101 Dog Tricks: Step by Step Activities to Engage, Challenge, and Bond with Your Dog

I suggest buying 3 copies of this book... not 1...
First, because its a great coffee table book... hey, Chelcy (the author's dog) is a Weimeraner - - and both are very photogenic - - on top of it, the graphic design and lay-out of the book are not only sensitive and informative, but very visually appealing... You can feel the excitement and enthuisiasm

Second - - its a fantastic reference book... and the idea of thinking "tricks" instead of cut and dry obedience I think is great for both the trainer and the dog. Though most of the tricks do have elements of obedience to them, they are presented in a way that makes training your dog more fun and lightharded and you're not thinking, "good dog"/"bad dog"/"leash correction" - - In fact, I like the way the author not only has troubleshooting tips for each tricks, but will even give some ideas how difficult the trick is, what tricks need to be learned first, and how long it takes some dogs to learn. - - Also, all descriptions use simple, practical and effective language... The descriptions match up with the photos and the points are gotten across in a way that communicates the ideas to you and teaches you to teach them to your dog.

Finally... buy a third copy because... some dogs *cough* have tendencies to nibble on certain people's reading material, especially when allowed in the bed. (o.k. that's an obedience issue.)

As for the tricks, they range from basic sit/stay/rollover agility type tricks - - to classics like "bring me a beer"/"bring the newspaper" as well as a few parlor tricks/routines. The book also explains standard hand signals as well as commands.

Incidentally - - there I would like a refund for 2 of the tricks. One involves the human doing a handstand, the other a cartwheel... Trust me, if you're the "bring me my beer" trick type, you won't be doing those two...

All in all, this is one book that lives up to its own hype! Highly recommended!

This book has been great!! I am on my 2nd copy, as I gave the first one away to a friend who fell in love with it, and am planning on buying a 3rd copy to send to another friend.

This book is very easy to follow and a pleasure to page through. The photo's are fun, and make it a good pick for kids, who might not enjoy reading directions, as you can pretty much just follow the pictures. It includes hand signals and verbal cues, a lists of previous tricks to be mastered, and skill level. Whenever I run into a problem I go to the 'trouble shooting' section in the margin next to each trick, and it always has anticipated the snag and offers a helpful solution.

So far my chihuahua can sit, lay down, beg, shake hands, twirl, and roll over!! Not bad for a breed known for being yappy and being carted around like Cleopatra in handbags! I have had the book for about 5 months. We work all the tricks every night after her dinner. It's her 'school' and she loves it! I think she has become more confident since we started training. I know she feels very proud of herself when she does it right.

I highly recommend this book.

I received this book as a Mother's Day gift from my sons. I train my dog for competition obedience and they thought I might like to have some "fun" things to train. The book is fantastic! There are lots of pictures and easy, step by step instructions for every trick! I love the way the tricks are categorized as being easy, intermediate, advanced and expert, there are tricks for dogs at every skill level. Also, for each trick the prerequisites are listed, some troubleshooting questions and answers and a small section called 'Build On It' that explains how you can build on, or improve, the featured trick! This book is a wonderful addition to my training library! You'll love it!

All I can say is WOW!!! This book is very well done, the pictures are so clear and colorful. A great book for beginners or professional trainers.
Each trick is detailed with easy to follow instructions.
I have been a trainer for 30 years and have never found a book like this one!
I am just very impressed!
Kudos to Kyra Sundance and her performing dog, Chalcy!
Debbie Abbenante
Action Pets USA

As someone committed to engaging and challenging my own dogs, I found Kyra Sundance's new book "101 Dog Tricks" a marvelous addition to my library. I highly recommend it to anyone wishing to have fun with their dog: there are easy to advanced tricks to amuse friends or to entertain huge audiences as does Kyra and her Weimaraner Chalcy. Kyra's book covers a wide range of tricks with colored photos of each step in the teaching process. This book is exceptionally well done and is superior to the average trick training books on the market. The photography throughout the book is alone worth the price.