There are so many dog training books on the market today. Where do you start? We have searched through the best dog training books to bring you a comprehensive list. Best seller lists and reader reviews contributed to how we picked the best dog training books to feature here. We listed these based on their total reviews, and if there was a tie in the ratings, we listed the book with the most reviews first. If you’ve read any of these, we’d love to hear your review or comments below! Click Here to see Amazon Best Sellers – Dog Training Books.
1. Don’t Dump the Dog: Outrageous Stories and Simple Solutions to Your Worst Dog Behavior Problems Shop
by Randy Grim
Rated 4.7 out of 163 customer reviews
Is your dog driving your crazy? Thought about returning your pet? Randy takes letters that he’s received to address problems like excessive barking, using the bathroom in the house, playing with other dogs, chewing, escaping from the yard and more. This dog training book is presented in a funny, easy-to-read manner that makes the book enjoyable. Read more reviews or buy here
2. The Other End of the Leash: Why We Do What We Do Around Dogs Shop
by Patricia B. McConnell
Rated 4.7 out of 747 customer reviews
This dog training book doesn’t focus on steps to get your dog to sit, rollover, stay, etc. Instead, it looks at the dog owner’s behavior compared to dogs and how we communicate. This dog training book will cover topics like: how to use your voice to get a positive response from your dog, why dominating your dog may not be the best plan, how to play with your dog in ways that are fun and positive, and why dogs want to live with good, benevolent leaders instead of alpha leaders. Read more detailed reviews or purchase here
3. Puppy Training Guide 4th Edition: The Ultimate Handbook to Train Your Puppy in Obedience, Crate Training and Potty Training Shop
by James J Jackson
Rated 4.2 out of 221 customer reviews
You’re about to discover the fundamentals of obedience training, crate training and potty training. There are outlined pointers that will introduce you to the very essence of training your puppy. In addition, the guidelines that you will find within this book will enable you to have full control over your puppy through proper commands. This will also teach you how to properly motivate your puppy in times of accidents and discouragement. In this book, only the most efficient, effective, and stress-free strategies are given in order to give the reader the best value for his money. As such, it is only fitting that only the major issues and problems that may arise as a result of obedience, crate, and potty training are thoroughly discussed. By consistently practicing the strategies outlined in this book, you will be able to properly train your puppy without putting it into unnecessary stress and suffering. Read more review or purchase here.
4. Good Owners, Great Dogs Shop
by Brian Kilcommons
Rated 4.6 out of 306 customer reviews
Brian Kilcommons solves all those “bad dog” problems that drive owners crazy-and shows you how to raise a puppy into a happy, perfectly behaved dog. The trick is to understand how dogs think, read their body language, and, with the secrets Kilcommons shares in this book, be “fun, fair, and firm.” A dog-training guide that gives you immediate results even with an adult dog, this manual trains you, as it gives owners everything they need and everything dogs need to become… Good Owners, Great Dogs Includes specific tips on how to: * housebreak both puppies and adult dogs * teach your dog to come to you regardless of what he’s doing * end annoying habits like jumping, food stealing, and barking * prevent aggression and, in many cases, stop it after it has become a problem * use games to teach your dog to obey …and much more. Read more reviews or purchase here.
5. How to Raise a Puppy You Can Live With Shop
by Clarice Rutherford
Rated 4.6 out of 222 customer reviews
How to Raise a Puppy You Can Live With explains how puppies develop in mind and body from birth through one year of age. You ll learn what the breeder should do before you get your puppy, how to select the right puppy, puppy temperament testing, and what to do when you get your new puppy home. Rutherford takes you step-by-step through raising a well-adjusted, well-mannered puppy, including positive dog training lessons on basic obedience, behavior modification for puppies, and how to correct and prevent common problem behaviors. She explains the calming signals dogs use, canine body language, and how to use your understanding of those when training your puppy. Read more reviews or purchase here.
6. Water Dog: Revolutionary Rapid Training Method Shop
by Richard Wolters
Rated 4.7 out of 195 customer reviews
The classic bestselling training manual for the person with limited time who wants to train a working retriever fast. Containing revolutionary scientific information on the mental development of your pet, Water Dog is a step by step training book with no extraneous material. It covers everything from the day you get your puppy to the finished dog, showing you the complete training procedures step by step in picture sequence.
