PORTLAND, Ore. -- I don't know how he does it, but contrary to the well-known authors like say Cesar Millan, Tim Carter always comes up with something NEW and truly newsworthy. Now I got to try out a Dog Training Toolkit he has developed, which are basically elements of typical situations with dogs, broken down into individual 'Tools' that we can use to train our own dog, or any other person's dog. This is my report of applying Tim Carter's Dog Training Toolkit for a week.

What it is: An interactive book with a clearly described set of actions we can take and physical items we can use to train a dog. Including examples and advice how to apply them.

Who is this for: It's for any dog owner, dog trainer and handler of dogs of any breed or mix, at any age.

Who is this not for: It's not for absolute beginners. I don't think this 'Toolkit' approach would be great as the very first dog training book someone reads. But then, this isn't a normal book anyway, and the word 'Toolkit' in the title makes this very clear.

What is different about it: The Toolkit is not merely some prose with tips or techniques for dog training, like books typically are. Instead, the Toolkit is a description of dozens and dozens of clearly structured individual 'means' (or Tools) that can aid in dog training. In addition, a multitude of cross-links makes this Toolkit highly interactive. You can easily jump between related Tools to explore similarities and differences.

Why I love it: This 'Dog Training Toolkit' has given me so many epiphanies that I lost count. And this, although I haven't actually read it yet, rather I skimmed through the Tools that stirred my interest most. Right on the first day I realized many things I had done wrong with Snoopy - our Lab that has meanwhile become an adolescent or adult dog. But I also (finally here!) found simple explanations why so many things that I have done before are right, and WHY and HOW they work when training Snoopy. The Toolkit has given me enormous confidence for my dog training.

My impression and well-considered judgement after one week of using the Toolkit: Yes, it's true, Tim Carter's Dog Training Toolkit completely redefines all dog training across the world! This IS the greatest invention since the emergence of dogs.

I can't any longer imagine how I, or anyone else for that matter, got along before we got this Toolkit. Frankly, our training of Snoopy was a messy potpourri of dog training attempts, without structure and without insight! Now it's the opposite: Now I understand what I am doing, and why. And it works for my wife just as well as for myself.

Of course, first I had to understand what Tim means with 'Tools'. Thankfully he also supplies a 'Mindmap' that comes with the Dog Training Toolkit for free. On this Mindmap I see five branches, spreading out like a tree, with twigs and leaves. The biggest branch is labeled 'Energy Tools', which breaks down further into 'Mindset', 'Sedatives', and 'Stimulants'. The other branches are labeled 'Reward Tools', 'Food Tools', 'Attention Tools', and 'Distraction Tools'. Seeing the Mindmap in front of me, all is instantly many times more intuitive than if I had only read about it (like you do here).

You may be wondering what 'Energy Tools' is about? That's what I was most curious about too. So I first drilled down into these Energy Tools, but not in the order Tim provides them. He starts with 'Our Mindset', however I was more interested in 'Eye Contact' which is one of 16 Tools under 'Sedatives' (or one of 16 leaves on the twig 'Sedatives' if you see the Mindmap like a tree, as I do). My wife and I were always wondering why Snoopy is more agitated when my wife is dealing with the dog, even when she is entirely friendly.

Now we know: Eye Contact only is calming for a dog (a 'Sedative') when my wife consciously closes her lips when she smiles - because her normal smile shows her teeth. The Toolkit told us, for Eye Contact to be calming for a dog (to reduce the dog's energy level), we should smile but not show the teeth. I would have liked a bit more explanation why not show the teeth, but I guess this too will become clear when I go through the book more fully (which I'll do on the weekend).

Tim explains: "Canines are energy recipients. Meaning, dogs assume the dog owner's or handler's energy state easily." That's why 'Energy Tools' have such significance for dog training, and why our own 'Mindset' is critical when we are in the presence of a dog. Contrary to training our cat: I also found that "Cats are energy donors". While for dog training it matters how calm we are ourselves, for training our cat this doesn't matter, because cats don't assume our energy level.

Bang! This hits me like a wake-up call. Suddenly I realize why Snoopy sometimes seems to learn with ease, while other times my efforts yield nothing. Tim Carter has this skill to ignite your brain cells with a few words. He highlights some points in bold red, and while what I want to remember is not limited to these highlights, they do come handy. I guess, for as long as I live, I will never forget "Canines are energy recipients".

I said above that in my opinion this Dog Training Toolkit isn't for absolute beginners. Clearly, Tim Carter isn't a beginner himself. Some of his insights are so thought-provoking or mind-boggling that I would say he is at the high end of all authors of dog books. I don't mean it's difficult, it isn't, it's all plain English, easy-to-read English (from his website mygermanshepherd.org I know that he's not even native English speaker). What I mean is, often when I read something from him, like now this brandnew Dog Training Toolkit, I realize how much ahead of other authors he is with how he deals with dogs.

Strangely, he isn't even one of the famous authors. But maybe that's why. All too often, fame leads to stagnation, a lack of drive to develop something truly new. Given the amount of inventions this Tim Carter has brought to the saturated dog book market, he clearly must still be a no-name then. Anyway, like his earlier Puppy Development Guide - Puppy 101, his new Dog Training Toolkit is a true gem in the dog book market.