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(as of Feb 28, 2025 23:45:19 UTC – Details)
Generations of dogs have been labeled training lemons for requiring actual motivation when all along they were perfectly normal. Numerous other completely and utterly normal dogs have been branded as canine misfits simply because they grew up to act like dogs. Barking, chewing, sniffing, licking, jumping up, and occasionally (just like people) having arguments are as normal and natural for dogs as wagging tails and burying bones. However, all dogs need to be taught how to modify their normal and natural behaviors to adjust to human culture. Sadly, all too often, when the dog’s way of life conflicts with human rules and standards, many dogs are discarded and summarily put to death. That’s quite the Culture Clash.
Customers say
Customers find the book provides useful tips and insights for dog trainers. They describe it as an interesting read with an easy-to-understand narrative and humorous writing style. The book offers valuable advice on training dogs in a fun and effective way, providing great enrichment for both dogs and owners.
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Gigi –
There ought to be a law that dog owners must read this first
This is my dog training bible. Jean Donaldson is succinct in her writing style. You get a big bang for your buck in this rather small sized book. But there’s nothing small about the great enrichment this book will give dogs and their owners. As a dog trainer myself, this is the first book I recommend to people. There are lots of good books but this one lays the most important foundation I think, in that it opens up the door to more learning. It enables dog owner/trainers to understand why they’re using a particular method, why it works or doesn’t work. People have failed dogs in many ways. Certain TV trainers, (one well known one in particular comes to mind) who use intimidation and force, mistakenly believing that pack theory holds justification for this mistreatment have caused a lot of harm. That nonsense has confused such a great movement toward training using behavioral science and gentle, humane methods that work when implemented correctly. I can not recommend this book more highly to learn how dogs think, how we think about dogs and why we need to modify our own behavior to connect with dogs better.Culture Clash also offers specifics in training important skills. I have worked with so many under socialized dogs that if people would just read this book they’d get it why this is so vastly imperative to get on it before puppies are 12-16 weeks of age. You’ll learn how prevention of unwanted behaviors can negate all kinds of training difficulties that happen when dogs are allowed to practice these behaviors. It will show you how and what to do instead of punishing, which has lots of pit falls or side effects.I’ve heard that some people are put off by Jean’s disdainful sounding judgment of people in general in how they are mistaken in their understanding and treatment of dogs. Don’t let that put you off. It didn’t put me off because she’s RIGHT. If that offends you, let it go and keep reading. You will not be one of those people by the time you reach the end of the first chapter and you’ll glean a good deal of education by the time you reach the end. Happy reading.
Amazon Customer –
It helped me tremendously
The most important thing to know is this: I like dogs, but I’m not a dog lover. I don’t go to shows, I refuse to cook for dogs, and it disturbs me when people refer to dogs as their children. I live, however, with a partner who loves dogs and does all 3 things… We have two large, intelligent dogs from two different notoriously “willful” breeds. My partner’s dog training coach loaned us a copy and I read it.The book did a tremendous job of showing me how I was creating much of my own stress through my interactions with the dogs. The author’s largest point is to not anthropomorphize dogs and assign motives to their behavior consistent with primate, rather than canine, drives and intelligence. It helped me tremedously understanding what was reasonable to expect and its helping us both in getting our dogs more consistently obedient.It’s a great book and since finishing it, I’ve realized that virtually everyone out there in the dog world (including me) romanticizes the behavior of dogs to the point that I’m amazed any dogs are successful as pets. If you decide to read this book, please give it a fair shot and read past the first time the author disagrees with one of your deeply held beliefs about dogs. I promise you that even if you disagree with the book, you will take away things worth considering.
