This weekend I went to my favorite local bookstore (Arcadia Books in Spring Green, WI) and spent a bundle on books as Christmas presents. Of course, I ended up buying a bunch for me too, because I love books almost as much as I love dogs. (Okay, I don’t really love books as much as I do dogs, but but you get the idea.) I thought it was a good time of year for us to have a conversation about great books, either to read for yourself or to buy as gifts for others. Here’s a list of some of the things I’ve loved reading this year (including my favorite magazines) and some books that are on my list to read sometime soon.
DOG BOOKS
Beware the Straw Man: The Science Dog Explores Dog Training Fact and Fiction, by Linda P. Case. I love Linda’s thoughtful and educated approach to commonly held beliefs about dog behavior and training. Ex: Dogs couldn’t be subject to the placebo effect–0r could they? (Or their owners.) Can tryptophan calm excitable dogs (or make you sleepy after Thanksgiving dinner)? You might be surprised at the answer. I haven’t read every chapter yet, but I’ll read a chapter a day and savor every one of them. Another great book by Linda Case is…
Dog Food Logic: Making Smart Decisions for Your Dog in the Age of Too Many Choices, also by Linda P. Case. This is one of my favorite dog books of 2014–thorough but engaging, practical and theoretically interesting. It should be in the library of everyone who feeds a dog.
Domestic Dog Cognition and Behavior: The Scientific Study of Canis Familiaris, edited by Alexandra Horowitz. Here’s the blurb from Dogwise about it: This book highlights the state of the field in the new, provocative line of research into the cognition and behavior of the domestic dog. Eleven chapters from leading researchers describe innovative methods from comparative psychology, ethology, and behavioral biology…”
The good news is that this book has enough meat in it to keep us thinking throughout all of 2015. The bad news is that the cost of the hardcover book is $149.99 (and that is substantially reduced by Dogwise from the publisher’s price). But Julie Hecht alerted me (thank you Julie!) to the fact that you can buy single chapters, or even go online to download individual chapters thanks to the author him or herself, as Monique Udell has done for her chapter, a Dog’s-Eye View of Canine Cognition.
Canine Play Behavior: The Science of Dogs at Play by Mechtild Käufer. Don’t you love how the word “science” is showing up on so many new books about dog behavior? Picture me breathing a great sigh of relief. I picked this book up at Dogwise, and love its combination of photographs and references to solid studies on canine behavior. A must on the shelf of anyone serious about canine behavior.
Citizen Canine: Our Evolving Relationship with Cats and Dogs, by David Grimm. The sub-title pretty much says it all. I haven’t read this book yet, but it looks interesting. Anyone out there read it yet and care to give us a review?
Breath to Breath by Carrie Maloney. Here’s another book I haven’t read yet. That’s not surprising, since it just arrived on my desk this morning. It is a novel about a veterinarian who is healing from her husband’s death through her work with animals (and through her talk show on public radio–you can see why I’m especially interested given the radio context…). Here’s the blurb on the back of the book: “Veterinarian Anna Dunlop can recite all the 230 bones in a cat’s body. She can listen to a dog’s chest and know instantly how to save its life. What she can’t seem to do is work her way through her own personal pain.”
Low Stress Handling, Restraint and Behavior Modification of Dog & Cats: Techniques for Developing Patients Who Love Their Visits by Sophia Yin. This book came out in 2009, but I consider it the gold standard on humane handling. If you haven’t seen it, be prepared to be awed; that’s how I felt when I first saw it. If you have any reason to handle animals (who would rather not be handled), you need this book. Your vet clinic needs this book. Yes, it is expensive, but it is nothing compared to other medical equipment and possibly the best book that any vet clinic could have. If your clinic doesn’t have it and you are feeling especially grateful to them, buying them this book is a wonderful way to show your appreciation. I might not have thought to include this book, but the untimely and tragic death of Sophia Yin has recently brought all of her work to mind. Mark Twain said that stories are like genes, they live on after us when we ourselves are gone. Looking at this book reminds me that Dr. Yin will never be far from our hearts, and always be there, on the side of the animals she loved.
