Animal Behavior Book Recommendations
If more animal owners educated themselves on the proper care, handling, and understanding of their four-legged companions, a lot of heartache for animals would be avoided. (Moreover, if those in control over the fate of troubled dogs’ lives would do an equivalent amount of research on dog behavior, our legal battles would certainly be injected with a better level of mutual understanding). I will always be a student of animal behavior, some of which I learned hands-on from experienced behaviorists and continue to learn by interacting with my crew at home. A greatly admired dog behaviorist once told me he watched videos of wolves in the wild to better understand how dogs interact and communicate with each other. My favorite “Saturday night at the movies” is watching videos of the Yellowstone wolfpacks, with our crew of pitbulls occasionally glancing at the screen when they hear the wolves howl!
However, I believe the foundation to embarking on this enlightenment about your dogs and your relationship with them should begin with some form of “formal” education on the topic. To that end, there is a mountain of valuable information in books authored by animal experts about methods, techniques and the myriad of gadgets on the market to “train” your dog. But as you might have guessed, I am of the belief that it is the human who needs to be trained in how to understand their canine companion, and not the other way around. Only when you are able to get inside the head of a dog, and using positive reinforcement, will you be able to build the relationship with him/her you both truly desire and deserve.
To this end, the seminal book (translated into 25 languages) by an incredibly acclaimed dog behaviorist that I have read, re-read, and wholeheartedly endorse is The Dog Listener by Jan Fennell This book literally changed my life and the lives of the furry companions that share our home. I find this book so helpful in understanding dogs that when I hand out a business card, I often scribble Jan’s name and title of this book on the back of the card. Jan has trained humans in dog behavior for decades in the United kingdom and her son, Tony Knight, is another valued behaviorist who teaches humans “down under” halfway around the world. They both are avid facebook users, and eagerly respond to followers with sage advice and encouragement.
Do you have an animal behavior book that you swear by? We’d love to hear about it. Drop us a note using the form below to let us know your own animal behavior book recommendations.
Thank you, and read on!
