Book Review: A Dog Named Leaf, by Allen and Linda Anderson

Okay, I confess. A very awesome thing about dog blogging (dlogging, as my fiancé likes to call it) is that people want me to read their books. Me! And I freaking love reading books. Especially dog books. Said fiancé has remarked that he didn't even know this many dog books exist, and yet I keep bringing them home. Or getting them in the mail.

Obviously, when Allen Anderson (of the Angel Animals Network, I later learned) emailed me to see if I wanted to read and review A Dog Named Leaf, I said yes.

Book Review: Buddy (how a rooster made me a family man) by Brian McGrory

I was given a copy of Buddy (How a rooster made me a family man) by Brian McGrory to review, and to give away to my fine readers! When I heard the title, really I just had to read the book. It's not every day we have heartwarming life lessons coming from roosters (at least not roosters named Buddy; Chanticleer from The Book of the Dun Cow [and various other tales, though I guess he's not the same exact character in every one] I guess has a pretty good track record).

Book Review: A Dog Named Boo, by Lisa J. Edwards

I had the honor of being approached by a publicist at Harlequin to read and review the book, A Dog Named Boo: How One Dog and One Woman Rescued Each Other, and the Lives They Transformed Along the Way, by Lisa J. Edwards. Intrigued, both because I'm a sucker for dog books and because I thought Harlequin only published romance novels, I accepted. I'm glad that I did!

To kick off Lisa Edwards' blog tour, I've read and reviewed A Dog Named Boo, and have copies for giveaway!

Book Review: Teaching the Dog to Think, by Kimberley Davis

I learned about the book Teaching the Dog to Think, by Kimberly Davis, from a post at Chronicles of a Puppy Walker. It was many things that I'm interested in: a book about dog training, a book about "thinking dog" training, and free. For the Kindle, anyway. Not that I have a Kindle, but they have an application for every platform. So, I went to Amazon, downloaded the app, downloaded the book, and blitzed right through it.

Davis starts out the book with her first night going to agility class with her rough collie, Willow. Willow is a young, exuberant dog, and he frequently has problems with being nutso and pulling on the leash, so he wears both a flat buckle collar and also a choke chain.

Book Review: Part Wild, by Ceiridwen Terrill

The only reason I heard of Part Wild, by Cerirdwen Terrill, is that it was mentioned on Dogster a few months back, when it was about to be published.

It's one of those books that, while I can say that I'm glad that I read it, and it really gripped me while I was in the process, it made me feel sad and regretful, even though the situations that transpired were not my life.

Book Review: How To Use Dogs Effectively In Modern Police Work, by Irvin E. Marders

When poking around to see what kind of training and treatment New York State police dogs received (Cooperstown is nearby, and I believe that's where the K9 headquarters is), I came across the phrase that they use the "Baltimore Method" with the dogs. From the State Police site:

The “new method” of training dictated that the canines be sociable, allowed to be in and around the general public, and reside in the handlers residence. Most canines up to this point were extremely aggressive and kenneled when not in use. This method, is still one of the most prevalent training methods in the United States.

Well that's interesting, I thought. It makes sense to me, though, and is a principle I believe strongly, that a working dog, police or otherwise, needs to be socialized with a range of people so that she is not suspicious of people as a rule, but only when ordered or necessary. Of course, I then went to the Google to see if I could turn up more about the Baltimore Method. I found what seems to be a personally maintained historical web site about canine units in the Baltimore City Police Department, that does include information about and some pictures of the dogs.

It also mentioned a book, How to Use Dogs Effectively in Modern Police Work, by Irvin E. Marders. And, though I am not a police officer, and they tend not to get civilians involved with training (And use the Baltimore Method, so no kennels), I just had to read it.

Book Review: Awkward Family Pet Photos, by Mike Bender and Doug Chernack (and giveaway!)

Recently, I received an email requesting that I would consider reviewing a new book, Awkward Family Pet Photos.  I was flattered, of course, to receive the attention. And then I glanced at the website and thought "oh yes, I'm definitely in".

Book Review: The Puppy Diaries, by Jill Abramson

Around the same time I got Elka, the New York Times had a near-weekly column called "The Puppy Diaries", about raising a Golden Retriever puppy named Scout. At the time, I didn't have this blog, a mistake I'm kicking myself for now. Near-weekly guaranteed comment (and thus perhaps traffic) on the New York Times? Say it ain't so!

But anyway, the book of the columns, with some things removed and some holes filled in, has been published.

Book Review: Reaching the Animal Mind, by Karen Pryor

It took me a long time to read a Karen Pryor book (though not as long as it did to read a Temple Grandin book, geeze). I'm glad that I finally did, and that I read her most recent book, Reaching the Animal Mind. It's a longer book than her perennial classic, Don't Shoot the Dog, but includes, I feel, more information, and more valuable information.

Book Review: The Thinking Dog, by Gail Tamases Fisher

I try not to do review posts back to back, but I couldn't wait any longer to talk about this book!

The Thinking Dog, by Gail Tamases Fisher, is a book that I wish somebody had handed me when I first got Elka. Technically, it's a book about switching to clicker training with your dog, after having used traditional methods.  In actuality, it's that book, but also just fine as a starter manual.

5 Books I Think Every Dog Owner Should Read

You may have noticed, I read a lot of books.  I work at a library, which makes them readily available in quantity and variation.  Since getting Elka, dog books, of course, have been a favorite.  Here are five that I think every dog owner should read.

