Book Review: Win-Win

By Amanda Wiggins

If you are a dog owner, you need to read this book! Ive had dogs all my life, yet Jordan Rothmans book, Win-Win, brought me a deeper understanding of canine behavior and how training methods affect the outcome. For years, the idea of dominance was bandied about by professional trainers along with such absurd notions as dogs shouldnt exit through doors before you, or dogs shouldnt eat before you. With insight and wit, Rothman debunks these notions and emphasizes positive reinforcement and associations.

When we travel to a foreign country, we dont know the language, customs or expectations. Doing something as simple as maintaining eye contact while speaking can be perceived as rude or offensive in some cultures. Likewise, dogs are adrift in the human world without a map or Google translate. We shake hands; dogs sniff butts. We log in to Facebook; dogs check in to curbs, trees and fire hydrants. We spray ourselves with cologne or perfume; dogs roll around in dirt. We put valuables in a bank vault; dogs put valuables under the couch cushion, or they bury them in the yard.

Rothman provides tools to apply in all areas of training. He teaches marking, prompting, luring, shaping and more to add to your toolbox. Using charming cartoons and poems from the dogs viewpoint, as well as concrete examples and metaphors, he guides the reader through understanding and applying the techniques as surely as he would guide a dog through training.

Ive only just begun to use some of the techniques in training my rescue dogs, and I can already see positive results. I wish this book had been available years ago.

Win-Win is available on Amazon.com in both paperback and Kindle formats.