Imagine Life with a Well-Behaved Dog: A 3-Step Positive Dog-Training Program

A Happy, Healthy, Holistic Way to Train

This book impresses on every level! Julie Bjelland has infused clear-cut, easy-to-follow canine training steps and tips with a refreshing positive psychology approach. A truly holistic work, her book is extremely user friendly, detailed without being at all tedious, and delightfully personable - the reader is gently but confidently led through all the training measures and many other valuable topics in a style that reflects the author's own calm, sincere manner. Whether you're looking for a puppy, re-training an adult dog, or considering saving a senior pooch, this book is entirely appropriate. Julie Bjelland leaves no stone unturned, no corner darkened in her book, including step-by-step guides to training various behaviors and tips for adoption. As a current adoptive parent of a puppy, an adult dog, and a senior canine, I was in dire need of addressing all my doggies' various needs and only this book covered all those bases for all three of my dogs. The training guides and tips alone are worth the purchase, but there is so much more valuable information that truly makes this book a gem! If you want an experience far more positive versus boot camp, more holistic versus one-note, more loving versus whip-cracking, then this is the best buy on the market for you and your pooch!

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Excelent Book!

What a wonderful book. I love the way Julie uses personal examples throghout the book. Very detailed on behavior modification, training (expecially liked reading Dog's body language), and obedience. If you are ever frustraited by your dogs behavior, don't despair, pick up this book and you will find the answers you need.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

A great book, easy to understand.

This book is perfect for the average dog owner who wants an easy to read, easy to understand book that will help them have that "well-behaved dog" or for the person who wants to learn more advanced training. After reading this book, I almost felt like I could train any dog! It has good step-by-step instruction that makes sense. The author's approach is kind and gentle, but firm as well. You will get great results if you follow her instruction. This is a book every dog owner should own. From just the family pet to a more advanced obedience training, it has it all. You will not regret owning this book. And, the author's offer to answer questions on her website, gives you even more personalized help. You will love it! I think it is so good, I plan to give it to my friends, who own dogs, as a gift.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Great resource for the entire family!

Whether your personal reading style is to begin from front cover to back, or if you plan to use this book on an "as needed" Q&A resource, I highly recommend it for you and your entire family. My 11 1/2 year old read most of the book and gave me pointers when she saw that I wasn't giving positive reinforcement! This book is ideal for a broad range of circumstances; whether you are thinking of adopting a pet and need assistance choosing the right pet for your family, struggling with the training issues of puppies vs. elderly dogs, or the simple (yet frustrating) obedience training. If you have a child pressuring you for a new pet, I highly recommend you sit down together and review this book. It will help you and your child understand the level of attention, affection, and dedication required (and costs associated with) adopting a new pet. Julie's writing style is easy to read and understand, and best yet, if you need further clarification on anything, or assistance with something not covered in her book, it comes with personalized online support directly with Julie on her own website!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Reading this book can be a blessing for you and your dog

Owning a dog adds such a joy to our life! This joy can increase leaps and bounds if we know how to communicate and understand our canine friends. `Imagine life with a Well-behaved Dog' is a fantastic guide for anyone who already owns a dog and needs to train or a newbie who is looking for some insight into how to adopt a dog and become a happy pet owner. Julie Bjelland's book is a valuable resource full of details on where to look (and where not to look!) when you are searching for a puppy (or an adult dog) for adoption. Reading this book can be a blessing for you and your dog. This book is a must have guide for any dog owner or a would-be dog owner.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

The Best Dog Training Book! Must Read!

This is the BEST dog training book we have read. Easy to read and learn how to train and care for your new dog. Step by step instruction book for doggies!We, Furry Friends Rescue, highly recommend all our dog foster homes, volunteers and adopters to read this book (experienced or not) to understand how to train the new dog and arms you with knowledge to train the dog with simple steps that the dog will understand. All positive training. The dog will learn much faster and adjust to your home with no confusion. Read this book first before you adopt a dog. Great job!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Excellent for the first time do owner

This is a well written easy to follow dog training book. I particularly like how the author spends time in the beginning talking about how to match one's personality with their dog's personality. Other dog training books I've tried have talked about being an assertive leader for your dog, but haven't talked about how a passive personality and a dominate dog personality will clash. This author makes it clear that if you are a low energy and passive person you'll be happier with an older dog and one that is also passive or shy, and your dog will be happier too.

She also spends a good amount of time explaining how much exercise is required for a dog and challenging the reader to examine if his/her lifestyle is compatible with having a dog. She also makes several good points about how one's level of activity should match the dog's level of activity. Particularly if you are gone all day and don't have energy for an active dog, you'd do better with an older dog. She makes a great case for adopting older dogs which has really made me rethink the myth that you can't teach an old dog new tricks.

The training section is easy to read and the steps are broken down so that they are easy to follow and implement. I particularly like her reminders to remain calm, clear, and consistent. The book has lots of real life cases and how the author has helped people overcome issues with their dogs. I find these extremely helpful in understanding why my dogs behave as they do and how my fears, anxieties and emotions impact their behavior.

Particularly helpful in this book is that the author gives lots of examples of how we inadvertently reinforce negative behavior by giving in to our dogs. Many of the dog books I've read talked about being the leader, but this author shows how we undermine our leadership in our house and elsewhere and what we can do to get it back. A good example is how when your dog wants something and barks we give it, then we end up having a dog that barks excessively because we've always given them attention or the reward when they bark. She gives some very good ways to stop such behavior by redirecting the dog and leaving the room, and making the dogs wait until their calm before giving them food, and attention.

