I’m in a flurry getting ready to leave town for a wedding and our trip to Spain. So I’m putting this out to you, dear readers: What’s on your book shelf? What DVDs are you loving right now?
I just starting reading Sy Montgomery’s The Soul of the Octopus, and it’s so good that I resented having to get up and move on to other things. Sy is one of our country’s most insightful writers about the natural world, and if you’ve never been fascinated by the intelligence of the amazing animals we call octopus, trust me, you will be before you’ve finished the first page.
Sitting on my bed stand is Canine Nutrigenomics by Jean Dodds and Diana Laverdure, published by Dogwise. This is a book I should read, cover to cover. I tell myself this every day. It’s primary topic is how diet affects gene expression, and given my interest in health, diet and behavior, you’d think I would have devoured it by now. But sigh, I find that I am often not who I think I should be, and every time I open the book I read a few pages and then I get distracted by my ‘to do’ list for the day, or the song of the rufous-sided towhee outside the window. I suspect I simply get overwhelmed, and have resolved when I get back from our trip to read small sections at a time.
Also on my bed stand is Suzanne Clothier’s The Connection Collection: Relationship Centered Training Articles. I loved Bones Would Rain from the Sky, and I suspect I’m going to love these articles too. Have you read it yet? I love Suzanne’s focus on relationship, and expect it will rise from the pages like mist over a lake in the morning.
But what about you? What new book or DVD in the dog world has caught your attention, good or bad? I’d love to hear–my bed stand never has enough books sitting beside it.
MEANWHILE, back on the farm: Busy busy busy getting ready to leave town. Right now I’m at that phase in which you cross one thing off your To Do list, and add three more. I just have to keep reminding myself that this too shall pass; that soon we’ll be on the plane and the farm sitters will take over for awhile.
But I have to admit: It’s hard to leave in fall. I love the way the light and the colors change this time of year, and besides, there’s a lot to do on a farm in September in Wisconsin. Yesterday I took a break from chores, and cruised the farm with my camera. Here is some of what I found:
Seed stalks of the native prairie grass Big Blue are gracing the garden now.
I found a tiny nest (the size of a clementine?) hidden amongst the goldenrod stalks. It seems very late in the year for a youngster to mature enough to make the long migration down south in just two months. I don’t know what species the nestling belongs too, I left it alone after taking the photograph to avoid frightening the parents. Best guess is a chipping sparrow, because a pair nested close by last year, with a nest about the same size and out of similar materials.
Here’s a fine sight in fall: A barn with 310 bales of recently stacked hay bales. We unloaded them all Saturday morning, in brutal heat and humidity (why is it ALWAYS 90 degrees and humid when one unloads hay and stacks it in the barn?) Hay this year was a bit tricky to get: The alfalfa grew like crazy but it was rarely dry enough to bale. The hay that was planned for us was ruined by 2.5 inches of rain, so we ended up with hay that has a bit more grass in it than I’d like. But, come winter, I’m sure the sheep will appreciate it!
All this will be there when we get back. So why am I missing it already?
Mary Beth Stevens says
I always miss my home terribly just before I leave it….
Happy and safe travels to you!
Johanna Bouchard says
I’ve just recently finished “Bark And Lunge: Saving My Dog From Training Mistakes by Kari Neumeyer”. It’s an excellent memoir of a woman who made the change from punishment based training to positive after her GSD became aggressive. (If I may, I have a giveaway for this book currently on my blog, if anyone is interested – http://epicbookquest.com/giveaways/bark-and-lunge/) It’s a very honest look into the subject and I really enjoyed it!
I really hope to read Canine Nutrigenomics soon, so please tell us what you think/thought of it! I’m especially interested in researching the possible connection between nutrition and the effects it has on behavior (in particular aggression). From what I’ve found there seems to be a connection between yeast and allergy problems in dogs with reactivity issues, though I’m not sure how significant this is.
Anyway, love your blog and the newsletters, thanks!
-Johanna
Mireille says
Hmm no dogbooks.. Reading ‘the story of the human body’ by daniel lieberman, fascinating stuff. Food for thought his comment about evolution. One quote “We didn’t evolve to be healthy, but instead we were selected to have as many offspring as possible under diverse, challenging conditions. As a consequence, we never evolved to make rational choices about what to eat or how to exercise in conditions of abundance and comfort.”