Do As I Do: Using Social Learning to Train Dogs by Claudia Fugazza. I haven’t seen this book yet, but the folks at Dogwise highly recommend it, and I take their suggestions seriously. Looks intriguing, anyone read it?
For more ideas about good dog books, see my Spring Book Review blog from this year. And last, in this category anyway, forgive me for mentioning my own books, The Other End of the Leash and For the Love of a Dog. They have both been out for several years, but I am gratified that people still find them useful. I get emails every week from readers saying wonderful things about them. (Which are especially welcome, given that I am working on finishing a draft of my next big book. I’ll just say that writing is not always an easy task, and leave it at that.)
NON-FICTION ABOUT ANIMALS
Animal Madness: How Anxious Dogs, Compulsive Parrots, and Elephants in Recovery Help Us Understand Ourselves by Laurel Braitman. I wasn’t sure that I was going to like this book, but I ended up loving it. I highly recommend it. Laurel began with the life-threatening phobia of her own beloved dog, and expands into an educated and wide-ranging discussion about the shared mental states of people and other mammals. A great book for those interested in comparative cognition and emotional states in animals.
The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History. This is another book sitting on my bookshelf. Here’s a description: “A major book about the future of the world, blending intellectual and natural history and field reporting into a powerful account of the mass extinction unfolding before our eyes.” This is an important book for me to read before I teach my class at the University of Wisconsin, and in some ways I am looking forward to it. Of course, in other ways I’m not, because this kind of knowledge can be depressing. But it won’t help us to hide our heads under the covers.
Amazing Rare Things: The Art of Natural History in the Age of Discovery, by David Attenborough. I bought this book this weekend, and if you need an antidote to books about extinction, this has got to be it. “In Amazing Rare Things, renowned naturalist and documentary-maker David Attenborough joins with expert colleagues to explore how artists portrayed the natural world during this era of burgeoning scientific interest.” I haven’t read it all yet, but the art inside is gorgeous.
FICTION (Truth be known, I love reading good fiction. Here are my favorite novels that I read this year.)
Shotgun Lovesongs by Nickolas Butler. An exquisite book, one of my favorite of all time. From Booklist: “The hearty Midwest, which thrums and beats through tiny Little Wing, Wisconsin—an Anytown, USA, if there ever was one—assumes the whole soul of Butler’s fetching debut, if only to end up proving how unassuming it is… In bars and under stars, through this small group of those who’ve never left, those who regret leaving, and those who wish they had the town in their rearview mirror, Butler examines just what it means to be from a place—and if sharing that from-some-place is more a reason to stay in touch, or a reason not to. Readers can feel the winter cold on the other side of the neon sign and hear the peanut shells crunching underfoot.”–Annie Bostrom
Jewelweed and Driftless by David Rhodes. Another author who is brilliant at establishing place. One reviewer said it better than I could: “Encompassing and incisive, comedic and profound, Driftless is a radiant novel of community and courage.” –Donna Seaman. Courage is something that David Rhodes knows well. He was lauded as one of the country’s most promising young authors 30 years ago, until a motorcycle accident left him paralyzed. But he is back writing, and if his writing doesn’t take you away to another place, I can’t imagine what would.
MAGAZINES
I couldn’t resist adding in my two favorite magazines, one dog-related, one a literary magazine. (I guess that pretty well sums up my primary interests in life… oh wait, I should add a magazine on gardening and one on cooking. The cooking one is easy: I love Cook’s Illustrated, read it cover to cover every time it comes.)
The Sun: I read this ad-free magazine on all things without stopping, and love it so much that this weekend I found myself reading the small print about subscriptions just because I didn’t want to put it down. The best way I can describe it is that it is uplifting. Not in a made-for-TV-Christmas movie kind of way, but in a way that connects me to the human condition in a expansive and beautiful way. The day it arrives in the mailbox is always a good day.