It will show you not only what to expect of your dog but what your dog can expect of you. Full of information about using the right commands and utilizing the Dummy-Launch, a training device co-developed by the author, this how-to guide will make training easy, fast, and fun—for you and your dog. Read more reviews or purchase here.
7. 101 Dog Tricks: Step by Step Activities to Engage, Challenge, and Bond with Your Dog Shop
by Kyra Sundance
Rated 4.5 out of 1205 customer reviews
#1 Best Seller in Dog Training
This beautifully designed book features step-by-step instructions with easy to follow color photos of each step. Each trick is rated with a difficulty rating and prerequisites to get you started quickly. Tips and trouble-shooting boxes cover common problems, while “build-on” ideas suggest more complicated tricks which build on each new skill. Tricks range from simple ones like Sit, Shake Hands, Fetch, and Roll Over, to extraordinary ones like Tidy Up Your Toys into the Toybox, and Get a Soda from the Fridge. Millions of people have found success with Kyra Sundance’s step-by-step techniques and you can too. Read more reviews or purchase here.
8. The Art of Raising a Puppy (Revised Edition) Shop
by Monks of New Skete
Rated 4.6 out of 1040 customer reviews
In their two now-classic bestsellers, How to be Your Dog’s Best Friend and THE ART OF RAISING A PUPPY, the Monks draw on their experience as long-time breeders of German shepherds and as trainers of dogs of all breeds to provide–brilliantly distilled–the indispensable information and advice that every dog owner needs. This new edition of THE ART OF RAISING A PUPPY features new photographs throughout, along with updated chapters on play, crating, adopting dogs from shelters and rescue organizations, raising dogs in an urban environment, and the latest developments in canine health and canine behavioral theory. Read more reviews or purchase here.
9. The Puppy Primer Shop
by Patricia B McConnell & Brenda Scidmore
Rated 4.6 out of 272 customer reviews
Trainer favorite! Engaging, humorous and easy to follow, the updated Puppy Primer is packed with positive reinforcement tips and tricks, special topics and more. This updated and expanded version of our best-selling Puppy Primer is used by thousands of trainers across the U.S. New dog owners love it because it provides clear and concise information that makes training effective and fun. It’s tone is upbeat and encouraging, yet it is chock full of even more useful information that every puppy owner needs. Includes sections on Socialization – Positive Reinforcement – House Training – Crate Training – Handling/Collar Touch – How to Stop Unwanted Behavior – Helping Puppies Conquer Their Fears – How Play Teaches Obedience and Emotional Control – How Not to Play! – Lots of New Tricks and Games – Adolescence. Read more reviews or purchase here.
10. Dog Training: Complete Guide to Training Your Dog or Puppy To Be Obedient and Well Behaved Shop
by Renee Harvey
Rated 3.6 out of 62 customer reviews
Do you want to know how to train your dog to be obedient? Do you have a new puppy and want to make sure it’s well behaved? Who said you can’t teach an old dog new tricks?Inside we give you the perfect guide to training your dog in all of the basic aspects of how you want your dog to behave. After applying this guide you will have the perfect dog ready to take commands from you at any time. Read more reviews or purchase here.