― Daniel E. Lieberman, The Story of the Human Body: Evolution, Health, and Disease
Something to think about also with regard to dogs; they didn’t evolve to lead long and healthy lives, but also to have as many offspring as possible, so I aks myself, are ‘natural choices’ always the ‘best’ choices for having my companions with me for as long as possible ? (amd from the lieberman perspective better to be physically active than to sit reading books ?)
The next book on the list is ‘from farao to fMRI’ about the human brain.
I read the connection collection and I liked it but it does not add much to the free articles already on her website.
The only dogbook I recently read was ‘Dogs are from Pluto’ but that is only available in Dutch. Interesting reading from a dog trainer who is very much a practical, hands on man who observes very keenly about handler-dog and dog-dog interactions. It is a deceptively simple book, but I loved the quote ‘As a leader you can be inconsistent, just as long as you are in the lead’ (hmm, sounds wrong somehow in translation..). what he means is that if you decide when to allow your dogs on the couch, it is ok, as long as it is clear to them when allowed and when not. Does this make sense? Refreshing book, I thought.
Vicky from Boise says
I am nearly done re-reading James Herriot’s wonderful series and thoroughly enjoying them again. His love of dogs shines through in his writing and I was drawn to this quote :”Anybody who has ever walked a dog knows the abiding satisfaction which comes from giving pleasure to a loved animal, and the sight of the little form trotting ahead of me lent a depth which had been missing before.” My daily walks with my dogs are a cherished part of every day. A large part of the this comes from the simple enjoyment of watching them enjoying themselves. Thanks to Dr. Herriot for putting it so well!
Ellen Jefferies says
One pair of our beloved barn swallows, the pair who won the nest in the cornor of the front porch, sat 3 clutches this year instead of the usual 2, and the last clutch had 6 babies instead of the maximum capacity for the nest of 4. Normally when capacity is exceeded, we lose the excess, even in this surprisingly cat free farm, but this time they all managed to stay in, sometimes stacked 3 deep. So, there they were, 6 fledglings and parents while the entire rest of the flight, which numbered close to 40 by the end of the season this year(we have lots of barn swallow nests) , gone for wherever they winter. You can tell the fledglings the first couple of days by their desperated strugglers to master the finer points of flight and most of all landings. You can also spot their short tails. All 6 fledglings and 2 parents spent the next 2 weeks practicing hard for their migration. Each day the babies’ skill and stamina improved. And then they were gone.
I find myself with my teeth on edge reading and listening to Dr. Dodd. I disagree with so much and after watching her ideas propagate I see so many of those ideas resulting in unmanageable dogs and overwhelmed owners with unsuitable dogs they do not have the tools to manage. I’m elderly and largely incapacitated. I have two adlolescents dogs, a great dane and an irish wolfhound (how that happened is another story) who would be totally beyond me without the necessary tools and the experience to be able to prevent them taking me body surfing, which I experience with my first IW 20 years ago. I do own harnesses in all sizes. We use them for carting; if you want a dog to pull, you have to have a harness and there are lots of human/dog sports that need the dog to pull. We use them for steadying our dogs on the contact obstacles in agility, especially the teter and dog walk where we really don’t want our dog falling off and being frightened. But if you want the leverage to teach a 150 lb. “bouncing baby boy” to walk politely on leash, or even a 75 lb “bouncing baby girl” not to take off at top speed, a harness isn’t going to do it. And while positive reinforcement works a treat for teaching a dog what you want it to do, it isn’t so great for stopping behavior you don’t want, like being towed face down accross the parking lot. You do not even want to get me started on “we vacinate too much”. Had a dog with distemper at my vets. They had to close down for days. Owners were waiting for the annual titer to tell them immunity was gone. Too late.
Ellen Jefferies says
Neal Stephenson: Seven Eves
Bruce says
Just set up half of my bookcases and unboxed half of my books so your question is timely. Bouncing back and forth between three books at the moment:
Against the Gods: The Remarkable Story of Risk, by Peter L. Bernstein. Re-reading this for the umpteenth time, and I always get something from it.
The Reivers, by William Faulker. One of his more approachable books.
The Other End of the Leash, but someone named Patricia McConnell. Truth, not flattery – you could check my nightstand.