The Bark: How could I not mention this wonderful magazine? Of course, I’m not exactly objective, having written for it for so many years, but there is no question that it raised the bar on dog-related magazines so high that the others, frankly, can’t begin to compare. Another magazine that deserves to be read cover to cover.
YOUR TURN! What about you? I’d love to hear what you’ve been reading…
MEANWHILE, down on the farm: A sad day last week when we had to have our co-0wned ram, King Charles, put down by the vet. He was only four years old and we have no idea why he died. He lived most of the year at friend and co-owner’s Donna, who also has a goat buck to keep him company. King Charles came here three weeks ago to breed the ewes we selected for lambing next year. He promptly got pneumonia, but we pulled him out of it and it seemed that he’d be fine. But then a week ago Sunday night he only nibbled on his hay, and by Monday morning he wouldn’t eat a thing. By the time the vet came out he was in rough shape, and his temperature was plummeting. I agreed it would be a kindness to put him down.
That began a somewhat desperate search for a new ram, it being the worst possible time of year to buy a ram. You want to buy a ram in August or September, in order to get the best choice and be ready for when you want to breed the ewes. Luckily, the Double Ewe farm not only breeds for the traits we are looking for (hardy, good mothers, parasite resistance, thrives on grass with little grain supplementation) but is close by. The next day Jim and I returned home with a very young man, just barely old enough to breed the ewes.
The lead ewe, Lady Godiva, greeted him by attempting to smash him into oblivion. We split her out and he then proceeded to chase the rest of the ewes in circles until they were panting like dogs on a July day in Texas. I’m happy to say that after four days of that, things have finally calmed down. However, Lady G can’t resist still getting in a few head butts just to show him who is in charge. Wish him luck, I think he needs it!
Lara Elizabeth says
I have read Citizen Canine and count it among my favorite dog books and best of the year. It is impeccably researched and exceedingly balanced, with has a rare combination of head and heart and asks the difficult questions about the lives we share with cats and dogs and our duties to them. Although it contains stories of cruelty and suffering the prevailing message is that we are on the right path. The answers are complicated but with writers like Grimm as our signposts even the jaded can be newly inspired to make small changes for animal welfare and live within their values. The personalities highlighted, whatever their stance, were portrayed evenly in their passion.
Currently I’m reading Travels with Casey, which is a combination travelogue and exploration of contemporary dog culture in America. Quite enjoyable, if not as profound as Citizen Canine.
Great list!
Vera Stewart says
Thank you for this valuable information. My library can certainly benefit from this.
Alexandra Horowitz says
Thanks, Trisha, for including the Springer volume! We were proud to put together the first edited book on dog cognition.
Alas, as an academic-press book, it is not priced to sell. But there are a number of quite wonderful and scholarly writers involved and it is worth it to seek out the authors for their pdfs, should anyone be interested.
To toot our own horn, the pdf of my preface (and ToC), and my chapter (with co-author and lab manager Julie Hecht) are available at my Barnard web page. You can click through via the Dog Cognition Lab website
dogcognition.com
if you don’t mind doing a few clicks.
For anyone who’s gotten that far and is still with me, there are a fair number of other papers from our research lab there too.
Happy reading! Then, step away from the computer and play with a dog. That’s what I’m doing right…now…
Lynn Paraskeva says
A must read and one of the most important books today. Countdown by Alan Weisman
He also wrote the book The World Without Us and I think the NG documentary series Life After People was based on it.
