Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)"In a Dog's Heart", Jennifer Arnold, author and founder of Canine Assistants, an organization which trains service dogs, discusses the A to Z of dog ownership (or guardianship, as she occasionally says), informing us on how to best care for and train our dogs, and through numerous anecdotes, what they in turn have to offer us.
She discusses everything from how to pick out a puppy to take home with you (or what to look for if instead adopting an adult dog), proper nutrition and veterinarian care, how to see the world through the dog's eyes, how to correct and modify their behavior as needed, and even when it's time to say goodbye and let your pet go. In the appendices, she gives step by step instructions on how to train your pet and/or modify your pet's behavior on a wide variety of subjects.
She advocates a gentle approach, and is not a fan of many of the techniques espoused by Cesar Millan, the "Dog Whisperer", although she does not doubt his sincerity or love of dogs. Their differences in approach are somewhat analogous to the two schools of thought of raising children, between "tough love" and a softer parental approach. I've been around dogs most of my life, and I see benefits to both sides explanations and techniques, although I'm probably a little more in Ms Arnold's camp, both for dogs and children. :-)
Surprisingly, I learned a great deal about dogs in the book. For example, one of the appendices lists things that are toxic to dogs, such as apples, grapes, and many other fruits. I never fed fruit to any of our dogs that I can remember, but when I was a boy, my siblings and I used to sneak our poodle a lot of "people food" under the table, without our realizing that some of our food could have been harmful to our pet. That kind of information, as well as what you should feed your pet, is good to know.
The book is well written in a warm, almost loving tone. It's very clear that she's an expert in dogs' needs and behavior. She reminds us of the responsibilities of pet ownership, and also of the unconditional love we'll get in return.
Click Here to see more reviews about: In a Dog's Heart: What Our Dogs Need, Want, and Deserve--and the Gifts We Can Expect in Return
What our dogs need to live a good life, and why we must come through for them Over the two decades she has spent raising and training service dogs for people with disabilities, Jennifer Arnold has come to a unique and profound understanding of the human-dog bond. Though it may seem simple and instinctive, the friendship and devotion we share with our pets is a wondrous evolutionary development. Our two species have come to rely on each other for protection, companionship, comfort, and happiness—needs and benefits that go both ways. Yet when we step outside our designated roles and take on practices that require us to display dominance over our canine charges, we misread cues and misinterpret behavior, sometimes with disastrous results. Conversely, when communication between dog and keeper is clear and based on kindness and a willingness to see things through a dog's eyes, the payoff for both dog and owner is tremendous. When respect and care are brought together, we come to know the inalienable goodness in a dog's soul.As the founder of Canine Assistants, Arnold has implemented and advanced a methodology—Choice Teaching—that pairs scientific and behavioral knowledge about dogs with gentle incentive and encouragement to extraordinary effect. But she does not consider herself a dog trainer; rather, she sees herself as a relationship expert who improves the connection between humans and dogs and in the process betters the quality of life for both. In a Dog's Heart offers Arnold's offers her best practices and useful tips that range over a dog's whole life, including: • how to choose the puppy that's destined for you from a bustling litter and what you need to have on hand before you bring that puppy home; • what to stock in your doggie first-aid kit;• how to keep your pet safe from dangers at home and in the outside world;• the challenges and rewards of adopting an older dog;• how to help your dog overcome anxious behavior, from separation anxiety to thunderstorm phobia;• when to recognize that it's time to let go. As in her bestselling first book, Through a Dog's Eyes, Arnold illustrates what she's learned through captivating and moving stories drawn from her experience. We learn about Grace, a black Lab who was rescued after she was thrown from a truck and delivered to Canine Assistants emaciated, dehydrated, and with a broken pelvis. As Grace recovered she displayed an usual gift for scent detection and now spends her days sniffing out bombs on the Israeli border. We meet Casper, a Lab-golden mix who works full-time at Scottish Rite Children's Hospital in Atlanta, a best friend to kids undergoing cancer treatment, and a buddy ready to offer comfort as needed to the doctors on staff. We also discover the myriad ways in which dogs improve our lives—and what they need and deserve from us in return.