I have a bunch of books on my ‘to-order’ list, including a few dog-related books, but I cannot seem to locate the list at the moment.
Patricia, I hope you have a fantastic time in Spain.
Kat says
I’ll have to pick up the octopus book for my daughter for Christmas. She has great fondness for the creatures stemming from playing with the one at the local Marine Science Center as a child. It was amazing watching the octopus, Oceana, react when daughter would appear before her tank. Oceana was entirely indifferent to me but she would ‘dance’ with my daughter. They would face each other and wave arms and tentacles and move from side to side of the tank. The only reinforcement for the behavior was enjoyment. No one taught her too do it or rewarded her for dancing with this five year old but every time we visited she’d dance with my daughter and because my daughter loved it so much we visited often. Then her year in the tank was over and Oceana was released back into the wild. Subsequent Octopi never had the same connection with my daughter but she still loved watching them and learning about them.
I’m currently reading Clothier’s book and enjoying it immensely. She has a deft way with words and her relationship connection philosophy seems to me just plain common sense. My choice to actually listen to the dogs may be why I’m so popular with the species. Several years ago an unattended Pomeranian showed up at the dog park. After the self-proclaimed dog experts chased it all around, cornered it and got bitten for their trouble, I took advantage of their absence while cleaning the wound to sit quietly and invite the scared little guy to my safe lap. Once he’d climbed into my lap and had given me permission to pet him, I explained that I needed to see his tags and gently turned his collar until I could read his name and contact info. He was safely returned home to 10 days of quarantine for having bitten the person that was terrifying him.
Next up in my dog book pile is Karen Pryor’s On my Mind. I’ve loved her previous books so expect to enjoy this one as well.
And of course there is a big pile of fiction and non-fiction awaiting my attention. The two I have going right now are The Last of the Renshai by Mickey Zucker Reichert. Not one I’d recommend. The story is interesting enough to keep me reading it but it really needed a good editing. The other book is The Monument Men which is fascinating but I keep feeling like a different author might have had a better chance of doing justice to the story.
Safe travels and I’m looking forward to the photos.
Maggie Moss says
Books on my shelf, In defence of Dogs by John Bradshaw.
Animals Make us Human By Temple Grandin (reading again)
The Nine Emotional Lives of Cats By Jeffery Masson
(I have adopted a Deaf cat after being cat less for many years)
Meredith Lunn says
Recently I was asked to come out of retirement to restart a shelter dog behavior and training program for the staff and training program for dog care volunteers. I held the same position at that shelter for many years until it was eliminated in 2012 due to budget cuts. Very excited to be back at it. So I am currently watching presentations by veterinarian behaviorists who deal with the challenges of shelter dog issues. Much of it is review for me, but I’m learning some new things and identifying my strengths and weaknesses. In my stack of must-reads is “The Archeology of Mind” by neuroscientist Jaak Panksepp PhD. I have watched some of his presentations on the emotional systems of the brain and his research on emotions in animals. Gives me a new perspective on what effects learning in our canine companions. Also waiting to be read is “What’s a Dog For?” By John Homans. It was a gift from a friend. It looks to be similar to “Dog Sense” by John Bradshaw but I’m not sure. As fall creeps in to the Northeast, I’m working on a couple of things with my own dog – a CGC and intermediate trick dog title, and just enjoying my beautiful black dog against the fall colors! Happy Fall to you and have a wonderful trip!
Anya says
The last novel, that really got me, is “Ice” from Ulla-Lena Lundberg :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krpQXKeL3Z4
And the German dogtrainer Dr. Ute Blaschke-Berhold made an excellent DVD: “Das Kleingedruckte in der Körpersprache des Hundes” (The small print in a dog s body language)
http://www.cumcane.de
Michelle says
Having written a series of ridiculous stories starring a talking octopus, it seems I’m on an octopus “kick” lately. I’m going to have to check out that book!
As for what I’m currently reading? I just finished an amazing fantasy novel called Uprooted by Naomi Novik. Highly recommended.
And for dog books, I’m currently reading Leslie McDevitt’s Control Unleashed puppy book. Because I have a new dog who NEEDS to learn some impulse control.
Dolly Mittler says
Too many books, too little time! I too am leaving for vacation and the list grows as you say. Enjoy your trip!
