Andrea Arden's recently published book, Train Your Dog the Lazy Way is a real jewel. If you can find yourself in any of the following categories, you'll find it useful and informative: Busy People. Lack of time is a fact of life for many people in the information age. Adding more tasks, such as training a dog, to their already full schedules can be daunting to say the least. Since Andrea's methods incorporate the four E's (easy, efficient, effective, and enjoyable), training can be easily incorporated into your busy schedule. The book is loaded with time-saving tips, as well as quick and fun exercises in a direct style busy caretakers will appreciate.

People who don't yet have a dog, but wish to get one. Andrea tells you how to get information to make a good match and how to test the appropriateness of canine candidates for your lifestyle through "test driving."

New pet owners: Information for setting up and managing the environment successfully for the new puppy.

Special People: Disabled, children, the elderly, etc. Since this category has special needs and all the methods are humane and not dependent on physical force, caretakers can focus on training the brain of their puppy of adult companion.

Progressive puppy classes and adult dog training professionals. Here in one volume are the basics progressive dog trainers would like their clients to know in an easy and accessible format. This would be an excellent introduction to humane management and training techniques.

Andrea Arden is a very busy person herself. She has two dogs, she is a dog trainer, a writer, and a television host. She is also a disciple of Dr. Ian Dunbar, the internationally-known veterinarian and animal behaviorist. Due to his efforts to make dog training fun for dogs and caretakers alike (his upbeat lure and reward, fun and games, from the dog's point of view approach), Dr. Dunbar is one of the best friends a dog can have.

Dunbar's focus on optimum socialization for puppies and dogs is nicely covered in Andrea's suggestions in having other people involved in the training of your dog by having a party for that purpose. She advises that party training helps in training heeling and sitting, settling down training, coming when called, and avoidance of what she calls "super sitter" (jumping up on people).

In our classes, we encourage students to concentrate on teaching their dog to sit as the most reliable tool. This is not only useful as an emergency cue, but, as Andrea notes, if your dog is sitting, "There are a couple thousand behavior problems your dog can't engage in."

Not being familiar with the "Lazy Way" series of books prior to reading this volume, I was very taken with its layout and setup for ease of reading. I was particularly fascinated with the notes in the margins that are arranged in several categories, including "Quick n' Painless," with advice for getting a task done quickly." "You'll Thank Yourself Later," by taking care of it now, you'll save time in the future. "A complete Waste of Time" advice that will keep you out of trouble and heartache. "If you're so Included," provides ideas for carrying a subject further, and "The Lazy Way," suggests rewards that make a task more pleasurable. You can glean a lot of useful information just by reading the notes in the margins, but anyone who reads the entire book will acquire a huge number of very useful management and training strategies.

So in a nutshell, this is one of the best training books available, one I highly recommend, and well worth its modest price.