maggie moss says
Two favourite books for the year
Puka’s Promise by Ted Kerasote
The Second Chance Dog by Jon Katz
Kat says
My husband was asking me what I wanted for Christmas yesterday. I’m giving him this list 😉
Linda Case says
Hello Trisha! Thank you so much for your kind words about both of my 2014 books, “Beware the Straw Man” and “Dog Food Logic”. I am thrilled that you enjoyed them and found them to be of value! Your critiques and opinion mean the world, as I have the very highest regard for you as an author via your books and articles (still miss your Bark pieces….), and every bit as much as a behaviorist, trainer, fellow lover of country living, and life-long member of the beloved “dog person” club! I also enjoyed this blog and added a few new books to my holiday list of “to reads”! (And I agree, “Domestic Dog Cognition and Behavior” is excellent – a classic, imho. Also just ordered “Canine Play Behavior” as it is getting rave reviews!). Happy Holidays to you and yours! Linda
Mireille says
Dog books; ‘The complete dog massage manual” by Julia Robertson is Spot’s favourite from this year, I guess. He has muscle cramps in his right rear leg and with techniques in this book in aid of chiropraxy he can run again in front of the dogscooter – and mr cuddle loves the sessions. It also taught me a lot about more patient handling of my dog in physical issues. I practice on both dogs and it helped pur bond, because you keep asking ‘Is this OK for you?’
I reread several of your books, and ‘Bones would rain from the sky’ by Suzanna Clothier. I saw an interesting video on youtube from her about ‘trainings transition’ and since that is one of our issues (not so much a pulling dog, but more one that occasionally attempts horizontal bungee jumping) I started practicing this and we seem to get some effect. (If you are interested, this is the link http://youtu.be/VLriCeTYxLM)
Lying in front of me, waiting to be both read and admired ‘ Life by Frans Lanting.
Funniest title; The owl who liked sitting on Caesar’ by MartinWindrow. About having an owl in your house but also lot’s of info on wild owls.
One of the best books (fiction) An officer and a spy, by Robert Harris. About the Dreyfuss affaire. Paralells with todays world, how prejudice makes for easy targets, and how man of power do not easily admit mistakes.
Meghan Fitzgerald says
SO many great suggestions!! I just started reading Driftless, and love it. Such a beautifully written tale of one of the most gorgeous areas of Wisconsin. Reading it feels as warm and welcoming as coming home.
Thanks for a great list to start my holiday with!
Meghan
Morgan says
I really enjoyed “What the Dog Knows: the Science and Wonder of Working Dogs” by Cat Warren. It is an entertaining and educational story of Cat’s own forray into the world of training and fielding a cadaver dog. She also includes good historic and scientific information on working dogs in general and scent dogs specifically.
Zazie says
Great list! Thank you for sharing. I love that it includes fiction and magazines too. Citizen Canine is next on my list and I can’t wait to read it. Another book I recently got is No Walks? No Worries! by Sian Ryan and Helen Zulch, full of useful ideas about how to entertain a dog on restricted exercise.
Carol says
Thank you for your recommendations! I look forward to delving into these books!
I also want to thank you for another book recommendation that you made a little while ago – Daring Greatly! Your recommendation of this book came at the perfect moment in my life! Thank you!!!
Aunt Sam says
I liked Virginia Morrell’s Animal Wise and Gregory Berns’s How Dogs Love Us: A Neuroscientist and His Dog Decode the Canine Brain–both originally 2013 releases, but went to paperback in 2014 ^..^
The Berns book is especially interesting for its look at the ethics and process of getting “informed consent” to have a functional MRI from the test subjects.
Mittsy says
My friend Dr. Bill Stork (Lake Mills Veterinary Clinic) wrote, and I edited, a collection of stories on his life as a rural veterinarian (thus far). It’s titled “In Herriot’s Shadow”. http://www.drbillstork.com.
Chris from Boise says
“Children & Other Wild Animals” by Brian Doyle – essays on the natural world, as observed by someone with a wild and wonderful imagination. The essay “This Particular Badger” simply begs to be read out loud to an unsuspecting spouse or friend, though if you can make it through even the first paragraph without collapsing, sputtering, with laughter, you are far more stoic than I.
Thank you for these periodic book recommendation posts; they infuse my reading for the next several months.
Trisha says
I’m loving these great suggestions, my book list is growing!