Nic1 says
Corvids are fascinating me recently after reading a BBC article about people’s anecdotes of their interactions with crows and ravens and them claiming they leave ‘gifts’.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-31604026
They interest me mostly because of their amazing intelligence and problem solving skills and what we can learn from them but also how they have inspired folklore and superstition throughout the centuries. I’ve just downloaded ‘Corvus: A Life with Birds’ by Esther Woolfson, which is about her and her family’s experience of interacting with these birds and how much they have taught her about both birds and humans.
‘The Soul of the Octopus’ has just been added to my reading list. This looks like a fascinating read. Also fascinated to read about Kat’s daughter and Oceana reacting to her movement (or dancing together?)
I’ve not yet read any of Clothier’s books but must also add these to my reading list as I’ve found her website to be a great resource. Her essay defining her empathy and behavioural understanding of reactive dogs is just inspired. Kat’s story about her own empathic connection with the little lost Pom reminded me of a post I read today on the PPG about empathy and science and the importance of emotional intelligence over pure science and reasoning.
http://ppgworldservices.com/2015/09/07/why-is-empathic-practice-important/
Currently devouring anything I can read by Gerd Gigerenzer. Just working my way through ‘Gut Feelings’ and his work on heuristics. He’s a methodologist who understands that human beings can often over complicate their lives with too much information when it comes to decision making. Less is sometimes more. Interesting that some people can be suspicious of their own unconscious ‘gut feelings’. ‘Subliminal’ is still on my Kindle waiting list.
I’m a huge SCi Fi movie geek fan and I recently tripped out watching the movie ‘Interstellar’ which led me to the book ‘The Science of Interstellar’ by Kip Thorne and Chris Nolan.
Still working my way through Adam Miklosi’s ‘Dog Behaviour, Evolution and Cognition.’
It’s a big one…
Mireille says
Hmmm I tried reading Bradshaw but I failed, his style irritated me too much. I was wondering why and then I read a couple of critiques on his work (f.i. http://www.petbc.org.uk/Bad%20Science%20-%20Dr%20Roger%20Mugford.pdf ) and I think I know why I didn’t like him. He is too sure about what he writes but not all that he says is so certain. And what irritated me most: his attitude that he is the first in so many aspects where I thought “dude, I read that years and years ago” – in “The other end of the leash” … 😉
I love James Herriot’s story’s though. I must have read them dozens of times.
Mireille says
sorry, included the wrong link http://www.petbc.org.uk/Bad%20Science%20-%20Dr%20David%20Sands.pdf
Maggie Jones says
James Prosek’s EELS, An exploration from New Zealand to the Sargasso, of the Worlds most Mysterious Fish
Simply a wonderful book, I compare him to John McPhee.
Roberta says
Oh, oh! I’m enthralled with “What the Dog Knows” by Cat Warren. Watched it for a long time, finally bought it, and now, can hardly put it down except recently, since I’m nearing the end and don’t want to quit reading. I’ve had hounds most of my adult life. One day, at the dog park, I’d tossed out a known (to me) number of treats for my Black and Tan/Dobie/? “Whineramer” to find – he missed one. As I searched for it, a dog ran by, skidded to a stop, turned on a dime, and came directly back to the last treat. I was ecstatic and floored. What a NOSE! I found his owners and told them what they had – they were not impressed or interested. OMgosh. I still get goosebumps thinking about his reaction.
“The Boys in the Boat.” I’d not heard of this before seeing in at B&N. I remembered the Miracle on Ice at the Olympics and thought it would be in the same genre. While it was, it is also a solid history lesson, a jarring reminder of the work and more work needed to be the best, and a, new to me, knowledge of the solid number of winning athletes the US sent to Hitler’s Games beyond Jesse Owens (whom the athletes revered and cheered – well, from our side).
“Better” by Atul Gawande. A surgeon writing about how hospitals and we caregivers (doctors, nurses, etc.) can always improve (written in 2007 because I finally thought, we do some of this now…interesting) but extrapolates well to life and relationships, human and animal.
Have a wonderful time in Spain. I need to go back through this list and write down recommendations. Thank you!
Abby says
I am consistently digging into Sue Furman Canine Massage for the Athlete in Every Dog
My latest favorite novel is the latest in the Raine Stockton series by Donna Ball definitely worth enjoying.
