When Pigs Fly! Training Success with Impossible Dogs… Control Unleashed… Learning Games… Oh Behave!… How to Run a Dog Business… These are the top sellers at Dogwise for the first half of this year. (What, this year is more than half over? How did that happen?)

When Pigs Fly! Training Success with Impossible Dogs, by Jane Killion, explains how to use clicker and reward-based dog training methods with dogs who are pig-headed or seemingly impossible to train. The author describes hounds and terriers as “non-biddable” and while now and then her breed stereotypes will not fit a particular dog, these methods are having great success with many dogs that owners despaired of training. Including dogs from seemingly easy to train breeds!

When Pigs Fly won the Merial Human Animal Bond Award for the entry that best highlights the special bond between people and their treasured pets, promoting the strengthening of this bond and highlighting the special relationship between a dog and its owner, as well as between dogs and veterinarians.

Here is part of a review from the Association of Pet Dog Trainers magazine, Chronicle of the Dog:
The book contains many photographs that provide step-by-step instructions on teaching behaviors, as well as shaping, types of equipment, and playing with your dog. I enjoyed the presentation in the photos of a variety of “non-traditional” breeds such as her Bull Terriers, as well as Pugs, Rhodesian Ridgebacks, Basenjis, Beagles, and Newfoundlands. As a bully breed and mixed breed dog owner myself, I always appreciate “equal time” for dogs you don’t normally see in the training ring… I truly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to owners and trainers of any breed of dog.” Mychelle Blake, MSW, CDBC

I was interested to see Rhodesian Ridgebacks and Basenjis mentioned. Kelly’s and my first dog that we had from a puppy was a Ridgeback, and I learned a lot training her. More recently we had a Basenji, and I really could have used this book with her!
Control Unleashed by Leslie McDevitt is about helping dogs to relax and not get over-excited. While it’s focused on dog sports such as agility (as you can see from the cover!), the principles apply to any dog situation. We humans tend to be plenty stressed these days… well, no surprise if quite a few of our dogs are too!

With this book, you can learn how to turn stress to confidence and distraction to focus — and this uses 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’re 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? According to the author’s website: “Dogs that are uncomfortable or unable to work off lead around 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.” Sounds like a lot of dogs! And they need you to read it and apply it, of course.

Control Unleashed received these awards from the International Institute for Applied Animal Behavior: Best Dog Training Book of 2007, Best Dog Sport Book of 2007 and
Runner up for the Best Dog Behavior Book for Owners of 2007.

Clicking on the link above or the image will take you to Dogwise. They say of this popular title: “We keep expecting sales to slow down a bit, but they don’t!”

Learning Games, by Kay Laurence

This great book on how to use play and games to train is by a British clicker trainer whose other books I have used quite happily.

Play is a natural form of learning. It varies from frivolous to intensely serious. It resolves conflict, strengthens bonds and provides physical workouts. Participants learn to play by rules and develop cunning strategies and solutions. During games players are not focusing on specific skills and their bodies and minds can learn effectively. They will be stretched physically and mentally. This book covers a range of over 50 Games and variations selected from the rich background of Kay’s teaching practice. You can build a specific curriculum for your dog or simply follow the process given.

Oh Behave! by Jean Donaldson.  According to Dogwise, “This fascinating, fun, and educational book of essays is both challenging and delighting our customers.” I’m not surprised as I found Donaldson’s groundbreaking Culture Clash to both challenge and delight me when it came out some time ago now.

The subtitle of this new book is Dogs from Pavlov to Premack to Pinker, and if you know who the latter two people are, you are ahead of me.

Here is the description Dogwise gives of this book:

Jean Donaldson brings her considerable wisdom - and wit - to a wide variety of topics of interest to dog trainers and enthusiasts in the latest book from Dogwise Publishing. In 55 essays, Jean tackles issues ranging from the nature vs nurture debate, to the role of dominance in domestic dogs, to what are the most effective ways to train dogs. You will note a number of themes that flow throughout the book. Jean is a firm believer in conducting scientific research (verifiable results) rather than forming opinions based on gut feel or taking an anthropomorphic view of dog behavior. She also admits that we are flying blind on many issues because of a lack of research and tells the reader when that is the case. She looks at problem behaviors (problems for humans at least) from the perspective that both a dog’s genes and environment impact behavior, and our ability to modify such behaviors is sometimes muddled since we don’t always understand how genetics and environment interact. And finally, just what is a Dog Mom (or Dad) and how did that phenomenon develop and what is its genetic usefulness, if any, to both dogs and people?! Along with her other best selling books, Oh Behave! is destined to be a classic in the literature on dog behavior.

How to Run a Dog Business: Putting Your Career Where Your Heart Is by Veronica Boutelle. You love dogs, but to make a good living working with dogs is only possible if you can successfully run a business to support your passion. The demand for skilled dog trainers, dog walkers, dog sitters and dog daycare operators has never been greater. To succeed in one of these fields, you’ll need more than dog expertise—you’ll need business savvy as well. Written for the non-business person, Veronica Boutelle, the industry’s top consultant, gives you the information you need to start, operate, and prosper in your chosen field. Learn how to analyze your market, set prices, and advertise services. Find out what kind of insurance, licenses, and professional qualifications you’ll need. Best of all, get a solid start with advance planning and realistic insights from an expert in the field.

Recently I wrote an article about how this is a golden age of dog training. I rest my case! And please, if you have read any of these, please comment on them!