11. Training the Best Dog Ever: A 5-Week Program Using the Power of Positive Reinforcement Shop
by Larry Kay
Rated 4.3 out of 377 customer views
Training the Best Dog Ever features a program of positive reinforcement and no-fail techniques that author Dawn Sylvia-Stasiewicz used to train the White House dog, Bo Obama, and each of Senator Ted Kennedy’s dogs, among countless others. Training the Best Dog Ever relies on trust and treats, not choke collars; on bonding, not leash-yanking or reprimanding. The five-week training program takes only 10 to 20 minutes of practice a day and works both for puppies and for adult dogs that need to be trained out of bad habits. Illustrated with step-by-step photographs, the book covers hand-feeding; crate and potty training; and basic cues—sit, stay, come here—as well as more complex goals, such as bite inhibition and water safety. It shows how to avoid or correct typical behavior problems, including jumping, barking, and leash-pulling. Plus: how to make your dog comfortable in the world—a dog that knows how to behave in a vet’s office, is at ease around strangers, and more. In other words, the best dog ever. Read more reviews or purchase here
12. How to Be Your Dog’s Best Friend: The Classic Training Manual for Dog Owners (Revised & Updated Edition) Shop
by Monks of New Skete
Rated 4.5 out of 474 customer reviews
For nearly a quarter century, How to Be Your Dog’s Best Friend has been the standard against which all other dog-training books have been measured. The Monks of New Skete have achieved international renown as breeders of German shepherds and as outstanding trainers of dogs of all breeds. Their unique approach to canine training, developed and refined over three decades, is based on the philosophy that “understanding is the key to communication, compassion, and communion” with your dog. The importance of honest and effective communication with your dog is underscored throughout this guide, especially in the practical training exercises: a detailed, comprehensive, fully illustrated obedience course through which the monks lead you (and your dog) step-by-step. How to Be Your Dog’s Best Friend covers virtually every aspect of living with and caring for your dog. Read more reviews or purchase here.
13. On Talking Terms With Dogs: Calming Signals Shop
by Turid Rugaas
Rated 4.4 out of 686 customer reviews
Norwegian dog trainer and behaviorist Turid Rugaas has made it her life work to study canine social interaction. She coined the phrase calming signals to describe the social skills, sometimes referred to as body language, that dogs use to avoid conflict, invite play, and communicate a wide range of information to other dogs. Learn to identify situations that are stressful to your dog so that you can resolve or avoid them. Rehabilitate a dog that has lost her ability to read or give calming signals. Become a keen observer of canine behavior at home, in the community, and among dogs to get better behavior and build a solid relationship. This new edition has outstanding photographs with captions interpreting what you observe. Read more reviews or purchase here.
14. Be the Pack Leader: Use Cesar’s Way to Transform Your Dog . . . and Your Life Shop
by Cesar Millan
Rated 4.3 out of 620 customer reviews
Be the Pack Leader is Cesar Millan’s guide for taking your relationship with your dog to a higher level. By developing the skills necessary to become the calm-assertive owner your dog needs in order for him to live a balanced, fulfilled life, you’ll improve your dog’s behavior and your own life as well. Be the Pack Leader is filled with practical tips and techniques, including:
• How to use calm-assertive energy in relating to your dog—and to others around you
• The truth about behavioral tools, from leashes and harnesses to clickers and e-collars
• How to satisfy the needs of your dog’s breed
• Success stories from Cesar’s clients, viewers, and fans—including the Grogan family of Marley & Me fame
• A quick reference guide of specific, step-by-step procedures to tackling some of the most common dog behavior problems
Read more reviews or purchase here.
15. Cesar’s Way: The Natural, Everyday Guide to Understanding and Correcting Common Dog Problems Shop
by Cesar Millan
Rated 4.4 out of 1,511 customer reviews
Tracing his own amazing journey from a clay-walled farm in Mexico to the celebrity palaces of Los Angeles, Cesar recounts how he learned what makes dogs tick. In Cesar’s Way, he shares this wisdom, laying the groundwork for you to have stronger, more satisfying relationships with your canine companions. Cesar’s formula for a contented and balanced dog seems impossibly simple: exercise, discipline, and affection, in that order. Taking readers through the basics of dog psychology and behavior, Cesar shares the inside details of some of his most fascinating cases, using them to illustrate how common behavior issues develop and, more important, how they can be corrected. Whether you’re having issues with your dog or just want to make a good bond even stronger, this book will give you a deeper appreciation of how your dog sees the world, and it will help make your relationship with your beloved pet a richer and more rewarding one. Read more reviews or purchase here.
16. Cesar’s Rules: Your Way to Train a Well-Behaved Dog Shop
by Cesar Millan
Rated 4.2 out of 318 customer reviews
“Clients usually come to me when their dogs are ruining their lives, not when they won’t sit,” says Cesar. “But everywhere I go, people are telling me they are confused about the wide variety of training options and theories out there, and they feel paralyzed because they don’t know which to choose.” Now, in his usual straightforward, confident manner, Cesar takes on the topic of training for the first time, by explaining the importance of balance as the foundation for a healthy relationship between you and your dog. In order to provide a variety of training options, he calls upon some of the foremost experts in the field to offer their advice so that you can find the perfect approach that works for you and your dog through a variety of methods. Filled with practical advice, anecdotes, tips, and trouble-shooting techniques from Cesar and his colleagues, this is the ultimate guide to a well-behaved and well-balanced dog—from a new puppy to an old dog who can still learn new tricks. Read more reviews or purchase here.
