How to Raise the Perfect Dog: Through Puppyhood and Beyond

This book is great--very informative, positive, and practical. I would recommend this book to anyone who is thinking about getting a puppy. As an experienced animal handler, I feel that this book is a great guide for the beginner and experienced alike. Among the things that I find particularly useful are the careful, step-by-step instructions, specific examples from puppies that Millan raised while working on this book, discussions from experienced breeders and dog trainers, and an extensive appendix of suggestions for further reading. The only thing not in the book that I would have loved would be a more thorough discussion of integrating the new puppy into a home that has older dogs already. While there is some discussion of this, it is not enough to provide the guidance I really would like.While some dog trainers will denounce Millan's methods as archaic and harsh, I would encourage readers to keep an open mind. While Millan does not employ a positive-reinforcement-only approach--which is what many of his detractors prefer--his methods are gentle and concerned only with the well-being of the dog. His methods have made a huge difference in my life and in my dog's life. She is happier and more balanced when I follow Millan's formula. Everyone who meets her comments on how well-behaved she is and takes great pleasure in petting and playing with her--even people who are typically frightened of dogs or just uncomfortable around them. As a high-energy, alpha-type dog, I don't believe that would be the case if I had not followed Millan's methods; for my strong-willed dog, positive reinforcement is only sometimes a strong enough motivation to encourage the behaviors I want, but discipline coupled with positive reinforcement is exactly what she needs.

This a great read, with a new puppy it has been a tremendous help. I liked how it want from puppy hood and up. That along with know Cesar from tv it is a huge help as a new dog dad, it’s really raised my confidence on doing the right thing in raising a puppy.

Boy oh boy does this guy like to hear himself talk. It's very self indulgent. He's always referencing being the dog whisperer, or quoting other successful breeders as a weird flex. I don't care who said it—I don't care about the upper echelons of the dog breeding industry. I just want a well-trained dog.It's like an essay someone wrote for class; it's a good essay, but what he wrote was 4 pages and it needed to be 12 pages so he added words.There's also a lot of impossible stuff. For example, he describes how to pick the perfect dog: bring another one of your perfect dogs to help you decide based on how they interact. Great! Let me just go into my dog drawer and select one of my other perfectly trained dogs.THAT SAID the information is really good. I just wish it were shorter so that I could have cut out all the fluff so I could re-read the actually helpful info.

Recommend buying and reading this book front to back, BEFORE you go to pick out your new puppy. Would have been a useful tool when we picked out our first new puppy. Based on what I've read, I started out all wrong, and now I am struggling to get on the right track. But I keep reading and learning and know that eventually I will get there and so will our puppy. This is the first Puppy we have had, and puppies are a whole different thing. So we are starting over, a reboot for me so to speak, but hopefully it's the beginning to a wonderful life together. Otherwise I will have to call Ceasar himself 🤣

I thought this was a fast, informative read. If you've seen Cesar's show, then there's nothing new in this book. In fact, I think there is an episode dedicated to the four dogs he highlights in this book which tells the same story. I'm fairly confident that if one were to watch that show, you'd get most of the information in this book. The writing is decent which made for a fast read. I found the personal anecdotes a bit distracting. I don't care what the other writer did when they brought the dog home to her house.I guess I came to this book thinking it would be more practical than the Monks book. And it is but it's still not quite like a handbook. I wanted something in which I could consult for quick answers with my puppy: how many times a day should I feed him? What do to if... What happens when ... Things of that nature. To be fair, most of my questions were covered, but the narrative format of the book doesn't allow for quick answers. Google is your friend. I guess I wanted a more pithy and searchable How To manual as opposed to a treatise, or reflection, on the art of raising a dog. I think a better editor might have helped him with this as they organized the chapters. At the end of each chapter, they try to do with with a few take away points, but it's still insufficient to be a useful reference guide in my opinion.Cesar's methodology has many detractors, so if this is your first book on puppy/dog training, you might want to look at some of the less-hyperbolic criticisms of Cesar and come to your own conclusion. There are definitely many different perspectives on how to properly raise your dog, Cesar's way being one of them. A point at which Cesar has taken great care to make in this book as if responding directly to such criticism over the years.I think this book is best seen as a useful contribution to your collection of books about your raising your dog. You should definitely not buy it thinking you'll find all the answers encapsulated in this short volume.One fairly important con of the text is that the subtitle is definitely misleading: "through puppyhood and beyond". You get a great deal on puppyhood. Perhaps too much before 8 weeks when many folks will be taking home their puppy's for the first time (don't get me wrong the information contained within is informative and important, but it could have been condensed to make room for much more practical sections in the puppyhood, adolescence, or adult phase of your puppy's life). You get a healthy section on puppyhood. But then adolescence and definitely adulthood get the short shrift. I think adulthood comprised two pages on my ipad. Perhaps a bit more, but not by much.

Really learned a lot. And although the book does mirror his show, I still found it more in-depth which I appreciate. I wish ALL puppy owners read this book before bringing home their newest addition to their family. The impact of this book is pretty life changing.

Great info from my favorite “dog whisperer”!