Buy “The Dog Whisperer” from Amazon.com
Buy “The Dog Whisperer” from DogWise
Before Cesar Milan became a TV star as “The Dog Whisperer,” Paul Owens was using real “dog whispering” techniques - positive reinforcement training - to help dogs and their owners. “The Dog Whisperer: A Compassionate, Nonviolent Approach to Dog Training” by Paul Owens should be on every dog owner’s bookshelf - or better yet, in their hands, open and being read.
Buy this book from Amazon.com: Dog to Dog Communication: The Right Way to Socialize Your Dog
Buy this book from Dogwise: Dog to Dog Communication: The Right Way to Socialize Your Dog
When I first picked this book up at a bookstore, I thought it was “yet another book about dog language.” I’m always looking for primers on dog language, and I’m glad there are so many out there (they’ve helped me further my understanding of dog body language and behavior). But I haven’t yet found “the best” primer on dog language, the book that I can recommend to my clients as the way to learn how to understand their dog.
This book is both less and more than “yet another book on dog language.”
An oft-recommended approach to handling a multi-dog household is to reinforce the ranking hierarchy — to feed the “alpha” dog first, the middle-ranking dog second, the low-ranking dog last; to greet or pet the “top” dog first, and so on.
But behaviorists are moving away from that technique, and most now advise reinforcing appropriate behavior without taking hierarchy into account. As scientists explore more about dog cognition and social behavior, we’re discovering that dog hierarchies are a lot more fluid and complex than the straight alpha - beta - omega designations once used for wolf packs might suggest.
In my experience, the average pet owner rarely understands dog behavior well enough to really know who the “top dog” is. Most think that the dog who fights and snarks at the others the most is the “top dog” — they’ve never even heard of “alpha wannabe’s” (dogs who are status seekers but are not confident enough to actually fulfill the role of “top dog”). So the wrong dog gets reinforced.
Dog hierarchies are also subject to change — especially when other dogs enter the mix (whether that’s adding a new dog to a household or simply having other dogs visiting).
I advise my clients that it doesn’t matter who’s “top dog” within the dog hierarchy, as long as they all defer to the humans in the house, and those humans have the ability to direct and control those dogs (whether that’s through management or good training).
Need some guidelines for good management and training for multi-dog household situations? I recommend “Feeling Outnumbered?” by Karen London and Patricia McConnell. (more…)
Anders Hallgrens’s book “The ABC’s of Dog Language” is the best primer on dog language I’ve found to date. It explores how dogs communicate through body signals and movements, sounds, smells, and touch. With clear text and illustrative photographs, the author explains the nuances of dog language, including body postures, facial expressions, and the vocal language of dogs.
If you only have time to read one book on dog language, this is the book to get. Originally written in Swedish and translated into English by Mogens Eliasen and Pauline Kesteven, “The ABC’s of Dog Language” is currently hard to find unless you go to K9Joy.com (Mogens Eliasen’s website) to purchase it.
In The Other End of the Leash, Patricia McConnell explores the similarities and differences between humans and dogs, how we appear to one another, and the problems that can ensue when we miscommunicate. She explains why hugging a dog may result in a bite; the best ways to use your voice to communicate with a dog; why physical dominance is not the way to establish your social status; how to teach your dog to be patient and polite; and much more.
As with her newer book, For the Love of a Dog, Patricia shares personal stories of dogs and situations she’s known to illustrate her points, and she does so brilliantly.
Buy The Other End of the Leash from Amazon.com
This booklet (a little more than 50 pages) offers practical training advice for improving the behavior of “feisty” dogs who growl, lunge, or bark at other dogs when on leash. Authors Patricia McConnell and Karen London explain how to teach essential skills, including “Watch” (”a little exercise with big results”), “U-Turn” (”to leave trouble behind”), and the “Emergency Sit/Stay (”and other useful panic buttons”). Also included: “training tips worth remembering” and a section on prevention and management. The “Special Cases” chapter provides some solutions for dogs who are so afraid of other dogs they won’t even look at them (until they get too close, which can cause an explosion) and information on “Abandonment Training” which can be helpful with dogs who are a bit clingy and insecure and with dogs who may be possessive of their owners.
This booklet (about 40 pages — 52 pages in the new expanded edition) by Karen London and Patricia McConnell provides sound advice on how to manage and train multiple dogs. Topics covered include “Laying a Foundation” (life skills to teach the dogs individually and together, such as come, sit or down, and stay), “Getting Practical” (real solutions to controlling your dogs’ behavior, including body blocks, the Group Wait, and the Group Off), “Staying Away From Trouble” (ways to prevent fights and how to handle them if they happen), and “Coming and Going” (introducing new dogs, rehoming dogs if there’s trouble that just isn’t managable). The information and training advice is sound and clear and helpful to anyone with two or more dogs.
Buy Feeling Outnumbered from Amazon.com
Buy Feeling Outnumbered from Barnes & Noble.com
Buy the new expanded edition of Feeling Outnumbered from DogWise
In For the Love of a Dog Patricia McConnell explores emotions in dogs and people. Our mammalian biology and neurology are remarkably similar, and I believe that we share similar emotions. This book delves into the science of emotions and supports that belief. But it does so with prose that draws out emotion in the reader as effectively as it educates. Just flipping through the book as I compose this review, I find myself drawn into various passages, especially the accounts of Patricia’s own experiences and cases she’s known that illustrate the personal side of these scientific concepts so well. It’s hard to put the book down, but I must, if only to pick up my handkerchief!
Buy For the Love of a Dog from Amazon.com
Raw meat diets for dogs (and cats) have gained popularity in recent years. But most veterinarians strongly caution their clients against feeding their pets raw meat (due to concerns about bacteria such as e. Coli and Salmonella and parasites that are destroyed when meat is properly cooked) and especially raw bones (injuries ranging from fractured teeth to perforations of the intestines are seen far too often in veterinary clinics). In this book, James O’Heare reviews and summarizes the scientific literature on raw meat diets and the potential problems inherent in feeding raw meats. Unfortunately, there’s no corresponding information on the potential benefits of feeding a raw diet – simply because scientific studies of that side of the equation are very hard to find. In my opinion, anyone feeding or thinking about feeding a raw meat diet to their dogs or cats should read this book to be educate themselves of the potential risks involved and be better able to weigh those risks against the benefits proponents of raw meat diets maintain.
This book contains a wealth of information on dog behavior and training. There’s information on canine senses, emotions, instincts, and breed-specific behavior; canine conversation (body language and vocalizations); explanations of some dog habits that may seem puzzling (e.g. rolling in dead things, barking when you’re on the telephone); and of course training and behavior modification solutions to common problems. There’s also a section on dealing with life changes, including canine dementia, moving, divorce (who gets the dog?), and final good-byes. With its small size (300+ pages packed into a book measuring 4.5″ x 6.5″) and question and answer format, The Dog Behavior Answer Book makes perfect reading in the bathroom. You may even catch other family members sneaking a peek now and then.
Buy The Dog Behavior Answer Book from Amazon.com
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