding the same thing over and over again. When I hit Cesar's books, I found the motherload. He intertwines that puppy stuff with Cesar...he takes you into the wolf pack to see how dogs have evolved and WHY certain training show more techniques work better than others. This makes so much sense to me and is a peaceful, gentle way to train a puppy. show less

I started this book along with a book by Dr. Ian Dunbar and a book on researched based behavior modification strategies (Excel-erated Learning) -the last of which i gravitated to. I'm not sure i continue to believe in the Alpha-dog theory of training. Not because of any bias against Mr. Milan but just because I suspect that the domestication of dogs (over hundreds of thousands of years -with at least two generations per year possible... Has changed the domestic dog into an animal that is not quite so much wolf as he once was (if ever he was)... Dog yes -social yes- but needing oppressive alpha management with every breath -no.
Regardless -the voice was easy to listen to and felt authoritative... I might pick up one of his books again at show more a later date -but my puppy is working well in my current program and i dont see sny reason tho change things up at this point. show less

Cesar is good for his primary focus, to make sure dogs are well behaved family members. This one was great in that he raised puppies from different breeds to talk about the differences. I am however not a big fan of Cesar in that he is a bit one-note to me in that his focus is on making sure the dog behaves instead of going beyond basic dog training and preventing problems. I get it, that is of primary importance with dogs, but there are lots of books that cover that topic, so if you have one or more books that cover that, then, do you need one more?

Cesar is good for his primary focus, to make sure dogs are well behaved family members. This one was great in that he raised puppies from different breeds to talk about the differences. I am however not a big fan of Cesar in that he is a bit one-note to me in that his focus is on making sure the dog behaves instead of going beyond basic dog training and preventing problems. I get it, that is of primary importance with dogs, but there are lots of books that cover that topic, so if you have one or more books that cover that, then, do you need one more?

This book is very insightful. Cesar looks at nearly all aspects of having a young puppy enter your life. He attempts to equip you for the experience.

Our younger sons and I began watching the first season of his television series as I began reading this book. I have now finished watching the first season, along with having finished this book.

It is our hope that we will use much of Cesar's wisdom to mold our young pup into a well-adjusted, happy, well-behaved family pet. I am finding that I am a much better pet owner this time; better at caring for the pet, as well as better at guiding it toward proper and acceptable behaviour. My husband has commented that out of all seven people in our family, that I am doing the best and not sending show more any mixed messages to our young whelp.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is thinking about or has just purchased a puppy. I recalled pet ownership as not being a walk on Easy Street. It is very similar to parenting. This book, though, arms the reader and causes one to think about things before experiencing them. show less

Dogs begin learning about your authority from the first moment that they meet you. In this book, Cesar walks people through the process of preparing for your puppy, picking out a dog, introducing your new puppy to your home and setting boundaries.

Cesar recommends picking a dog with the lower energy level than you have, so you’ll always be able to give your dog enough time and attention. You also need to make sure your home and life is ready for a dog before you commit to raising one.

I would highly recommend reading this BEFORE you get a dog. There are so many important tips that I would have liked to know before we brought out dog home. It turns out we did most things right, but there are some things we would have done differently. show more The book is incredibly helpful no matter what stage you are in with your dog, but would be most beneficial for soon-to-be owners. show less