Sarah –
A flawed book that nonetheless conveys an important message that most dog owners need to hear
This book is one that many cite as completely changing their view of dogs, and for a good reason. Donaldson points out the way we attribute human motives like spite and “to get back at me” and human morality (“he KNOWS it’s WRONG”) to dogs, as well as the ways we mistreat them due to these misconceptions, in a clear and straightforward way that helps the reader to think of things from the dog’s perspective and understand why they behave as they do. While this is not my favorite dog book for several other reasons, this is something that most pet owners need to hear.Three complaints I’ve seen in comments: the author’s tone is “arrogant” and ” patronizing, ” her claims “aren’t backed up by facts,” and she uses ” big words.” 1 . I just don’t see that. She is blunt. Boohoo. We are all adults here right? Surely we don’t need information sugar coated for us. 2. While I am disappointed by the lack of a reference page at the end, pretty much everything she said is common knowledge to anyone in the psychology field. Pick up any intro to psych book and you will see. And 3. If you paid attention in school I really don’t think you’ll have a problem, but if not, well, that’s what dictionaries are for.Like I said, the average dog owner really needs to hear this message in a clear and straightforward way. And that is where the value of this book lies.However, there are, IMO, some problems.On one page, Donaldson says that we tend to have an easier time justifying mistreatment of animals if we think they aren’t very smart. On another, she says that the reason we have an easier time justifying mistreatment of dogs is because we think they ARE smart. The way she sometimes contradicts herself is a little confusing. On a related note, the author basically says dogs aren’t very smart and encourages us to think of them as “lemon brains” in an attempt convince the reader to abandon the idea that dogs are capable of having morals, “knowing” things are “right” and “wrong,” and doing things like plotting revenge or thinking up some grand scheme to dominate us. I get that she is trying to make a point, but I think this is just too big of an oversimplification. I think we can appreciate dogs as the intelligent and emotional creatures they are (and that research has shown them to be) while at the same time understanding that they don’t think the way we think and they don’t have the capacity to understand our morality or make plans to “get back at us” for leaving them alone when we go to work. It seems like this book makes dogs out to be less intelligent and complex than they really are to get a point across, and that just feels dishonest to me. I think most people are capable of understanding a more nuanced explanation.Another thing I disliked is that the actual training recommendations are heavy on extinction and negative punishment. While the techniques recommended are certainly far more humane than most training books, There are lots of skilled trainers these days who can show you how to do it better and without the need for nearly as much of those things. Some passages read a lot like NILIF to me, which, again, not the worst but there are better ways.Like most popular training books, this one doesn’t teach you anything beyond Skinner and Pavlov as far as behavior and learning theory, but that’s kind of outside the scope of the book anyway.Over all, I give this book 4 stars because I agree that a lot of pet owners need to lose the fantasy ideas about dogs that our culture teaches us, and this book does a good job of explaining why those ideas are wrong and how they impact our relationship with our dogs. Despite its flaws, there are definitely some pearls of wisdom here.
Iata Anderson –
Eu aprendi muita coisa com esse livro sobre adestramento canino, mudando minha concepção sobre a psicologia canina.
Cliente de Amazon –
I really enjoyed the book, it’s almost two years since my dog died and almost thirteen years without reading something new, this book is a mindset changer and now I feel prepared to start again on training with my new pups
David A. –
Its well written, and i am going through it very slowly. You really got to put your self in your dogs shoes to get a feel for it. Very helpful.
anissa –
Je vous recommande ce livre qui doit faire partie impérativement de votre bible!Bonne lecture à ceux qui tenteront l’aventure.
Amy VG –
This book is BRILLIANT! I have read my share of dog training books and have gone to several dog training classes with different training styles, and my personal opinion is that Jean Donaldson is a genius. In her other book, “Train Your Dog Like a Pro” (comes with a 2.5hr training video), I was able to train my Golden Retriever puppy rock solid sits, downs, stays, recalls. Her method works. Before reading “The Culture Clash”, I was missing information, like not fully understanding why my dog does certain behaviours and what my dogs needs to succeed as a confident and obedient dog. The Culture Clash has it all: how dogs learn, the natural behaviours of dogs, socialization importance, dog behaviour issues, and lastly amazing instructions on how to train for obedience.This one was a tough read at first. When I first picked it up to excitedly devour “The Culture Clash”, I was hugely disappointed. She does use college-level words and her advice is mixed in everywhere, so you have to read her wisdom while getting bits of training tips here and there. I was hoping for clear organization of the book, which this doesn’t have, but I soon came to realize, the wisdom is on every single page of the book so I needed to read this first as a novel: front to back (no skipping ahead!). And then tape-flag the training bits and go back to them when I needed to apply the training advice.If you have a dog, or planning on it, please read this one. It’s the intelligent way to train, without physical punishment or aversive force.