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- Verified Buyer
This book completely changed how I interact with my dogs. I want everyone in the world to read this book and treat their dogs better. My mom gave me this book to read and I read it outloud to my husband on a long roadtrip. He was completely changed by it as well. I think we both just kind of had an epiphany while reading and trying to understand what she is saying in this book. This book is a better outline on how to train your dog and leaves out a lot of the biography that is in the first book (brown book), but like the first book this is a book that tries to explain how to treat your dog and why. The process can't be a bulleted list. Its not a list because its real life and requires real dedication and daily love. After reading this book, I realize that I don't have to raise my voice or use physical punishment like I've been told by "trainers." I have an English bulldog and I had an incredibly hard time training him despite the help of multiple "trainers." At the age of 4 and 5 he was still having accidents in the house despite using the methods they recommended. The truth is that yelling, screaming, hitting, shoving his nose in excrement and acting like a psycho is the wrong way to communicate. All the while he wasn't getting enough interaction, mental stimulation, and exercise (bulldogs are not actually lazy and mine happens to be really smart). Now I understand why this never felt like a natural way to interact with him and I can see now that it was hurting my relationship with him. I don't have to prove that I'm the alpha because he already wanted me to be the alpha - instead I was some crazy lady he was forced to live with. I am so glad that I was given this book before I adopted our 2 french bulldogs. I really feel like we have an understanding and a deeper relationship - one that my English bulldog (now 8 & 1/2) has also benefitted from. I can see a world of difference in him - one that comes from being free to express my love and affection for him without worrying about what the trainers told me to do. I focus more on his happiness and make sure his needs are being fulfilled. I bought 10 more books and sent them to my mom for her to give to others who would read this book and change their relationship with their wonderful dogs for the better. I truly believe that dogs are God's most perfect image of angels - that they are sent here for us to love and protect - that he entrusts their souls to us. If we can be even a little bit as good as our dogs are, then we will be closer to heaven. My dogs fill a void in my life that humans could never, and I owe the ability to have a loving relationship - that doesn't involve brutal training methods - to Tamar Gellar and this wonderful book. I promise you that these methods work - much like teaching a child in an encouraging environment. I often visualize my dogs as a child that doesn't speak English - this allows me to be patient with them - and completely amazed when they display their brilliance. It is real love and, truthfully, so much fun to explore the world with them in this way. Thank you again Tamar for writing this book and changing the world with your message.