Kim McNeill says
I just finished Soul of the Octopus. It was very, very good. And without spoiling too much, i’d like to point out, for sensitive readers, that octo’s have very short lives. (Which makes their intelligence all the more fascinating IMHO.)
Before that was Gift of the Crows. Another brilliant creature that we share this earth with. Also a good read. (“Stalin’s Daughter” was also in that mix. Interesting biography, but not much on animals.)
On my bedside right now is The Secret History of Kindness, Learning from how Dogs Learn.” A good read, i think, but i’m getting a little bogged down in it for some reason.
Michelle says
i am actually reading two of your books right now. My Border Collie has started tomact like a typical teenager and I needed a refresher course.
Clio says
I am watching Puppy Culture by Jane Killion (as well as stalking her Puppy Culture Facebook group because the puppies are so darn cute) and Advanced Canine Behavior by you 🙂 I am also reading a pile of books about dog ownership and training in preparation for our first puppy. However, since all of these books and videos are by you or recommended by you in one of your book reviews, I doubt the list would be all that helpful to you 🙂 Happy and safe travels!
Christine Weber says
Ted Kerasote’s “Pukkas Promise”
T.C. Boyle, every single novel !!!
LisaW says
Nic1, I love corvids, too. I’d recommend Ravens in Winter by Bernd Heinrich, professor of zoology, he studied ravens over four years at a remote site in Maine. Fascinating. Also, this clip from BBC’s Inside the Animal Mind is pretty great: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbSu2PXOTOc
Maggie, I’m putting Eels on my list; I’ve read all of John McPhee’s books and loved every one. Thanks.
Suzanne Clothier’s Arousal, Anxiety and Fear DVD was really helpful in changing how I approached a few things with my dog and taught me some new things to pay attention to. She often has specials on this DVD, well worth it.
I’m reading Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain. I’m reading it slowly and by myself 🙂
Have a great trip to Spain.
Debby Gray says
For pure fun I just finished reading Scents and Sensibility by Spencer Quinn. The book (8th in a series) is narrated by Chet the canine half of The Little Detective Agency. Human, down on his luck, Bernie Little is the other half. The fun is Chet’s very doggy perspective of the case. When I finish one of this series of books I’m always sad that it will be a year before there’s a new story to enjoy.
On a more serious note, I have recently finished reading The Moral Life of Animals by Dale Peterson. It is not new, published in 2011, and was given to me by a friend who said now that he’s retired he’s done reading thought provoking books. It does take time to read but I think it is well worth it.
Thanks for asking us to share our recent reads Trisha. I always get so many ideas of future reads when you suggest this.
Nic1 says
LisaW, many thanks for the recommendation. I’ve just managed to pick up a used copy of ‘Ravens in Winter’.
🙂
Mireille ‘ In Defence of Professor Bradshaw’ 🙂
I couldn’t disagree more about the academic bickering and career bashing I’ve read by a couple of individuals regarding Bradshaw’s book. It just seems like petty jealousy and a complete over reaction to a generally well received book. But I understand your lack of enthusiasm about the tone of writing.
Dr Mugford writes:
“Dr Bradshaw has done well ‘working’ the university and commercial grant system to his
own benefit: he has worked in an uncritical world that rewards apparent effectiveness,
numbers of post graduate students and of course, papers published. But now he has
retired, I had (just)hoped that his malign influence on our dog culture might cease. Not
so, and more is the pity.”
Owch! !
“Payoffs without penalties produce spoilt and dangerous children……..and dogs. Imagining
that dogs are the only species on the planet that do NOT develop social order by
competitively determined dominance-subordinance systems is a narrow interpretation of
the ethological consensus and that will cause the death of many more dogs that have
bitten their people.”
What in essence is he saying? That if you don’t keep dogs in their place they are going to bite you? I wonder how people may interpret that statement as an action.
