B is for Books!

BOOKS are my life, well I mean besides dogs :). The best kind of day is one spent reading a book curled up with your puppy in a pile of blankets! But right, back to focus here - there are tons of books about dog training out on the market and they are such great resources for methodology and technique. Not everyone has access to a great trainer for lessons, so books seriously are the next best thing! Knowledge about training techniques and processes is very important so that you are able to plan ahead and reach your goals. Obviously, some books are better than others so how do you choose?

Below are my top ten favorite books for dog training. It was seriously HARD to narrow this list to ten but I did it.

Culture Clash by Jean Donaldson

The Culture Clash depicts dogs as they really are - stripped of their Hollywood fluff, with their loveable 'can I eat it, chew it, urinate on it, what's in it for me' philosophy. Generations of dogs have been labeled training-lemons for requiring actual motivation when all along they were perfectly normal. Numerous other completely and utterly normal dogs have been branded as canine misfits simply because they grew up to act like dogs. Barking, chewing, sniffing, licking, jumping up and occasionally, (just like people), having arguments, is as normal and natural for dogs as wagging tails and burying bones. However, all dogs need to be taught how to modify their normal and natural behaviors to adjust to human culture. Sadly, all to often, when the dog's way of life conflicts with human rules and standards, many dogs are discarded and summarily put to death. That's quite The Culture Clash.

Don't Shoot the Dog! by Karen Pryor

A Better Way to Better Behavior. A groundbreaking behavioral scientist and dynamic animal trainer, Karen Pryor is a powerful proponent of the principles and practical uses of positive reinforcement in teaching new behaviors. Here are the secrets of changing behavior in pets, kids - even yourself - without yelling, threats, force, punishment, guilt trips...or shooting the dog: 1. The principles of the revolutionary clicker training method, which owes its phenomenal success to its immediacy of response - so there is no question what action you are rewarding; 2. Eight methods of ending undesirable habits - from furniture-clawing cats to sloppy roommates; 3. The 10 laws of shaping behavior - for results without strain or pain through affection training; 4. Tips for house-training the dog, improving your tennis game, or dealing with an impossible teen; 5. Explorations of exciting new uses for reinforcement training. Learn why pet owner rave, "This book changed our lives!" and how these pioneering techniques can work for you too.

The Power of Positive Dog Training by Pat Miller

Pat Miller is a renowned dog trainer and in this book she gives you the positive training tools you need to share a lifetime of fun, companionship, and respect with your dog. Inside you'll find easy-to-read discussion of the philosophy of positive training followed by training tips and exercises. Plus, you'll get information on the importance of observing, understanding, and reacting appropriately to your dog's body language; instructions on how to phase out the use of a clicker and treats to introduce more advanced training concepts; a diary to track progress; suggestions for treats your dog will respond to; and a glossary of training terms. This book is geared toward the dog owner who wants to develop a relationship with their dog based on friendship and positive reinforcement, not fear and punishment.

Control Unleashed by Leslie McDevitt

Learn how to turn stress to confidence and distraction to focus using methods that are 110% positive. Leslie McDevitt's versatile Control Unleashed program is designed to help "dogs with issues" learn how to relax, focus, and work off-leash reliably in either stimulating or stressful situations. Whether you are training a challenging dog on your own, an instructor trying to figure out how to help dogs in your classes, or an instructor who wants to design a special program just for stressed out dogs, this book is for you. Who needs Control Unleashed? Dogs that are uncomfortable or unable to work off lead aroudn other dogs. Dogs that are easily distracted and have difficulty concentrating. Dogs that are reactive or easily aroused. Dogs that are anxious or stressed and shut down. Dogs that are unable to control their impulses when excited. This training program change your dog's life!

How to Train Your Dog Like a Pro by Jean Donaldson

This book encompasses the tools you need to think and train like a pro! Jean Donaldson is considered by many to be the pro's pro of dog training and she has geared this book towards the "everyday" trainer with step-by-step, easy to understand instructions minus the sometimes complicated science behind the methods. You'll get clear, detailed instructions for teaching essential commands and behaviors, more advanced training skills, and even some fun tricks. Plus, a bonus DVD contains 2 hours and 30 minutes of hands-on instruction showing you exactly how to accomplish each technique. Whether you're the proud parent of a puppy, an adolescent, or an adult dog, this book and DVD truly give you everything you need to train your dog as effectively as a professional trainer would.

