Lucky Dog Lessons: From Renowned Expert Dog Trainer and Host of Lucky Dog: Reunions

For anyone who needs help training their dog in a kind way. Also anyone who loves rescue animals and stories about saving them. The show Lucky Dog was recommended to me by one of my Hero's, a person who helps people and shelter dogs. I was struggling to train my own puppy who I had gotten from a local rescue. I really like the show but prefer a book in situations like this. When I went on Amazon I found this book. It has helped me tremendously. I give Brandon McMillan credit for allowing me to keep my fur baby when I had all but given up. In addition to an easy to understand and apply training program this book is filled with great stories. Some of theses tales made me laugh and others caused genuine tears of joy. My puppy is almost three and I have read this book so many times I have lost count because I always enjoy it and get something different out of it each time.

I can’t tell you how relieved I am to finally find a dog training book worth reading and implementing into our training. It seems like so many mainstream trainers out there try to focus on one end of the spectrum or the other when it comes to reinforcement, reward, punishment, etc. Either they advise the traditional and outdated approach of the “pack leader” mentality and recommend methods that are borderline animal cruelty like Cesar Milan from the Dog Whisperer, or they have the overly positive reinforcement approach and think repetition is the secret to success rather than trying an alternate approach. Zac George’s book had this approach and it felt like one of those parents that thinks every child deserves a trophy simply for participating rather than earning their reward.Brandon McMillan, however, has a perfect balance that he demonstrates in Lucky Dog Lessons. It reads more like training from a respected, confident, authority figure rather than acting like a bully or the dog’s buddy. Furthermore, Brandon does a great job at offering alternative approaches based on your dog’s overall personality, progress, and/or breed (i.e. energetic vs laidback, quick learner vs slow learner, large breeds vs small breeds, etc.). And he has the background and experience one would hope for from a trainer…his parents trained exotic animals, he grew up around all varieties of animals his entire life, he made a career training exotic animals for the film and entertainment industry, and now he exclusively focuses on training unwanted shelter dogs in desperate need of loving homes.Overall, it’s well worth the read and I would strongly recommend it for anyone that believes in a realistic and practical approach to dog training.

We've seen his shows, loved them and saw this book. It was a perfect way for me to reference ba k to what he teaches. We have a female lab/Shepard puppy (now 10 months old). I already started training her on my own but wanted to check on how I was doing and also wanted to find proper hand signs. I was happy to see I was very close. I got the sit, stay, off, and no exactly. I'm very surprised how many people say down instead of off to get off firniture or people. Other commands I used were close and plan to change. My heel was more of the come as well as walking beside us, which I will change so I can use the heel properly. I was saying lay down for down and plan use down to make it less complicated. I use stay when we go out the door or exit the car. I think I will change that to wait which she knows for to wait befor Taking food. She already knows ok. I will say we are very lucky to have a very smart and loving dog. She loves to learn, play, and cuddle. Even at 58lbs.

I like the stories, examples, and direct training methods described in this book. It has helped me so much. I never liked the dominance style of training and I am happy to see so many people are moving toward treats and clickers and random rewards to get a well behaved dog. Very useful book, and I go back to it for different ideas as issues come up as we go along. It's not the same as having Brandon there, but it is close. ;)

I borrowed this book from the library when training our first Australian Shepherd 4 years ago. It worked so well that I decided to buy a copy when we got our second Australian Shepherd. Friends who have seen how well our first dog is trained asked for advice and I always recommend this book. It can be read as is or used as a quick reference manual.

Concise, to the point and effective. Whether you adopt a puppy or a needy shelter adult dog, these lessons mark your life and your pups life, much easier. What a delightful writing style!

Author Brandon McMillan guest host of the TV show Lucky Dog is an experienced animal trainer having grown up in a family of trainers. His book is full of helpful and useful techniques to train your dog , allowances and tips are given for all types and breeds of dogs as well as stories based on his experiences. There is a chapter devoted to each of the 7 Basic Commands and if you have watched his tv show you have heard them before. Each command is adequately explained and includes the equipment needed to practice it. There are also chapters on common dog problems with corresponding training . These common problems such as excessive barking, digging , aggression and door dashing etc. can be dealt with and failure to train usually results in an owner giving up on dogs and increasing the shelter population and possible euthanasia. By following these techniques enumerated in this book, dogs can be saved from shelters , possible euthanasia and become more adoptable and find their forever home. This is Brandons mission , to rescue dogs and get them into loving homes. This book was chock full of helpful information and can be a valuable resource to anyone who owns a dog or will eventually. Recommended .