17. How to Raise the Perfect Dog: Through Puppyhood and Beyond Shop
by Cesar Millan
Rated 4.2 out of 1209 customer reviews
Cesar Millan, the preeminent dog behavior expert, says, “Yes, you can raise the perfect dog!” It all starts with the proper foundation in the early years. Here, Cesar tells you everything you need to know to create the best environment for a well-balanced dog in order to avoid behavior issues in the future, and shows you how to correct the most common behavior issues for young dogs. Based on Cesar’s own detailed experiences raising individual puppies from some of the most popular breeds, How to Raise the Perfect Dog is like having Cesar right beside you, as your own personal expert, coaching you and your dog from the first day of your life together. Packed with new information aimed specifically at the particular needs of puppies and adolescents, and written in Cesar’s friendly, accessible style, How to Raise the Perfect Dog answers all the most commonly asked questions and guides you towards a loving, satisfying life-long relationship with your best friend. Read more reviews or purchase here.
18. How to Housebreak Your Dog in 7 Days (Revised) Shop
by Shirlee Kalstone
Rated 4.0 out of 496 customer reviews
Whether your dog is a puppy or getting on in years, whether your goal is to housebreak, paper train, or litter train, this practical, easy-to-follow plan will help you transform your pet into a dependable member of the household–in a way that works with both his innate behavioral instincts and your individual lifestyle. You’ll never again have to worry about your dog acting out, feeling anxious or depressed–or ruining your brand-new rug–as you discover:
- The simple secret of successful housebreaking–understanding your dog as a den dweller
- Step-by-step programs tailored to both apartment dwellers and home owners, as well as to people who go to work, versus those who are home all day
- Schedules for training puppies and (re)training adult dogs
- How to identify your dog’s natural behavioral rhythms–and use them to your advantage
- How to cope with housebreaking lapses, marking territory, separation anxiety, and health problems
- The power of praise and positive reinforcement, not punishment
Read more reviews or purchase here
19. Puppy Training: How to Housebreak Your Puppy In Just 7 Days (puppy training, dog training, puppy house breaking, puppy housetraining, house training a puppy,) Shop
by Ken Phillips
Rated 4.0 out of 68 customer reviews
Let’s face it, no one wants to spend months housebreaking their pup when he’s pottying all over the house. Especially when you realize other people are getting it done easily and painlessly in as little as 7 days. The old method of yelling, spanking, or even pushing your dog’s nose into it’s pee or poop is one of the worst methods you can utilize. This can cause your pup to become frightened of you. Plus experts have made very clear is that punishment is the least effective training method. In fact, it’s been proven that in most cases dogs don’t even know why they’re being punished. The truth is, you don’t need to use abusive, slow, and ineffective house training methods ever again. You’re about to learn how you can house train your puppy quickly and easily, without any yelling, hitting or stressing you and your pup. Read more reviews or purchase here.
20. The Cautious Canine-How to Help Dogs Conquer Their Fears Shop
By Patricia B. McConnell, Ph. D.
Rated 4.0 out of 314 customer reviews
So many behavioral problems in dogs result from fear, but fear-based problems can become worse if treated incorrectly. This booklet provides a step-by-step dog training program of desensitizing and counter classical conditioning. It can help you solve minor dog problems and prevent serious ones, whether your dog’s fears include the vacuum cleaner, people with hats, or the stranger at the door. Covered are the oh-so-important details related to identifying exactly what triggers your dog, creating a step-by-step treatment plan, monitoring your progress, and why you need to treat the fear and not just your dog’s reaction to the fear. This booklet is on the “Top- Ten” of Dogwise’s Dog Training Book Catalog, and has helped thousands of dogs and their owners around the country. Read more reviews or purchase here.