The 8 Best Books for Understanding Your Dog's Behavior
Posted by Matt Peters on Mar 30th 2022
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Despite dog being man’s best friend, there’s probably a lot many of us don’t know about our pets. Maybe you’re not sure why your dog tears up the house while you’re away. Or maybe you don’t know how much of what you’re saying is getting through to your dog.
Luckily, you don’t have to be stuck in the dark about understand your dog much longer – there’s several books available that can help you get inside your pet’s head and learn about why they act the way they do.
Below, you’ll find eight of the best books for helping you train and understand your dog:
- Alexandra Horowitz’s Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know
Who better to get into a dog’s head than a cognitive scientist? In this book, Alexandra Horowitz goes into detail about what it’s like to be a dog – for example, what’s it like to have smell as your primary sense? How do our dogs respond to our emotions and actions?
As the books’ description puts it – this book may be as close as you can get to knowing about dogs without being a dog yourself.
On Amazon, this book has a 4.4 star rating and is available as both an e-book and physical copy.
https://www.amazon.ca/Inside-Dog-What-Dogs-Smell/dp/1416583432
- Stanley Coren and Sarah Hodgson’s Understanding Your Dog for Dummies
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As with all the other For Dummies books, Understanding Your Dog for Dummies is an easy to understand reference for getting to know why your dog acts the way they do. It takes into account your dog’s breed(s) and what they were originally meant to do and what that means in terms of how your dogs act. Plus, it’ll also show you how to be consistent in training your dog to become a well-behaved companion.
On Amazon, this book has a 4.6 star rating and is available as both an e-book and physical copy.
https://www.amazon.ca/Understanding-Your-Dummies-S...
- Kyra Sundance’s The Pocket Guide to Dog Tricks: 101 Activities to Engage, Challenge, and Bond with Your Dog
One of the best ways to bond with your dog is teaching them tricks – this guide gives you access to over 100 tricks ranging from simple ones such as rolling over or sitting to more complex ones such as bringing you something from your fridge. If you’re not the type that learns by reading, no worries – this guide also comes with easy-to-follow colour pictures.
Overall, this book has something for all types of dog owners, whether you’re a beginner or an expert.
On Amazon, this book has a 4.5 star rating and is available as both an e-book and physical copy.
https://www.amazon.ca/Pocket-Guide-Dog-Tricks-Activities-ebook/dp/B07DQBBR9L
- Zak George and Dina Roth Port’s Dog Training Revolution: The Complete Guide to Raising the Perfect Pet with Love
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Zak George is a dog trainer that’s known for using positive reinforcement – positive reinforcement training puts a focus on rewarding positive behaviors rather than trying to punish or cause aversion for bad behaviors.
In this guide, he goes through a wide assortment of common behavioral issues like jumping up and biting as well as other useful topics like cooking for your dog and discovering what activities you can enjoy together with your dog. Plus, there are even videos on the author’s YouTube channel that correspond with topics that are discussed in the book.
On Amazon, this book is a #1 best seller with a 4.6 star rating. It’s available as both an e-book and physical copy.
https://www.amazon.ca/Zak-Georges-Dog-Training-Revolution-ebook/dp/B015BCX05S
- Lili Chin’s Doggie Language: A Dog Lover's Guide to Understanding Your Best Friend
Here’s another guide that’s especially great for visual learners – throughout the book are illustrations for helping you to pick up on subtle visual cues that are important for deciphering how your dog is feeling.
Just like with people, body language is incredibly important. By paying attention to your pup’s body language and acting accordingly, you’ll help them feel safer and happier.
On Amazon, this book has a 4.7 star rating and is available as both an e-book and physical copy.
https://www.amazon.ca/Doggie-Language-Lovers-Understanding-Friend/dp/1787837017
- The Monks of New Skete’s The Art of Raising a Puppy
If you’re just starting your dog owning journey, this book could be a good place to start. It goes through how to choose a puppy, how a puppy’s brain works and develops as well as numerous other topics that all new dog owners should know about such as how to work on house training, training your puppy to be obedient, how to communicate with your dog visually and verbally and more.
Overall, this book aims to help you build a loving and lasting relationship between you and your dog.
On Amazon, this book has a 4.6 star rating and is available as an e-book, audiobook and physical copy.
https://www.amazon.ca/Art-Raising-Puppy-Revised-Skete-ebook/dp/B0047Y0FC8
- Brandon McMillan’s Lucky Dog Lessons: Train Your Dog in 7 Days
If you’re at a loss for where to start, this book might be a good option for you. Brandon McMillan as worked with thousands of dogs of various breeds, helping them to overcome their behavioral problems and become well behaved pets or even service dogs.
This book starts off with showing you how to establish trust, focus and control and how to teach your dog basic commands such as sit and stay. Later on, this book also goes into depth about common behavioral issues such as chewing and begging. Plus, there are even pictures to help illustrate you better understand the tips and advice given.
On Amazon, this book has a 4.6 star rating and is available as an e-book, physical copy and an audiobook.
https://www.amazon.ca/Lucky-Dog-Lessons-Train-Your/dp/0062478958
- Kim Brophey’s Meet Your Dog: The Game-Changing Guide to Understanding Your Dog's Behavior
As a canine behavior consultant, the author goes through a system that will help you identify what your dog is struggling with, why and how they may be able to fix it. The approach in this book is informed by learning, environment, genetics, and self. Whether you’re interested in improving your dog’s behavior or what influences a dog’s behavior in general, this book will have something for anyone who loves dogs.
On Amazon, this book has a 4.6 star rating and is available as an e-book, physical copy and an audiobook.
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