Elka agrees.

Book Review: On Talking Terms with Dogs: Calming Signals, by Turid Rugaas

This is a very small book, with a lot of information in it.

There are certain behaviors dogs will use when they want the one they're communicating with (dog or otherwise) to understand that they're stressed, and to calm down, back off, and take it slowly. Turid Rugaas describes these, and illustrates them with fantastic photographs, in this book.

Book Review: The Social Life of Dogs, by Elizabeth Marshall Thomas

Previously, I read The Hidden Life of Dogs, by Elizabeth Marshall Thomas, which was a book about dogs with dogs, and the sorts of lives they form and decisions they make without human intervention.  The fact that Thomas did this "study" with her own dogs in her house (and later in a fenced area of her  prodigious yard in Virginia) made this very strange to me.  It was well enough written, however, that when I saw The Social Life of Dogs in a used book store in town, I bought it with the change in the bottom of my purse, willing to give it a whirl.

Book review: a trio of children's picture books

I work at the library, and I see a lot of dog books.  I also see a lot of children's picture books with dogs in them, but not a whole lot that I have what I consider to be "useful" information about dogs.  Then I found How to Talk to your Dog, by Jean Craighead George, who is the author of Julie of the Wolves.  Then I found May I Pet Your Dog, by Stephanie Calmenson.  And, last but not least, and brand new, there is Doggy Whys? by Lila Prap.

Though I was excited I cannot, however, claim that Elka wanted to be read to!

Book Review: Bones Would Rain From the Sky, by Suzanne Clothier

I read a lot of dog books.

I read enough dog books that when people ask me to recommend a good book that came out lately, I really have to search my mind for something I've read in the past month that wasn't a dog book.  Not a whole lot of people talk to me about books anyway, so I've let it go.

Why do I read this many dog books?  Clearly there's a point at which they become repetitive.  Also, if they're training books, I may not agree with methods, or it maybe be skills that Elka already has.  While these things are frequently the case, and sometimes I don't make it through them, other times I find one that I love. And reading a really good dog book makes me more mindful, both of myself, and my dog.  Bones Would Rain From the Sky, by Suzanne Clothier, is one of these.

Book Review: The Last Dog on the Hill, by Steve Duno

Ever have a single event change your life in a really profound way?  Steve Duno did.

He and his girlfriend were driving...well, from Point A to Point B.  They pulled over when they saw puppies in the "wilderness" on the side of the road, slightly marshalled over by a Rottweiler crunching down a deer that may or may not have been roadkill.  All of the puppies ran off up the hill, but Steve, on a whim, whistled.  And the last dog stopped and looked back.

Book Review: When Pigs Fly! by Jane Killion

The full title of this book is When Pigs Fly! Training Success with Impossible Dogs! 

Elka is not an impossible dog.  She's very smart and sometimes difficult and frustrating because of her intelligence (a combination of "What'll you give me for it?" and "I don't see the point", I'm sure.)

When Pigs Fly! uses clicker, treats, and basic notion of drives and motivations to make working with your dog the joy you hoped it would be.

Book Review: Barking, by Kim Campbell Thornton

Elka is not a problem barker.  She in fact barks appropriately, occasionally in play, but most often as an alert if she feels somebody's approaching the house who ought not be.  I promise I won't brag about this any more than necessary.

Barking is a big problem dogs owners face, however, as I discussed in Dog Manners: the barking edition.  Dogs bark; it's a main means of communication.  And dog barks mean something, whether we humans get the point or not.  So, if your dog is barking, and you think it's a problem, then there's a definite miscommunication going on.

Barking, by Kim Campbell Thornton, is a rather short book that discusses why dogs bark and what owners might do about it.

Book Review: Rose in a Storm, Jon Katz

Jon Katz has written a good deal of books, many of them regarding his dogs and the farm that he bought after fleeing a suburban lifestyle.  He named the farm Bedlam Farm (or at least I think he's the one who named it; I don't think it came that way), and in its early days had a prolifery of sheep, a rescued steer named Elvis, at least one rooster, whose name escapes me...but, you get the picture.  Bedlam indeed.  But, if you read dog books, pay attention to the dog world, or read TheSlate.com, it's likely you already know who Jon Katz is.

One of the aforementioned dogs is Rose, a Border Collie.  Not precisely the main character in Rose in a Storm, but certainly a strong source of inspiration.  I'm given to understand that Rose is one of those Border Collies who is very business-minded, who lives to work the sheep, and thinks about the sheep, rinse, repeat.  I think the population of sheep on Bedlam Farm nowadays is considerably reduced, or perhaps even seasonable, and Rose may occasionally turn her attention to the Frisbee with the same famed Border Collie focus.

But, Rose in a Storm is fiction, and about a working farm, and Rose the Border Collie (mix), and the lone gentleman who runs it all.

Dog yoga

Until I saw the article in the New York Times (Bonding with their downward facing humans), I never thought about dogs + yoga.

My Yoga practice has always been exceedingly private.  Home alone, with a DVD, curtains drawn private.  Of course, with Elka, you're never, in fact, alone, and this extends to yoga.  There are even two books about dog yoga (sometimes called "Doga"), one I have read, and one I have not. The Barking Buddha, by Brenda Bryan, with Bev Sparks doing the photography, is the one I have read.