Ruff Love by Susan Garrett

Is it difficult to motivate your dog to do what you want him to do, when you want him to do it? Is your dog "too energetic" or "too distracted" to give you his best work? Is your dog's recall effective only if there isn't something more interesting nearby? Is your dog willing to work only if he sees the bait bag or his favorite toy? If you answered "yes" to any of the questions, your relationship with your dog needs strengthening. In Ruff Love, Susan Garrett shares her incredibly successful relationship-building program. Based on her years of experience working with dogs, the Ruff Love program is designed not only to help people dealing with "problem" dogs, but to help agility, flyball, obedience, and other dog sport handlers build a better working relationship with their current competition dog or their next performance prospect.

How to Behave So Your Dog Behaves by Sophia Yin

Although you may not be aware of it, every interaction you have with your dog is a training session - with each pat on the head, cluck of disapproval, or offer of a treat, your dog is learning something. Whether he is learning something you want him to learn is another matter. If you want a well-behaved dog, you're going to have to modify your own behavior in order to modify his. The best way to achieve this is to understand how dogs think and learn. Dr. Sophia Yin, a respected animal behaviorist, provides an in-depth approach to not only understanding dogs, but also understanding how to effectively communicate with them. Exercises for training and problem solving are broken down into short, easy-to-read sections, and friendly, instructional illustrations enhance the techniques. 

Click to Calm by Emma Parsons

Positive Answers for the Aggressive Dog. The dog that bites. The dog that attacks other dogs. The dog who may not survive his own aggressive behavior. What can be done to help these dogs? When Emma Parsons, canine behavior consultant, discovered that her own dog was aggressive, she developed innovative and effective strategies to calm, alter, and re-shape his reactive displays, and those of her clients' dogs. Parsons discusses how aggression is a behavior that, like any canine behavior, can be re-shaped with thoughtful use of marker signals and positive reinforcement. She explains how giving a previously fearful dog the empowerment of learning how to earn a click and a reward can switch the dog's jitters to joy. Full of remarkable insights and practical information, Click to Calm holds the answers for any owner who struggles with this most challenging behavior problem.

Click for Joy by Melissa Alexander

Melissa Alexander, moderator of the online discussion forum ClickerSolutions, collects clear and accurate answers to over one hundred commonly asked questions about clicker training in one essential reference. Click for Joy! is packed with information for experienced trainers and newcomers alike, including positive, effective solutions to common problems; practice instructions to train any behavior for fluency and reliability; encouragement, advice, and success stories from click trainers around the world; short-term and long-term consequences of controversial training techniques; clear, easy-to-understand explanations of the science underlying clicker training; and glossary of clicker training terms and concepts.

When Pigs Fly! by Jane Killion

Do you have an impossible dog? You know the kind of dog we are talking about don't you? The kind of dog that will what you want him to do when pigs fly. One of those never-eager-to-please types that runs the other way when you say Come! Who seems to know exactly what you him or her to do, then does just the opposite. The kind of dog for whom standard training methods whether positive or punishment-based don't seem to work. Call them stubborn, call them independent, call them challenging, whatever you call them don't give up! You may not know it but there are certain breeds that were developed to work independently. Those breeds, and mixes, include Hounds, Terrier, Norther Breeds, and Livestock Guardian dogs. If you have a Pigs Fly kind of dog, you need to work with her independent nature not against it to get good manners and even high level performance. Learn these When Pigs Fly methods and take advance of the natural strengths of these independent and intelligent dogs.

I might or might not have a problem :).
These are just ones I haven't shelved yet...
did I mention that I already have 5 completely full bookshelves?!?!

Have you read any of these books? If so, which ones are your favorite? Any books you would add to my list, or any that you didn't like? :)