Dog Books (& Videos)

So you’ve got a dog and are interested in dog training. That’s a start, but don’t just come and listen to us rambling on about how to train your dog. Don’t just settle for watching “The Dog Whisperer” or “Dog Borstal” or “It’s me or the dog” and thinking that you’ve got it all sussed (or that they have too!) Do some research for yourself and find out the modern way to train your new best friend. And remember, there’s more than one way to skin a cat! (Oops!)

Why not start at the beginning with books by Ian Dunbar, the guy who revolutionised dog training some thirty years ago. You cannot go wrong with them.

If you want to try one of Dr Dunbar’s books for free, Before You Get Your Puppy is a free online book available as a pdf download (2.68MB) from:

http://www.dogstardaily.com/training/you-get-your-puppy

There are many dog training / obedience /behaviour books, but for me some the best are those by Karen Pryor (who really started the clicker craze), Jean Donaldson and Suzanne Clothier.. They move beyond the traditional training books - and way beyond the choke-the-dog school of training.

When Pigs Fly! is a book for those of us who don’t have Border Collies but instead have no-less intelligent but definitely less biddable dogs. “These dogs were bred to be self-reliant and not to continually seek direction from us. They are problem solvers with strong drives to get what they want and have independence bred into them.” The book advocates a clicker approach. A good read.

If you want to read more about the ways that dogs signal, how we misinterpret them, and how they have evolved, try the Patricia McConnell and Coppinger books. Coppinger’s book is not a training manual but is well worth a read if you are interested in dogs and their origins.

Alexandra Semyonova’s book 100 Silliest Things People Say About Dogs is one that you really really should read. It explodes the 100 most common myths about dogs, their nature, their behaviour and how to treat them; dispels the dominance theory and the dire consequences this has had for dogs, and replaces it with conclusions drawn from twenty years of researching and directly observing real dog behaviour.

Seriously, as one reviewer on Amazon said “this is a book to be evangelical about.” It’s that good! If you click on the link you will be directed to it on Amazon where you can scan inside the book, read the table of contents and generally browse. To see more why not visit Semyonova’s site, http://www.nonlineardogs.com/ 

Yes, you might have to abandon some of the dogmas that have been bandied about for decades and handed down through the generations without being questioned, but isn’t it better to have up-to-date information on dog behaviour based on real research. Better that than to go on believing and propagating nonsense based on supposition and wishful thinking.

Of course some training based on these outmoded ideas makes for entertaining television (dog “whisperer” - where whispering appears to mean pushing your dog down at every opportunity?), but it’s still outmoded and generally recognised as largely misguided.

For further discussion on this topic see http://www.urbandawgs.com/divided_profession.html and http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/31/opinion/31derr.html

Dog Training Videos

Books are useful for learning about dogs and how to train them, but sometimes you need to see the training actually happen. There is a selection of videos available on the web, with most available via YouTube, www.youtube.com

Sirius Dog Training

Named after the Dog Star, Sirius. http://www.dogstardaily.com/

Dr Ian Dunbar’s Sirius Dog Training is THE dog training guru’s website. Visit it. The list at the left-hand margin (training, tricks and treats) gives a set of videos for puppies. Watch them and learn.

Alternatively, enter dogstardaily into the youtube search panel.

“Joe The Vet”

This site features TV vet Joe Inglis, and gives advice on getting a dog, training the dog, and looking after your dog. http://www.5min.com/JoeTheVet

AmazingDogTrainingMan

American dog trainer Eric Letendre, the AmazingDogTrainingMan, has a large number of videos available on YouTube. Enter amazingdogtrainingman into the youtube search panel.

They look very much based on the methods initially proposed by Ian Dunbar, and so you will notice if you watch them that they are all pressure-free for the dog and use positive reinforcement only.

If you attend the puppy class you should recognise them … (now I’m redundant!)

And here’s a method that Ian Dunbar recommends strongly. Rather than leaving your dog bored all day when you are out, let it forage for food. Right from puppy stage stuff its food into Kongs (or other chewable hollow rubber toys), then leave them lying around. The puppy has to find them and work at them to get its meals. The dog only chews acceptable items, spends time doing it, and doesn’t get into trouble for having chewed unacceptable items of yours. In other words, fewer free meals in the dog-bowl, but more time for your dog to act like a dog and get mental and physical stimulation while doing so.

Enter amazingdogtrainingman kong in the youtube search panel.

Want to try obedience training but haven’t got a dog?

OK, here’s the solution. Just go to the “I Do Dog Tricks” site below and type commands (sit, down, jump, roll, dead, …) and see what happens. Try your own commands, but make sure you try the “Kiss” command! http://www.idodogtricks.com/index_flash.html