Larry Kay “Big Book of Tricks for the Best Dog Ever” Review

I recently attended Global Pet Expo was thrilled to see my talented friend, author, trainer, and fellow film maker and passionate rescue advocate Larry Kay of Positively Woof. He was there promoting his newest book he co-wrote with trainer, rescue advocate and performer Chris Perondi:  “The Big Book of Tricks for the Best Dog Ever“.

 

I filmed a quick interview and got a signed copy with 118 tricks to review.

The Approach: Positive Dog Training.

“Trick training is best when it’s rewarding and fun. Positive reinforcement dog training means that we praise and reward our dog’s efforts and progress, while ignoring most mistakes. Positive dog training can help make a dog more sociable and builds our bond. Positive trick training builds a dog’s self-confidence and reveals the inner “movie star” within every dog.” Larry.

I started fostering Kilo the Pug 4 years ago and ended up adopting the little rascal. He had very little training and was quite anxious and reactive. Trick training has been amazing for both of us. Just like Larry’s shelter dog Spider, Kilo is now a very different little guy. We are always looking for new fun things to learn and practise.

 

What Training Does the Book Cover?

The Big Book of Tricks for the Best Dog Ever features training programs for every dog:

• Beginner Level program with 20 dog tricks curated to introduce trick training methods.

• Intermediate Level program with 33 dog tricks and more training methods.

• Pro Level training programs:

  • Moviemaking with Your Dog

  • Live Performance

  • Dancing with Your Dog

  • Extreme Stunts and Sports

“Each dog has a different learning style, natural abilities and things that motivate them. When learning dog tricks, there are many paths to victory.”

Along with step-by-step ways to learn specific tricks and stunts, the book also guides you how to discover your dog’s strengths. In Kilo’s case, he is a bit stubborn but very food motivated, plus loves attention from me.

The instructions in the book are very well explained and laid out. I wish I had this book years ago.

I was happy to see my friend and talented trainer Sara Carson quoted. Kilo and I did a great course with her and have her Puppr app so he knows quite a few beginner and intermediate tricks but there are many more to learn in this book.

We are currently working on roll over, take a bow, play dead, look shy, boing boing, weaving, dancing and a few others. We do 5 minutes at a time and only at home for our own enjoyment, although he does like the extra rewards if we film.

Buy the Book – “The Big Book of Tricks for the Best Dog Ever“.

You can buy the book through my Amazon Affiliate Link here:
The Big Book of Tricks for the Best Dog Ever: A Step-by-Step Guide to 118 Amazing Tricks and Stunts

The Mission: Pet Rescue.

Larry, Chris and I share a mission to make a difference for pet rescue. We’ve rescued our dogs and actively support shelters, rescue organizations, and pet adoption. Larry and I make videos with shelter dogs.

He met his dog Spider on one of his film sets and I met Kilo the Pug through his rescue Homeward Bound when filming Rescues Rock  videos. Chris emphasizes pet rescue at every Stunt Dog live performance across North America.

​The Authors- Larry Kay and Chris Perondi

Larry Kay coauthored Training the Best Dog Ever (also Workman Publishing), which was awarded the Maxwell Medallion for Best Training and Behavior Book by the Dog Writers Association of America and earned the first-ever book award from the Association of Professional Dog Trainers. He also authored Life’s A Bark, created and produced the award-winning Animal Wow dog care DVD for kids that was endorsed by the American Humane Association, and has been a frequent contributor to American Animal Hospital Association and columnist for Dog Fancy (now Dogster) magazine. He has written and produced for Disney, PBS, and The Muppets, taught TV producing at NYU’s TV/Film School, and holds a master’s degree in TV/Film from the Newhouse School at Syracuse University. With two million Facebook fans, Larry’s Positively Woof platform promotes positive dog training, creative tricks and celebrations, and shelter dog adoptions with web films, hundreds of adoption success stories, and innovative cause marketing programs. Larry’s videos and live streams have documented many adventures, including a Hurricane Harvey airlift from Houston to Portland, atop a Rose Parade float with his footage rebroadcast on ABC and ESPN, and was the featured video at a Pet Orphans benefit concert headlined by The Hollywood Vampires (Alice Cooper, Johnny Depp, Joe Perry, and friends).

 

Chris Perondi has been featured extensively in national media, including the Ellen DeGeneres Show, the Oprah Winfrey Show, the Tonight Show, the Today Show, the Late Show, Queen Latifah Show, Univision’s Sabado Gigante, Nat Geo Wild, Animal Planet, Fox TV, CBS News, Sports Illustrated, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, and national TV commercials. His touring company, Stunt Dog Productions, books more than a thousand live shows in dozens of venues per year. Their shows have involved extended production runs at Branson, Dollywood, Six Flags of America, and the Indianapolis Zoo. 2019 marks the 20th year that Chris has been performing with his dogs that he also trained. Having first discovered dog training as a hobby, he evolved over the years into a disc dog showman who has appeared at NBA and NFL halftime-shows and MLB pregame shows, and has been a disc dog national champion. The hobby became his full-time profession in 2001 (Chris has as many as five simultaneous crews under his Stunt Dog branded shows). Chris and crew performed live atop the 125th Annual Rose Parade float for Lucy Pet Foundation to raise funds for spay and neuter causes. In 2009, Suhey Velez (now Perondi) joined the Stunt Dog Experience, and is responsible for the training and showcasing of many of the tricks included in “The Big Book of Tricks for the Best Dog Ever”. Our friend Sara and the Super Collies have also performed with Chris.

Does your dog have a favorite trick? Tell us in the comments.

For our post showing 20 easy tricks you can teach your dog featuring Kilo the Pug Click HERE.