Members often post asking for reading suggestions and with a vast array of dog training/behaviour books on the market it can be difficult to know which to choose - so we thought it might prove useful to compile a list of books, all of which come highly recommended by other forum members. All the books listed here promote methods that are in line with the COL ethos of training using kindness, compassion and positive reinforcement...
Training Books
Gwen Bailey - The Perfect Puppy ( Seen by many as the best book available on how to raise and socialise a puppy... although some of the 'pack theory' references are now a bit dated)
Ian Dunbar - Before And After Getting Your Puppy
Pamela Dennison - The Complete Idiot's Guide to Positive Training ( Review by Cazza further down the thread)
Patricia McConnell & Brenda Scidmore - The Puppy Primer
Karen Pryor - Don't Shoot The Dog ( Often referred to as the bible of modern dog training. )
Karen Pryor - Getting Started : Clicker Training For Dogs
Carolyn Monteith - The Definitive Guide To Finding You Perfect Dog, Training Him And Having A Happy Life Together. ( Recommended by IWLass. Amazon link with review
HERE )
Jane Killion - When Pigs Fly ( A guide to training 'impossible' dogs, recommended by Eceni.)
Teach Yourself Dog Training ( Written by the APDT and recommended by Kalami. See
HERE )
Jean Donaldson - Oh Behave ( Recommended by Eceni... 'a good round up of current behavioural thinking and some very good reasons why the Dog Whisperer is completely out of step with current science and understanding of dogs.' )
Leslie McDevitt - Control Unleashed (Recommended by Eceni...'probably the best book currently on the market for applying positive reinforcement techniques (clicker training) to just about any dog - it's designed for agility dogs who are having trouble in the high-energy environment of an agility trial, but it applies to just about any dog in any situation.')
Books Covering Specific Subjects
Emma Parsons - Click to Calm, Healing The Aggressive Dog
Jean Donaldson - Mine : A Practical Guide To Resource Guarding In Dogs
Karen London & Patricia McConnell - Feeling Outnumbered : How To Manage And Enjoy Your Multi-Dog Household.
Barry Eaton - Dominance, Fact Or Fiction ( Debunks some of the myths surrounding the now discredited wolf pack/dominance theories.)
James O'Heare - The Canine Separation Anxiety Workbook
Martina Scholz & Clarissa Von Reinhardt - Stress In Dogs ( Recommended by Spanielcrazy)
Jean Donaldson - Fight ( A practical guide to the treatment of dog on dog aggression. Recommended by Spanielcrazy)
Ian Dunbar ( See
HERE for a list of books on various topics with reviews. Recommended by Spanielcrazy.)
General Books Promoting A Better Understanding Of Dogs And How To Improve Our Relationship With Them
Jean Donaldson - The Culture Clash. ( An excellent insight into how dogs think, what makes them tick and how to get the best out of them.)
Suzanne Clothier - Bones Would Rain From The Sky ( You can read an extract
HERE that is both very funny but very sad too.)
Pamela Dennison - Bringing Shadow To The Light (Recommended by Eceni... 'a truly heart-rending/heart-warming account of her training of a rescue border collie. This is her unexpurgated diary with all the highs and the many lows - and ultimate success with a dog that was otherwise destined to be shot.')
Canine Body Language
Turid Rugaas - On Talking Terms With Dogs. ( A fascinating summary of the calming signals and body language used by our canine friends to communicate.)
Brenda Aloff - Canine Body Language : A Photographic Guide, Interpreting The Native Body Language Of The Domestic Dog. (Recommended by Spanielcrazy, whose review you can read further down this thread.)
All of these books are available through
Amazon or
Crosskeys Books.
The APDT website runs a library, with numerous books and videos available for loan ( for an annual subscription of £15) see
HERE. The list of books available for loan can be seen
HERE and the videos
HERE.
Useful links to online articles and videos. Turid Rugaas - Calming SignalsTurid Rugaas - The Puppy and The Young dogSuzanne Clothier - He Just Wants To Say Hi ( How to deal with rude dogs)Barry Eaton - Dominance, Fact Or Fictionhttp://www.dogstardaily.com/ : Good online resource for training articles
Terry's Tips - lots of really useful articles written by trainer ( and Cocker owner) Terry Ryan.
Guide to choosing a behaviourist, questions to ask etc. ( Recommended by Spanielcrazy)
Welfare In Dog Training. Lots of articles on 'dominance', rank reduction and the dangers of using techniques that cause pain or fear in dogs.
Dog Training Made Easy. An excellent series of videos from the Dog's Trust. Subjects covered include how to teach sit, down, recall, walking nicely on the lead and how to stop play biting. (Recommended by Speedyjaney)
A big thanks to those of you who have contributed so far, if anyone else has any recommendations for other books or links that they feel would be a useful addition to the list, please contact a member of the Admin/Mod team. Also, if anyone would like to do a review of any of the books mentioned please send it in and we'll add it to this thread. Thanks.