Amazon and I have a love hate relationship. I love that I can buy dog behaviour books with a few clicks of a mouse, but I hate that:
a) I now need another bookcase and
b) I daren’t add up what I’ve spent over the past couple of years (LOL)
I’m not complaining though, I’m enthralled by the whole topic and feel like I’m still only scratching the surface in terms of the learning that’s out there.
Slim pickings on the high street
Amazon’s virtual shelves are packed with some excellent titles, but by contrast, wander into Waterstones or WHSmith and the dog section is more than a little light on content. Chatting to my behaviourist friend today about her excellent blog on the dangers of dominance theory, we were lamenting the fact that the better dog books can only be found online – and then, only if you know what you’re looking for! Couple that with some TV trainers peddling dog abuse in the name of training and no wonder people (myself once included) are confused.
So, I thought I’d share my top ten favourite dog books and ask what you think? I need no excuse to hit Amazon, so any recommendations to add to the shelves gratefully received.
- Dogs – Raymond & Lorna Coppinger
- The culture clash – Jean Donaldson
- For the love of dog – Patricia McConnell
- Inside of a dog – Alexandra Horowitz
- The other end of the leash – Patricia McConnell
- Bonding with your dog – Victoria Schade
- Empowerment training – James O’Heare
- Fight – Jean Donaldson
- How dogs learn – Burch & Bailey
- Canine neuropsychology – James O’Heare
Yeah! You know my top ten virtually same as yours!! Although I am yet to read Patricia Mcconnel books. You know what my next buy is soooo going to be a sheepdog training book! x
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You missed: “Spot – The Dog!” – my favourite. 🙂
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Darn, there goes that birthday surprise..!
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Louisa, I can’t believe you’ve not read Patricia McConnell. You’ll love her – 110% guaranteed.
Silly question, but when are you getting the sheep 😉
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mmmmmmm when we get THE farm lol!!!!!!!!!!!!
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You are missing Melissa C. Alexander’s Click For Joy. One of the best dog behavior books I have ever read. It talks about training a dog and keeping joy in their lives at the same time.
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Sounds perfect. One for the Amazon list. Thanks Candy!
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I’m reading Dog Sense by John Bradshaw and I’m really liking it so far. He writes about positive theories and the origin of dogs in a way that’s easily accessible for the average person. A couple other books I like are The Power of Positive Training by Pat Miller and Don’t Shoot the Dog by Karen Pryor. 🙂
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