Book Review: Zak George's Dog Training rEvolution by Zak George and Dina Roth Port
/
Disclosure: I received a free physical copy of the book from the author. All opinions are my own and from the heart!
How it all began
When I adopted Bailey 4 years ago, as you well know, I got a little ball of big fear. Fear that ran so deep it soon became clear to me there's a long road ahead of us. People in my life, with good intentions, had their own ideas of how I should be raising Bailey.
"Speak more firmly with her."
"Yank the leash back and say NO!"
“Just let her bark, who cares!"
But in the depths of my heart I knew that this is not how I wanted to raise my baby. And so the search for better, kinder methods of raising a dog began.
I don't remember which video of Zak's was the first one I came across, nor do I remember how I came across it. But I do remember binge-watching all of his other videos in one night. Replaying the crucial moments over and over, writing down important things, feeling incredibly motivated to work with my pup. What really drew me in was not only Zak's methods of force-free training, but also the love that he was radiating.
He is beaming with love, happiness and excitement when he is working with dogs. That was new to me.
When I watched other people train their dogs they were very authoritarian, sharp, and psychical. When I was training Bailey myself, I used to be incredibly nervous. I only focused on my main goal (for Bailey to stop hysterically barking at everything) and completely disregarded her emotions or the fact that training was supposed to be fun! Once I saw Zak's enthusiasm it forever changed me. I realized that even though I had been using positive reinforcement, I wasn't getting results because my bond with Bailey was damaged due to my own attitude towards training.
I subscribed to Zak's channel, naturally, and have been following his videos ever since. When in doubt, I know I can always rely on his channel. I can always return to the basics, look at things from a different point of view, see how a problem is solved in real time. That enables me to be Bailey's safety net, anchor and safe space.
When I heard about the release of his debut book, I knew I needed to read it and share his wisdom with you. His knowledge needs to be shared, needs to be visible, needs to reach as many people as it possibly can. Because his videos have helped me so much, I feel a responsibility to do my part in this. Which is why I am so proud to say: here is my review of Zak's incredible book!
The Dog Training rEvolution
From the moment you first open the book you know this is not your typical dog training book. You don't feel alienated from the author — it is clear from the very first lines that he gets you. He is one of us, the hardworking dog parents who love our fur-babies beyond reason and are striving to be better for them every single day. You feel understood, heard, and above all, not judged.
This is a book that gives you confidence and reassures you when you make mistakes. It urges you, in the most positive way, to simply learn from mistakes and move forward with knowledge.
What I've noticed is that Zak uses the same tone of communication in his book as he does in his training — he is clear, direct, kind, sympathetic … and a lot of fun!
Throughout the book, he emphasizes the importance of prevention, which is something you'll hardly ever see in other dog training books. It is such an important part of dog training and yet so many dog owners fail to realize that. His methods focus on preventing the unwanted behavior from happening, instead of waiting for it to happen and then “correcting” that behavior in a very negative, physical way. Where I'm from, positive reinforcement is still a fairly new concept and I think a lot of people struggle with it because they don't invest into prevention. Instead they leave their dog to his vices until he develops a whole lot of behavioral problems that are, at that point, much harder to change.
I really want to point out that if you have any issues with your dog, there's always a big chance that they could have been (or could still be) prevented. Dive into Zak's book and notice how he carefully guides you through the necessary prevention stages by giving you actual examples that you get to implement straight away!
Another thing that stood out to me was him talking about the importance of a bond. Like I said, I learned this one the hard way, through personal experience. But I also learned that bond is something that keeps growing and evolving. I love how my bond with my individual dogs keeps changing and deepening.
My dog training philosophy is this: Training your dog is all about COMMUNICATION and BUILDING A BOND. Once that’s established, other things align as well!
To be completely honest with you, there aren't many widely known dog trainers who share that philosophy or dare to speak publicly about it. But Zak does! Every time he mentions the bond in his book, my heart does a little happy dance! I am overjoyed that this knowledge is finally reaching so many people. If you're not using the bond with your dog as a foundation of your training, then you need this book and you need it NOW!