As a canine expert and dog-lover, Bradshaw was dismayed that our treatment of dogs is based on so many mistaken beliefs and assumptions. He wanted to set the record straight now because canine science has made huge advances in recent decades. He demolished the notion that dogs are essentially aggressive creatures seeking dominance, which is based on discredited research into wolf packs. We all generally accept now that wolves – the direct ancestors of dogs – actually live in harmonious family groups. Packs are not dominated by “alpha wolves”, but are fundamentally cooperative and the alphas are simply the breeding pair or the parents. Bradshaw was also determined that the “dominance theory” be banished. At the time this was bad news for some people whose livelihoods depend on that dominance theory, as Mugford’s missile attack on the book reveals.
IMHO, Bradshaw’s book landed when it was badly needed in the UK – Cesar Millan copycats were getting slots on prime time TV and there were great concerns about pedigree dog breeding practices at the time too. His book presented a rational and science based approach to our current understanding of the domestic dog and although the tone of the book may lack the warmth and humour that Trisha’s writing possesses (it is more academic in style) but it had quite a serious intention which may understandably leave some people cold.
Unfortunately, Trisha is not as well known in the UK as she is the US so we like having Bradshaw doing his thing on TV and in his books. Dogs and cats and their owners too, need people like him still caring and contributing and not merely worried about their own personal business interests as I suspect where that critique may have well been rooted?
Laura says
Not much on the book list as of yet. Currently, my husband and I are making our way, at a slow pace, through the last of the Odd Thomas series by Dean Kuntz. I find his books to be either hit or miss. For example False Memory was awesome, and the first three books of this current series were great, but they’ve lagged since the fourth in my opinion. I want to read Quiet, a book mentioned by one of the commenters above. I’m an introvert and I feel like work environments not only love, but force everyone to be extraverts. I don’t like it and I’m glad I have my office. On the dog front, no dog books as of right now. Mostly I’ve been reading dog blogs to get my dog fix.
Trisha says
Love all the book ideas! I’m off to give a speech in Rockford, but will jump back in tomorrow morning with some more ideas. Thanks for your comments, I’m making myself a list!
Kathleen Bullard says
I just finished reading “Beyond Words: What Animals Think and Feel” by Carl Safina. It is both fascinating and heartbreaking. He concentrates mainly on how elephants, wolves, and whales live in families and includes the impact our killing has upon them when a leader is taken out. I have often felt that if you believe in evolution then one would recognize that as animals we are all on a continuum of emotions. He basically makes the same arguments, and that in addition we should not make humans the measure of all intelligence and emotion. In fact, after reading it, I think that elephants and whales are more emotional and empathetic than we are since we notoriously kill each other very viciously and other animals just for sport. To think that we may see the extinction of these magnificent in our lifetime because we continue to poach elephants for tusks, and conduct deadly sonar and ocean bombing (so we can be sure that we can kill more people and animals!) is just appalling. I couldn’t help but cry after closing the book.
Dr. M says
The current books on my night stand:
Wicked Plants: The Weed that Killed Lincoln’s Mother and other Botanical Atrocities -Amy Stewart
Succulents Simplified – Debra Lee Baldwin
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers – Mary Roach
The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up – Marie Kondo
Child of Mine: Feeding with Love and Good Sense – Ellyn Satter
That Octopus book is on my list!
Lynn says
I’m reading two of yours, as my rescued hound dog is a bundle of fear and trepidation, yet things are better with your and others’ help. I just ordered The Cautious Canine!
Since many are reading The Soul of the Octopus, I immediately thought of The Secret Life of Lobsters, a fascinating book that weaves the story of Maine lobstermen, government regulation and scientific study. Do you know how female lobsters attract their mates? 🙂
Trisha says
Love the secret life of lobsters! One of my favorites. Also, just listened to Circling the Sun about Beryl Markam. It’s a factionalized account of her amazing life (first female race horse trainer in Africa, first female pilot, lover of Finch Hatton and friend of Isaac Dinesson) (pardon all spelling errors, am at the airport on my iPad…). The story is fascinating and the writing is exquisite. Also read and loved Stiff. I’ve read parts of the Tidying up book… Two thoughts for now. 1) the author has never had kids or dogs. 2) she’s absolutely right that all the stuff in our houses has weight, and not just the physical kind. I resolved to go thru my clothes first (her best advice I think is to go thru things in caregories, not room by room). Granted, I’m not all that into clothes, but I still have tons I dont need. (Do I really need 15 T shirts for doing chores around the farm?)
