Help me assemble a good reference list of dog books you like (fiction and non). Here are some that I’ve read and either loved or at least found somewhat helpful. Please add any that you liked.
Fiction
The Dogs of Babel (Carolyn Parkhurst)
Around the Next Corner (Elizabeth Wrenn)
Nonfiction
A Dog Year (Jon Katz)
The Dogs of Bedlam Farm (Jon Katz)
Marley and Me (John Grogan)
Nonfiction — Training Related
Training for Real Life (Ted Terroux)
Dog Tricks for Dummies (Sarah Hodgson)
Beyond Fetch: Fun and interactive games for you and your dog (
Help for Your Shy Dog: Turning your Terrified Dog into a Terrific Pet (Deborah Wood)
How to be the Leader of the Pack and Have Your Dog Love You For It (Patricia McConnell)
The Cautious Canine: How to help dogs conquer their fears (Patricia McConnell)
The Other End of the Leash (Patricia McConnell)
For the Love of a Dog (Patricia McConnell)
Animals in Translation (Temple Grandin)
Control Unleashed (Leslie McDevitt)
Thanks for adding to the list!
That’s interesting about Katz. I’ve not read that particular book. I remember a couple things in the first two books that made me go Hmmm, but I did not have the strong negative reaction that some have had. Then, again, at the time … I’d just adopted Lilly and hadn’t fallen down the rabbit hole yet.
I actually had the opportunity to interview Clothier recently for an article that’s coming out in the spring. We chatted a bit about Lilly, and she had some interesting things to say to me.
The one thing I’ll say about being a professional writer is that whereas most people get one maybe two performance reviews a year, writers get “feedback,” which is often negative, nearly every day. It can be a wearing, sometimes crushing, experience even for the nicest, most stable person. It’s the risk you take when you put yourself out there. I always joke when I teach classes to aspiring writers that the only professions harder on the ego are the performing arts. People may not like my writing, but at least editors don’t tell me my ankles are too fat, or that I’m too short, or whatever.
Non-Fiction:
Dogs: A New Understanding of Canine Origin, Behavior and Evolution by Raymond & Lorna Coppinger
Dog Is My Copilot by Bark Magazine (an anthology)
Bones Would Rain From The Sky by Suzanne Clothier (Personally I don’t like this book at all and I’m not a huge fan of Suzanne Clothier though she has some good ideas. However I’m probably the only dog person on the planet that doesn’t like it and I could see why others would.)
Non-Fiction, Training Related:
Culture Clash by Jean Donaldson
Shaping Success by Susan Garrett (I love this book, one of my favorites for agility training)
Developing Jumping Skills by Linda Mecklenburg (This one is hot off the presses and I don’t have my copy yet but it’s a compilation of articles on jumping that she did for Clean Run and I’ve been working my way through her program via the articles. So far I really like her methods though they are time consuming)
Of all the ‘dog’ authors there are Jon Katz is my least favorite. I had a nice long rant about him and one of his books here: http://daysofspeed.blogspot.com/2007_01_01_archive.html
Follow the links in my post to the border collie discussion boards and you’ll find people who were even more vitriolic than me. The Amazon book review link is entertaining too and some of his responses to all the criticism were incredibly angry and unprofessional.