She wrote the book on puppy training

[Crossfire Bulldogs]

Concord Monitor - By Elizabeth Walters Monitor staff

Dog trainer Sarah Wilson of Auburn is the co-author, with her husband Brian Kilcommons, of the new book "My Smart Puppy: Fun, Effective and Easy Puppy Training." She will demonstrate some of her techniques Sunday at 4 p.m. at the Barnes and Noble in Manchester. She and her husband have five dogs: two German shepherds, two terrier mixes and a beagle. "It's an occupational hazard," she said.

What's the biggest mistake people make when they try to train a puppy? Assuming that the puppy knows what's right. People see what they don't want; they scold the puppy, assuming the puppy knows what they're supposed to be doing. They don't.

Are certain breeds easy to train, and are certain ones really difficult? It really depends on a match between the trainer and the dog. Every breed is trainable.

Do certain dog names seem to make for better- or worse-behaved dogs? I went to one client and they'd named their dog Homicide. And I told them they needed to change it. . . . If you name your dog Zeus and Thor and King, it can give you the wrong impression about the dog's position in your family.

What was the worst-behaved dog you've worked with? It's not the dogs that are difficult, it's the other end of the leash. Dogs will sometimes train people. One of my favorites was a Westie who had trained a whole family of four that he would only eat if they went out to the hallway and rang the doorbell. So twice a day, they'd all go out in the hall and ring the bell, and the dog would run into the kitchen and eat.

What if the puppy isn't smart? I have met one truly dumb dog in 23 years now of doing this. The rest of them, most of the time when we start thinking dogs are stupid, it's because they're confused and we don't know what else to do.

[calgal]

Sounds like a good book to give someone who has just gotten a dog. It would make good Christmas presents.

[poodlesmom]

I went to a Brian Kilcommons' seminar a couple of years ago and it we were able to bring our dogs with us. It was great watching him work with a couple of the dogs whose owners had a difficult time getting them to focus on a training session. He demonstrated that it was possible to get them to work & enjoy it.

[Carrie]

What's the biggest mistake people make when they try to train a puppy? Assuming that the puppy knows what's right. People see what they don't want; they scold the puppy, assuming the puppy knows what they're supposed to be doing. They don't.

Boy! You can say that again!!!!!

[Ritz459]

I have his book, "Good dogs, Great owners!" and I love it. I'll have to check out the puppy book too.