Leerburg's Relationship Games for You and Your Dog

this video at 2 hours is well edited, and with good production values As a general statement, I generally really like Leerburg videos. This video was my "ok", but not outstanding. This video can be seen as an introduction to clicker training, an some initial exercises that can be immediately taught. The exercises taught are come, go to your place, go to your crate, touch pads, and de-sensitization of a dog to being handled (at a groomer for instance) and avoiding food lying around on the ground.This tape is aimed more at the average pet owner than the competition level obedience crowd. The information is very well organized and layed out. The only problem I have with the video is that it doesn't appeal to the competition level crowd,but the more general crowd. What would have been nice to see, in a 2 hour long video, is a few segements,of how this very basic tape can be used as a foundation on which to build upon to then watch the more advanced Michael Ellis tapes.They are briefly mentioned, but to their credit,they avoided making the video an infomercial for all the other gear they sell,or all the other videos. By keep the other stuff out and only making a very brief mention of it,is something I give them a lot of credit for.I would have liked more attention spent on attention building exercises. I also think in that in a 2 hour long tape,the section of how to de-sentsitize the dog for the groomer and being touched on various parts of his body,shown with a toy poodle,should have been edited out as completely useless information. Instead,in a 2 hour long video,the sit,the down, should have been included in terms of how to teach it with a clicker method. Also should have been mentioned, is how to move from short exercises, can be made longer and longer, adding eventually, with time,distance and distractions. It would have made the tape more complete on that point. I also think that in a 2 hour long video to make it a "begginer's obedience video with clicker method", this tape would have been more complete.There's so much free stuff available on Youtube these days, that I feel a tape has offer more than what the casual viewer can piece together just looking at Youtube videos. This is not meant to be an overall obedience tape,but it is what I call a "bridge tape" between the real obedience tape and the Michael Ellis tape. It wins because how well it is thought out and organized.It's a little dry and in a monotone to watch straight for 2 hours.The other thing briefly mentioned, but not expanded upon was why the tree stumps were being used, or the stands were used. The platform teaches the dog, the sit-front,the heel on the left and the heel on the right,and helps the dog understand its body position relative to the handler and it teaches the dog to "tuck in" in doing the down,or sit. It helps to more correctly position the dog relative to the handler,for later, more advanced obedience work. It was shown on platforms, but only very briefly mentioned why training on a platform, versus on ground is important,for later more advanced obedience work. I think the tone was flat.I would have liked to have seen more advanced, flashy obedience thrown in, in between segments,with finished dogs, doing the heel exercise,so as to inspire the viewer what CAN be reached, if they get the training bug and take this to the next level. It would have broken up the monotony in the tape.In sum, this is the tape you buy BEFORE you buy the Michael Ellis tapes.It's like the "baby version" of that method. It's only 2 hours long, very good price (much less than even a single session at PetCo or PetSmart, and teaches more stuff in 2 hours than several weeks of lessons at PetCo or PetSmart. So if you're the new puppy owner looking at LEARNING clicker training for the first time, this is the tape for you.If you're looking for more advanced obedience,and want to get a BH title on your dog,or the CDX A.K.C title,this tape is not for you.The good things about the tape are (a) it's not an infomercial for all his other tapes,(b)it's extremely well thought out and edited, and has VERY good production values, and (c)he uses poodles and terrier in this tape, not the usual German Shepherds or Malinois Belgian dogs you typically see in his videos. This video branches out the the pet-average owner crowd new to the clicker methods, rather than his usual crowd,which is the competitive obedience, ring sport,or Schutzhund crowd.So if you're looking for an easy tape as a starting point, and you are not looking to do competition level obedience and put a title on your dog, this tape is for you. If you're looking for an easy to understand starting point before you order the Michael Ellis tapes, this tape is for you. But if you are looking for a higher level,competition level of obedience tapes, skip this step and head straight to the Michael Ellis tapes. For me, it was stuff I already knew, having trained a few dogs, and having put a BH title on one of them. But for others, who have never trained this way, this tape is the logical starting point.

This video is a short introduction to clicker training or marker training. The tape is geared for the average pet owner, not the competitive obedience crowd. Normally, in the Leerburg videos, you see a lot of Malinois and German Shephard dogs. In this video, poodles and other breeds are used instead, as a way to show a system of training for the average pet owner. The production values are very high, and the video is put together in a logical method, not just training the idea of clicker or marker training,but then applying this methodology to day-to-day games with the dog. It basically shows that via play, and food reward, and association with a well defined, precisely marked reward system, the owner can develop a relationship with their pet. Constructive play, via food reward and ball reward is the basis for later developing obedience methodology. It's the "language of training' that is being developed between you and your pet. This is fine for the puppy stage, or for the person who has never trained with this method before. This tape is not a strong enough in terms of information offered in a 2 hour format, that it has any value to the Schutzhund or AKC competitive obedience crowd. Instead, many pet owners, have never trained this way, and it offers a "begginer's course" in marker training and relationship building. If you are new to marker training, similar information can be found for free on youtube, but this video wins out because it combines a lot of different kinds of information packed into a training methodology from A-Z and not in bits and pieces as you see on youtube videos. The more serious trainer would benefit much more from the Michael Ellis tapes. This DVD can be used as a "bridge" between more advanced material in the Michael Ellis tapes and a basic foundation on marker training. It's a good initial tape, not a full blown obedience tape. It's more of a "constructive play" as a bridge to obedience behavior rather than an obedience tape in itself. A little boring and dry, but well organized and thought through material well organized.