Khris says
I have become a die-hard Denise Fenzi fan! I LOVED her book “Dog Sports Skills Book 2: Motivation” and can’t wait to read the other two books. She has such a great method of working with dogs — all about developing relationship and motivation. I’ve also started reading her blog from start to finish. Not only does she have some really wonderful blog posts, but most of them include videos to illustrate what she’s talking about. http://denisefenzi.com/
The best fiction book I’ve read recently is “The Light Between Oceans” by M.L. Stedman about a lighthouse keeper and his wife in the mid 1920’s who find a baby in a boat that’s washed ashore and raise her as their own.
Christina Hargrove says
Khris, I was going to say the same about Denise Fenzi! I just bought and read on my vacation all three “Dog Sport Skills” books. They include a very thoughtful and detailed analysis of relationship, learning and rewards, some of which will be review for trainers who have studied the science of learning, but some of which is incredibly subtle and nuanced and advanced.
Monika & Sam says
Best wishes for a truly ‘pawsome’ trip. It’s been so insanely busy that reading/watching have been put on the back burner (I can barely recall eating any dinners either!). Absolutely loved your photos, especially the grass seed heads. They remind me that Autumn is just around the corner-my favorite time of year.
Caroline Gregg says
As a dog fosterer who relies heavily on my dog to rehabilitate our house guests I would be interested for recommendations on dog communication and working with rescue dogs. Thank you
Kelly says
Just finished:
Denise Fenzi and Deb Jones – Book 1 – Loved it and recommend it.
Jean M Auel – Land of Painted Caves – Pretty good fiction, and I love following a series. This was the last book.
Currently (re)reading :
Dan Brown – Angels and Demons – Classic action, and some art history! Love it.
Up next:
Chris Zink – Jumping A-Z and Peak Performance – I’m trying to learn more about canine structure and how it impacts function, so I’m looking forward to these two books.
Shelly Smith says
Pat Miller-How to Foster Dogs (from your reading list). I’m in the middle of it and trying to internalize the info. Short and information packed.
Turid Rugaas-Calming Signals, awesome beginning into reading body language and facial expression. Her website, pdte.eu is wonderful as well.
Barbara Handelmann-Canine Behavior, A Photo Illustrated Handbook. 1000 explained and categorized beautiful photos of canine behaviors. She uses dogs and wolves, so I get the regular font and all caps versions of the body language and facial expression. All beginners should get this. Of course I’m a beginner, so maybe my perspective is off. Still, it’s worth it for the photos.
Celine Yang says
I’m currently reading For the Love of a Dog – by you! And I’m watching Harnessing the Hunter, a training DVD presented by Emily Larlham of Dogmantics. I love her training video tutorials.
Sue Davies says
Lots of wonderful suggestions here that I’ve added to my reading list.
One I recommendation I would make is How Children Succeed Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character by Paul Tough. Not a dog book but definitely a page turner for me and I had trouble putting it down until I finished it. One particular bit of information I found especially interesting was regarding a study on rats and fostering resilience. Rat pups born to dams who licked and groomed them frequently had higher levels of resilience than rat pups born to dams who did little or no licking and grooming of them. And it affected not only hormones and brain chemicals but also how certain chemicals are affixed to certain sequences of DNA. The book indicates that evidence is mounting that it applies to humans as well but it was published in 2012 so there may be much more known by now. Any way, if rats and humans are affected, certainly dogs would be affected too. I put sticky tabs on so many of the pages so I can find specific information again that it almost makes the tabs useless.
Jenny H says
Books:
An oldie; “The Octopus and the Orangutan” Eugene Linden. (because you were talking about octopuses)
Another oldie, as I am re-reading it; “Human Instinct” Robert Winston.
Then:
Norman Doidge, “The Brain’s Way of Healing”
Oliver Sacks “The Mind’s Eye”
Adrian Desmond & James Moore “Darwin’s Sacred Cause: Race, Slavery and the Quest for Human Origins” (Slow going – not terribly well written, and a big book)
Other than that frequent referral to my reference books, reading papers (or at least abstracts of papers) and articles and blogs in the Internet.
Jenny H says
Reply to Sue Davies:
Sue, get a nice fine point biro and write the pages, you want to refer to again, on the blank pages after the end of the index! Sometimes you can actually write them in with the Index itself 🙂
Cheers,
Jenny H