Thanks both to Alexandra Horowitz and Linda Case for chiming in. Linda, thanks to you for all the great work you are doing (science! dog behavior! in one book!) and kudos to Alexandra for all your original research and pulling together the new Cognition book. We all appreciate the tip to go to your website to read your chapters. I know what I’ll be doing over the holidays!
Dixie Tenny says
I adore “Amazing Rare Things.” But then, I think David Attenborough is an amazing rare thing himself. What a gift he has given us all, through his intelligent, caring, foresightful books, series, and films. A friend of mine just finished working on a new film with him in the Galapagos; I am looking forward to seeing that in 2015.
Ron Bevacqua, AA,BA,CDT says
Thank you, Trish! Your book suggestion list for dog lovers are amazing.
I am a little surprised though why you did not mention , The Genius of Dogs , which was a national bestseller. This book would make a great Christmas gift , and a wonderful read for any dog lover.
Happy Holidays to you and all of your blog reads,too!
Karen says
I just finished reading Until Tuesday, the story of a US army vet and his service dog Tuesday. Really enjoyed it, and it gave me much more of an understanding of PTSD
Cally says
Thanks, great list. I love the idea of giving someone a subscription to “The Bark”…will have to see about that.
I am buying six dog books this year:
“Bones Would Rain from the Sky”, twice
“Other End of the Leash”
“Tales of Two Species”, twice
“Inside of a Dog”
Those are some of my favourites, I love giving them as gifts. I recently managed to get my teenage sister hooked on your books, Trisha, she’ll be thrilled on Christmas Eve. I think you should take that as a compliment, by the way – if you can manage to keep teens interested (and laughing) while learning, that’s something to be proud of!
For myself, I’d love Irene Pepperberg’s “Alex and Me”, as well as one of the books by Ian Dunbar – and “Plenty In Life is Free”, which I have never read.
Trisha says
Thanks Cally for mentioning that your teenage sister likes my books; always a tough audience! I loved Alex and Me and “Plenty in Life is Free,” hope you do too.
Ron, thanks for mentioning the Genius of Dogs. It does have a lot of good information in it. I’m glad you brought it up; I have mixed feelings about Hare’s work (especially the labeling of Dognition as “citizen science”), but it is a good book to mention.
Chris: Children and Other Wild Animals is definitely going onto my list! Thanks for the recommendation.
Trisha says
Morgan: I’m a huge fan of Cat Warren’s book, wrote a blog about it. She is such a good writer and the story is a page turner for sure.
Mireille: Okay, I’m sold, doggie massage it is! I’m sure my dogs will thank you for the recommendation. Speaking of, I’d better get home to feed them…
Diana says
Do as I Do is definitely worthwhile. I have to admit that I haven’t used the (easy-to-follow) training how-tos yet because I’m a lazier trainer than I am a reader, but I was so excited about the concept (that dogs are social learners and can learn some things better by seeing you demonstrate them than by, e.g., shaping) — it just seems so intuitive that it’s hard to believe no one’s come up with it before. (Unless they have and I missed it? Totally possible!) Regardless, I swear by the new year I’ll have tried using Fugazza’s approach to train my dog to retrieve stuff instead of just grabbing and running away it….
Leslie Kratz says
I have read Breath to Breath twice during the past month. (So did my sister, my cousin, Chris and my father). We ALL loved it. My cousin wants to know how meet a man like my Eddy… My father wants the world to know that there are many men alive and thriving in the world that share Eddy’s insight. I encourage people to get a hold of this book, make yourself a cup of tea and delve into space that allows you to get to know Anna, Eddy, Brian, Noah, Katie and the Canidae clan members who come into their lives, opening doors that allow them to better understand humanity. A great read… some moments the tears in my eyes were tears of joy, other times they were tears of sorrow. Each character in the book provides the reader with a blueprint that will entertain you and enrich your life.
Skye Anderson says
Citizen Canine is fabulous (sorry, I just saw this post). Here is my review: http://dogevals.blogspot.com/2014/12/book-review-citizen-canine-dogs.html