Personality is as unique for your dog as it is for you, me and every dog you will ever work with or meet.
Why did I read this book?
I have a reactive dog. Like several other thousands of dog owners worldwide. Also, like these other dog owners, I wish my dog would be able to cope with the world and realize that the world, other dogs and humans in it, are not out to get her. This led to the purchase of this book.
What does this book do?
But devouring the first half of the book, I quickly realized that you don’t have to have a reactive, or fearful, dog to benefit from this book. In fact, after finishing it, I now believe that this book should be a household item for dog owners.
This book starts out not by diving straight into the problem of lunging, barking, and snarling dogs, but instead, it drops you right into learning what a dog is. And while most people may think that they know what a dog is, this book tells you that a dog is far more than 4 legs of fluff and a lovely, boopable snoot. And in doing so it introduces us to the history of dogs and their domestication. Moving on from there it takes the reader through a quick, very easy-to-understand crash-course in canine behavior and learning theory, that equips you as a dog owner with the knowledge to understand your dog and his actions. Before the reader is thrown into the practical manual of working on your issues with your dog, Sally Gutteridge also touches down on the importance of meeting the needs of your dog, and again in her easy to read fashion paints us a fine picture of how meeting needs can curb a majority of common behavioral issues in the family dog. In short, it helps you find out not just what a dog is, but also helps you learn who your dog is.
The practical manual part of the book is also written in an easy-to-understand language and as I flipped the last few pages, I was delighted to find that the book came with a full glossary and a lovely set of infographics about recognizing calming signals and fear and anxiety. The techniques described lead your thoughts towards a form of B.A.T. 2.0 light, that equips the regular Joe dog owner with the tools needed to help to teach your dog to build resilience and cope with the world. I sure know my toolbox has expanded considerably with reading this book. So even if your dog isn’t reactive or fearful, this book and the methods described in it can help you build resilience in your dog and build focus in the distracted dog too and also simply build your relationship, which is the key to living a stress-less life with your dog.
How do I get the book?
The book is $10.66 on Amazon + shipping and it’s worth every penny