All in all I found the book VERY helpful. We have 3 dogs of various ages and I've seen a dramatic change in our dog's behavior when I remember to be calm. The book has made it clear to me how we have confused our dogs by our family members giving in and not being consistent and now that we have started to work together as a family on being consistent with the dogs it has helped a great deal.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

An Excellent Reference for Compassionate Dog Training

I have not yet had a chance to sit down and read the entire book and appreciate that the index provides a range of topics which help to glean information quickly. One of my adolescent Pommies is still having issues with housebreaking and the instructions in the book help me get organized on the training components. Another thing I like about the book is the respect for animals and their welfare. How we treat animals translates to how we treat ourselves and others, so treat your dog good! Thank you, Julie!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Informative, Thorough, and 100% Non-Intimidating

I pulled this book from the library as I considered adopting a dog. Even though I didn't yet own a dog, the information was presented in such an interesting, non-intimidating way that I couldn't help but read the book cover to cover in a day or so. I found so much useful information that I purchased the book as soon as I decided to adopt a dog. I've reread many of the chapters and have referred back to the information on a regular basis. Ms. Bjelland's explanations are clear and concise. She presents the material in a manner which gives the owner confidence...instilling the same in the pup. So far, using Ms. Bjelland's advice, my new pup has adjusted well and is already learning many basic commands. I would have rated this book high based on the printed material alone. However, what impressed me even more was the fact that when I contacted Ms. Bjelland through the website listed in the book, she responded to my question almost immediately (within hours). I really had no expectation of a response at all. So, to receive a thoughtful response within hours was just fantastic. Clearly, I'd recommend this book to any current or prospective owner!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Great book!

This book is wonderful! It offers very detailed information on how to train your puppy and even offers incite on how to help break bad habits in your already grown dog. She is with you every step of the way through the book and even online! If there is any question about anything concerning you and your puppy or anything in her book it is easy to contact her and ask your question. She is wonderful at getting back to you in a quick and timely fashion. I would highly recommend this book!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Must have reference book for any dog owner.

I read this book before adopting a dog and I felt so much more equipped once we got our 12 week old puppy home. Right off the bat we were able to train him being clear, calm and consistent and the results have been incredible. I don't know why I hadn't heard about this book before.

Awesome Book...

I read three books including Cesar Millan, The Dog Whisperer, in preparation for training our puppy. Julie's advice is spot-on. When I encountered an issue with continued "nipping", Julie even responded to my on-line inquiry offering her personal advice for my situation... within one hour. Oh my goodness! Who does that these days? Buy the book, you won't be disappointed.

Great book for a new puppy owner!!

My family just adopted an 8 week old labradoodle. We have never had a puppy before. This book has been helpful for my whole family. We have a long way to go with our puppy and I refer to this book daily.

Incredibly helpful book--highly recommended!

This book was incredibly helpful in showing me how to create a tighter, stronger bond with my dog while aiding our communication and helping me teach him what I expected of him in a positive manner. The author guides you through each exercise and issue in a clear, concise manner, and walks you through all the things you need in order to have a "well-behaved dog." I would highly recommend this book to anyone!

Great first time owner book!

This book is very good and easy to understand for first time dog owners. I have had many, but this is the first as an adult!

Julie helps keep it simple and easy to understand as well as implement. I especially love the FAQ in each chapter. They answered questions similar to my own.

This is a must read for dog owners!

Great resource!

As a new dog owner, this book is a great resource, as it covers a wide range of helpful information from potty training to basic training!

Useful from the first sentence

Both myself and my spouse were raised with dogs. My father bred and trained dobermans, and her family showed dogs. Still, in just the first page there was quite a lot of information that change our approach to our next dog. Well worth your time. Highly recommended.

Wonderful Training Resource, Generous Author!

Julie Bjelland is a former employee of Guide Dogs for the Blind and generously donated several copies of this wonderful book to our organization. It has been very well received as a tremendous resource, thank you!!

A great guide for all stages!

The author donated copies of this book to The Grey Muzzle Organization to help raise funds for homeless senior dogs. We were extremely glad to have this book in our library: it's an excellent guide, starting with where to find a new dog (she encourages looking at rescues and shelters), how to do positive training, and includes special topics like dog parks (I love that she points out that dog parks are not for excercising overly-excited dogs, they are for socializing), multi-dog families, and senior dogs. Really covers pretty much everything the typical dog guardian needs to know about creating a great relationship with their dog!

"Must have" for every dog owner

Thank you for writing Life with a Well-behaved Dog!! I purchased the book for continuous improvement for myself and my pack. With 4 dogs we learn together and it's interesting to read Julie's book which brings back the basics in training. There are no clickers or special collars (Gentle leader but it has its purpose), just a collar and different length leashes creating a positive approach. I really enjoyed her book, it's easy to read and she clearly describes her techniques very well. Her chapters on behavior issues are great, she takes a nice approach to understand dog's behavior and it usually stems from the dog's lack of leadership and the confidence of their owner. I volunteer at a no-kill shelter in North Pole, Alaska and while reading her book we adopted our 4th dog, a retired sled dog. I contacted Julie and she graciously donated $503.72 of her books to Loving Companions and that didn't include the shipment up to Alaska. I see people drop-off or return dogs for behavior issue that would only take them a few weeks to change after reading her book. The dogs pick up on what we consider "bad habits" or behavior problems by owners who don't understand dogs or how they learn. I highly recommend Imagine Life with a Well-behaved Dog for all dog owners who want to enjoy life with their dog(s). There is nothing better than being able to control your dog off leash and watching them explore new surroundings safely. Our newest dog is picking up fast by using her positive training approach and he is enjoying his new life in the house with a pack he can call family!