Excel-erated Learning: Explaining in plain English how dogs learn and how best to teach them

Easy to read, lot of fundamental info every dog trainer or aficionado should know

This book is very knowledgeable. It was in perfect , brand new condition .

I think they think I am a manga reader because I am going to have to read everything backwards. That was new. Lol!

Such good information presented in a way that I understand! I definitely recommend this book to people hoping to be training professionals but also to all people that want to understand the best way to teach or 4 legged (or 3 legged friends). What can be better than improving our communication with our dogs?🐕‍🦺

Haven’t finished it yet (only read 50 pages read over weeks of reading a few pages at a time, and procrastinating for long periods between reading sessions). I hate to say it, but I find it to be dry, boring and technical. I’m passionate about rescuing dogs and have recently started fostering. I’m hoping to eventually work more in-depth with dogs (planning to volunteer at a local rescue this summer), so I thought I’d read up on dog training techniques. From what I’ve seen in my research, this book is top of the list for fundamental reading for dog trainers and will undoubtedly be a helpful resource. That said, it is a slow, dry, boring, textbook read, full of annoying acronyms and technical jargon that I know is important, but from a beginner’s perspective, it’s tedious. I’m a slower reader anyway, as I like to pause frequently to consider what I’ve read, especially if it needs a second pass to fully grasp the message. This book is loaded with acronyms and new terminology that forces me to pause VERY frequently to recall what that term or acronym means or WHY something is being referred to as “positive”, not “negative”, (and vise versa), as these are still new concepts and terms. In fairness, the author introduced all the terms and acronyms in the book’s introduction but then just glides right through the subsequent chapters using them liberally as if they’re second nature now to everyone following along. I’m sure this is important for helping readers retain it all while gaining a comfortable familiarity with the industry lingo, but it’s annoying as a first read. Expect it to read like a text book and you won’t be disappointed. I was so excited to learn but it’s not the fun, interesting read I was expecting. No doubt, I’ll be glad when I’m through it and I’ll be glad I read it.

I’m studying for the CCPDT-KA test and this was recommended. It’s an easy read and I actually learned a lot. The book does great at using all the important terms but then breaking it down into easy to understand concepts. Highly recommend!

This is a very good book, pretty well-written with clear explanations and examples of some fairly complex concepts. It was written in 1996, however, and dog training has moved away from aversives since then. Understanding the effect of aversuves is important, but I don't think it's appropriate to include aversive training instructions in a text that is recommended reading for the CPDT-KA exam, an exam from an organization that promotes LIMA.A major problem with the copy I received, however, was the printing. The type was gray and pixelated, which made it hard to read. The font is fairly small, which didn't help. Good printing matters!

Five stars on content. Import behavioral information from the Vice President of the ASPCA Animal Behavior Center, Although this book does not tell you how to train a dog, it should be the first book anyone training a dog should read. It explains how dogs think, learn and respond. Regardless of the training method you chose, this book will give you better insight into why the dog responds the way it does and how to make it respond better. After reading the book, I have a much better understanding of how to use "positive" training to get the behaviors I want from my dog. The book has a very pragmatic explanation of how punishment can best be used if necessary. There is a good amount of detail on how an animal's experiences affect its everyday behavior.Only negative: Although the title claims "plain English", I needed a notecard to keep track of all the track of all the three letter acronyms and their definitions. Still the book is very readable and worth putting up with the notecard.I also purchased, K9 Behavior Basics: A Manual for Proven Success in Operational Service Dog Training (K9 Professional Training) by Resi Gerritsen and Ruud Haak. I found Excel-Erated Learning to be much clearer and relevant to training at a third the cost.

An excellent book for the serious dog trainer. Not for the casual reader unless you are already familiar with such concepts as classical and operant conditioning - took me a bit of time to get my head around variable reward times etc - but some very useful information

Love it! This is one of the few books I believe everyone who deals with dogs should read. In simple language so no degree required for understanding. I'm not a beginner anymore but still found it a great read. If you interact with dogs and would like to understand them better- get the book! Well worth it!

Needed for course

Loved the way this is written, makes total sense and really helped me learning.

Great book and a must have for any professional animal trainers