Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

First off, let me start by saying I was a hard sell. I read literally hundreds of reviews of this product from several different forums (Dogster, Yahoo!, Amazon, etc). They are, by and large, all positive. Those that aren't, are almost all (haven't found 1 that isn't) from people who either 1) morally object to physical correction or 2) simply haven't used the product! (but review it anyway???) I haven't seen one yet, who completely commited to the training and experienced failure. Yes, Don's system uses a modified pinch (not choke) collar which is actually far more mild than any of the ones currently listed here on Amazon as comps. If you think physical correction training is cruel, I urge you to review Don's Website, which covers why he thinks it is necessary. I trained services dogs for 4+ years and I assure you, most if not all serious trainers of non-house pet dogs use e-collars (as do most of your celebrity trainers...ever wonder why all the dogs wear a bandana around their neck??? It's not because it looks cute!) Services dogs have no room for error. If they disobey, it can literally be life or death for their owners, so I understand if others don't demand that kind of obedience out of a house pet. While I am not against e-collars, I do feel they have a high potential for abuse when used by under educated trainers (most pet owners). What really makes Don's system different is that he explains why certain behavior is happening, and then trains YOU, to know how to train your dog. Not just the mechanics of the training, but also the logistics of why you are doing it as well. Why did I try Don's system? I did NOT have an out of control dog, like all of them in the infomercial. I have a 2.5 year old retriever/lab mix, who is a very good dog. He obeyed me, almost perfectly...almost. What intrigued me about Don's system is how easy it was for someone with less training experience to work with the dog. My dog, didn't respect my wife. He wasn't chaotic with her, but he clearly didn't respect her either, obeying commands from her was clearly optional in his mind. This was not the dogs fault...it was mine/my wife's. Her limited experience and ill-placed "compassion" often got in the way of her forcing her will on the animal. Her physical limitations also play a role, since our pup is +70 lbs now. No, I don't abuse my dog, but I do force him to comply with my wishes the first time I ask, with force if needed. Don's collar is..."ok" in my opinion. It is a nice alternative if traditional pinch collars are too extreme for you. The real value of "The perfect Dog" system is the DVD's. There is +5 hours of training for almost every behavior problem you could think up. And for the most part, yes, the correction of those problems are all very similar, so I would 2nd the review which stated that Don repeats himself a lot, but, I don't think that is a bad thing. I watched my dog go from blatantly disrespecting other members of my family to being in perfect control around any distractions, within about 2 weeks. I did see a difference in 5 minutes, as Don advertises, but it took a bit of time before we could trust that he was 100% "proofed" on his training. If you are considering this, BUY IT, you won't be disappointed. Only downside is that it takes "Thane" industries forever to ship the product if you order online. Buy it through Amazon or Ebay, or you will wait 2 weeks to get it.