“Bonding is also a matter of letting your dog know that she can trust you and depend on you.”
This is why it's called the dog training rEvolution, isn’t it? This dog training philosophy is revolutionary indeed. And luckily, because of people like Zak, our relationship with dogs has an opportunity to evolve. Just like any relationship, it needs trust, communication, and safety. Zak likes to draw parallels with raising children or being in a relationship with other humans. He breaks down the barriers that stood so long between humans and their animal companions.
He puts a mirror in front of us and urges us to see that our dog's emotions aren't that different from our own, after all. He makes it clear that owning a dog is not something that you can emotionally detach yourself from. In fact, it is precisely your emotions that will help you be a better dog parent.
“When you prioritize your relationship with your dog, the teaching process becomes easy.”
THE structure of zak’s book
First: the journey that every single dog parent goes through. It starts with the moment you decide this is it, you're getting a dog! But before you actually get the dog, there's a whole lot of things to figure out — the dog's breed, rescue/buy, your financial situation, etc. Zak dives into all of these fundamental things every dog-parent-to-be (no matter how experienced) wonders about at some point. He then guides you through the necessary preparations before your pup of choice arrives home. Once the dog is finally home with you, Zak's book takes you through the basic training principles that will remain the core of your dog’s upbringing forever. Learning and internalizing these principles will teach you how to manage most situations that will arise throughout your dog’s life. Think of them as the foundation of your relationship with your dog.
He has a chapter on common behavioral issues, which you know I appreciate so much. This is a topic so personal to me & my story. I love how he puts these problems into the right context and breaks this ridiculous idea of “bad dogs.” There is also a chapter on taking care of your dog’s health, which I was genuinely surprised to see inside a dog training book! When you read it, though, it will make so much sense why it’s in there. I love how this book really takes into consideration the full picture of our dog’s well-being.
Zak’s book is outrageously inclusive. When I say his book is for everyone, I mean it. When I rescued Chilly, I got around 7 border collie books from my local library … and they taught me nothing. They were archaic and completely out of touch with the everyday life. I initially expected to only find information in Zak’s book that would apply to Bailey’s reactivity, but I actually ended up having so so many light-bulb moments about Chilly! Zak is a fellow owner of border collies, so of course he understands the intricacies of super-intelligent high-energy dogs. Whether you have a rescue or a purebred, an angel or a little devil, a confident pooch like my Chilly or a traumatized pup like my Bailey … Zak will speak to you directly in this book. The inclusivity is visible. It’s real.
His book ends on a high note, with fun tricks and activities you can do with your dog. That is perhaps one of the most exhilarating parts about being a dog owner, no? Getting to do fun things together and bonding through them!
Whether you read through this book in one go (like I did) or just pick out chapters relevant to you (like I will in the future), the book will leave you richer with information and full of enthusiasm + drive to strengthen the bond with your dog and pursue the kind of training path that is fun for the both of you! It will take you from surviving to thriving.
Make sure you have a highlighter at hand! 😁
One of my sisters is already lined up to read this book. I can't wait to pass it on and later discuss what we've both learned, and how we will implement our newfound knowledge into the daily life with our rescues.
I want you to do the same. If you haven't yet, I really want you to read this book. Then come back and tell me how it shaped you as a dog parent. Tell me some of your insights. Tell me how it touched you. Let’s grow through each other’s lessons and continue growing this movement that Zak has started! The time has come to do our part in the dog training rEvolution!
SUPPORT ZAK’S MOVEMENT BY:
Subscribing to his YOUTUBE channel (and clear an afternoon because you'll want to binge these videos).
Liking his FACEBOOK page.
Support him on PATREON.
Heart his precious dogs on INSTAGRAM.
And read his insights on TWITTER.
I would like to thank Zak (& his sweet Bree) for sending me this book and for unselfishly sharing their knowledge. You really are making the world a better place, one dog owner at a time.♥️
Share this blog post on Pinterest to spread the word!
