Dejavú

I inherited a copy of this book from my grandfather, who used to breed German Shepherds. It was my first book about dogs. This 1958 classic is probably one of the first books to endorse a humane way of relating to our four-legged companions. In the words of Lee Duncan:

"As Rinty's teacher I have always tried first of all to keep his love and respect. I want to be half the man Rin thinks I am."

The book covers everything from feeding regimens, health and development, and how to deal with emergencies, to breeding and, of course, training. It's hard to believe but, modern trends about conscious dog care and humane training are already there in this 1958 book.

The book is written in an very light style -- one probably aimed at a young audience -- so it should be a very easy read for anyone. Used copies can be found here and there, even on the web.

In this book, zoologist, dog behaviorist and trainer Dr. Patricia McConnell discusses the characteristic behavior of canines (like dogs) and primates (like humans), their few similarities, and their many differences. This book is about understanding both dogs and ourselves with the aim of improving the communication and relationships between humans and dogs.

An important part of the book is devoted to explaining behaviorist theories about how animals (including humans) learn. The topics cover operant conditioning and the effects of positive and negative reward and punishment in the learning process.

The book is also full of nice stories drawn from Dr. McConnell's experience as a dolphin and dog trainer, and as a dog behaviorist specializing in problem dogs.

Though this is not in any way a step by step training guide, it's still among my favorite books about dog training. Knowing something about how dogs behave by nature, about how our own behavior (even the unconscious one) can affect that, and about the processes and tools of learning is an important step in developing a training strategy that is at the same time effective, humane, and fun.

This would be your standard book about dog care and training using positive reinforcement and common sense if it wasn't for it's exceptional discussion about dog development stages. This book explains the physical and behavioral changes a puppy goes through during it's first year of life on a week by week basis.

This is a book that should interest anyone raising a puppy. It's very reassuring to know that your puppy is not dumb or "out to get you" but that it may be just going through a specific, troublesome period of its puberty. Such knowledge is good for the physical and psychological health of both dog and owner. It's also good to be reminded that sometimes dog misbehavior is due to a passing develomental stage, and that patience, consistency, and assertiveness is what pays out on the long run.

Tom Longsdale explains the prevalence of periodontal disease in dogs (as much as 80% of chronic serious cases), about it's nasty effect of on a dog's health and longevity, and about how empirical evidence demonstrates the influence of inadequate diets (particularly those based on commercial food) on the development of the disease. The book recommends a diet based on raw meaty bones and whole small-animal carcasses as the way to avoid periodontal disease and generally contribute to a dog's overall health.

A good part of the book deals with the adventure the author and other Australian veterinaries went through to try to make their findings public, against ignorance, existing veterinary practice, and the strong opposition from pet-food companies

This sixteen page booklet contains all the advice needed to raise a dog that is well mannered and a good family member. The booklet talks about the things that many dog owners will likely learn by themselves from observation, experimentation, and application of common sense (like using body language and body blocks, using attention as a reward, and never playing wrestling games with dogs!), but it's wonderful to have all that knowledge concentrated in just a few pages written in the authoritative and easy-to-read style of Dr. Patricia McConnel.

This is a reference book. I've already used it, but I probably won't read it all. I'll comment on it after I've used it a few more times.

This book changed my views about dog training, or thather it confirmed my intuitions and set them in stone. This is a book about the feelings in the dog-human relationships that makes us want to have a dog, and take care of it during its shorter-than-human lifetime.

Since I read this book I abandoned systematic ways of training, and started treating my dog as the canine member of the family. We still do some click-training, but we do it mostly for fun.

Aga says: "Stanley Coren wrote "How to Speak Dog". Pretty good from what I remember-- maybe a bit basic.

Turid Rugaas wrote a little pamphlet called "On Talking Terms with Dogs: Calming Signals." Short, but very important, and highly recommended by just about everyone.

Suzanne Clothier has a pamphlet called "Body [Posture] and Emotions." Haven't read it, but she is absolutely brilliant so I can't imagine it being bad."

Alison Craig said:

I got Roger Abrantes' book "Dog Language - an Encyclopedia of Canine Behaviour" several years ago to help me better my shy dogs body language better. Now I have a very confident feisty puppy I have been ben referring to it again, as her postures are so different!

He has lots of black and white illustrations of dog posture and facial expressions. The first brief section is titled "The Evolution of Canine Social Behaviour". The main body of the book is a description and explainaton of about 300 doggy terms, in alphabetic order. Each with cross references to any other pertinent terms in the book.

It covers the most common dog body language, and it is the only book on the subject I have seen. I should think this subject,as it is mostly a change in posture over time, is difficult to describe properly in a book.