This book is in the store and I own it. It is an outstanding book.

One section is new to me and I want to know how effective it is.

The puppy does great following me with no leash but not so much with family when they try and walk her. Basically she isn't So co-operative on leash being walked. In the book,in a nutshell, you tie the dog to a tree and wait till dog is calm then be the hero. Did this work ?

I've read it but never had the occasion to try the tie to a tree thing.

My advice is to NOT take a puppy off a leash for quite some time. That includes inside the house.

IF you yard is secure then running loose is ok.

Just remember though if the puppy isn't reliable off lead then even in the yard you don't want to call it to you. That only teaches the pup that it can refuse to come to you simply because you have no way of controlling what it does.

I don't particular care for the "Purely Positive" name. Nothing against the methods but I believe that the methods don't necessarily address leadership and pack issues.

I train obedience with no corrections but house manners occasionally need more leadership then just showing a dog how to do something.

This of course is JMHO!

I will say my training now compared to 50 yrs ago, even 15 yrs ago is a quantum leap forward due to marker training.

I prefer strong leadership and truly positive methods over psychological manipulation.

Would you tie a toddler to a tree, then wait for it to become distressed so that the toddler would idolize you?

I'd look for a way to communicate to the dog what I wish, and provide motivation to encourage the dog to comply.

^^^^ I strongly agree with what Duane said.

 Quote: Daniel.P.Hughes

The puppy does great following me with no leash but not so much with family when they try and walk her. Basically she isn't So co-operative on leash being walked. In the book,in a nutshell, you tie the dog to a tree and wait till dog is calm then be the hero. Did this work ?

Did it work for what? I've not read the book (I do note there are mixed reviews on Amazon), but does it suggest you can teach your puppy to walk nicely on a leash by tying him to a tree and disappearing, making him think he has been abandoned? If so, I'm not seeing a connection.

What I find myself thinking is that, depending on your puppy's inborn temperament and personality characteristics, that kind of an exercise could lead to issues with separation anxiety. JMO, with the disclaimer that I am not a professional dog trainer.

Just going by what you've described, it's not a method I would ever use.

When I was a hippy teenager we'd abandon our dogs outside of grocery stores, record stores, concert venues, never leashed. Only a few got hit by cars. They learned to follow us everywhere, or they died.

It works-it teaches a dog that the owner can disappear at any moment, he'd better pay attention. The right kind of dog at just the right age will learn fast. But it's not adult, it's not caring. It's a lazy trick, in my view.

Leash breaking takes time, years really, to have a dog that never pulls and follows willingly. There is no shortcut to establishing relationship.

 Quote: Cheri Grissom

^^^^ I strongly agree with what Duane said.

 Quote: Daniel.P.Hughes

The puppy does great following me with no leash but not so much with family when they try and walk her. Basically she isn't So co-operative on leash being walked. In the book,in a nutshell, you tie the dog to a tree and wait till dog is calm then be the hero. Did this work ?

Did it work for what? I've not read the book (I do note there are mixed reviews on Amazon), but does it suggest you can teach your puppy to walk nicely on a leash by tying him to a tree and disappearing, making him think he has been abandoned? If so, I'm not seeing a connection.

What I find myself thinking is that, depending on your puppy's inborn temperament and personality characteristics, that kind of an exercise could lead to issues with separation anxiety. JMO, with the disclaimer that I am not a professional dog trainer.

Just going by what you've described, it's not a method I would ever use.

Like Cheri, one of my first thoughts is this could generate long-term separation anxiety, depending on the pup's temperament. The whole idea of abandoning and stressing a pup so you can subsequently "be a hero" seems odd and misguided to me. I wonder where this came from? I don't have this book, though I do have (and like) Sheila Booth's 1992 book co-authored with Gottleib on Schutzhund Obedience - Training in Drive.

IMHO there are better and genuinely positive ways to get a young dog paying attention to you and walking nicely on or off leash (markers, markers, markers.....) Plus I want my dogs to be focused on me because they are keen to know what we will do next, not because they are afraid I might suddenly disappear.

 Quote: Betty Landercasp

When I was a hippy teenager we'd abandon our dogs outside of grocery stores, record stores, concert venues, never leashed. Only a few got hit by cars. They learned to follow us everywhere, or they died.
It works-it teaches a dog that the owner can disappear at any moment, he'd better pay attention. The right kind of dog at just the right age will learn fast. But it's not adult, it's not caring. It's a lazy trick, in my view.
Leash breaking takes time, years really, to have a dog that never pulls and follows willingly. There is no shortcut to establishing relationship.

WOW, Betty, just WOW -- I am Flabbergasted !!! I was a teenager once, even a young grade school kid, and I always had dogs for whose welfare & training I was largely responsible ... In my own view, not caring about the safety of one's pet & whether it lives or dies is less about "immaturity" and more about heartlessness, so if I even understand your post correctly, I cannot relate to it from a humanitarian perspective at all, sorry

The older I get, the more I admit to.

55+ years ago I never leashed my dogs .. they went everywhere with us - same as Betty stated.

I remember getting a new pup and hoping that it would be my father that bumped it with his car instead of the mailman who (us kids thought) tried to run our dogs down given that he killed my cousin's dog. Having your dog get hit (but not hurt) by a car was supposed to be the best way to keep him off the road.

Even 16/18 years ago, I never thought to train my dog with treats but then again how much does "get to bed, your place, outside - and maybe sit and lay down take to learn?

I like how my dogs adore me and know only good things from my hands. I like how dog training has evolved. I like it that my GSD knows many commands and obeys them. Even my senior poodle mix learned a few tricks.

So no, tying a dog to a tree is not now, nor never was, a good idea IMO

I just wanted to clarify that I am not opposed to teaching a dog to wait quietly while you are out of sight for a short time. There are practical applications for such a skill. I am reminded that the Canine Good Citizen test requires the dog to be left with a stranger holding the dog's leash for three minutes with the owner out of sight. Indeed, in AKC obedience competition, there are the dreaded handler-out-of-sight stays. Of course, neither requires the dog to be totally alone with not another soul around.

I believe what Daniel is describing from this book (and yes I have heard of a few other trainers who endorse this method) is to leave the pup completely, totally alone, allow him to get stressed about it, and don't return until he has settled down. For reasons I've already stated, I don't want to do this with any dog of mine, and I'm truly confused as to how this teaches a dog to walk nicely on a leash.

But I do see purpose in teaching a dog to be calm and quiet out of the presence of its owner, starting with very short increments and gradually increasing the time. After all, we can't be with our dogs 24 hours a day. They do have to get used to being home without us, etc. But I do that type of training with the express intention of not causing stress or fear in the dog.

"The older I get, the more I admit to.."

MY dogs never ran into any trouble. They usually had a pretty good sit/stay.
But friends dogs sure did.