Book suggestions to read BEFORE we get a dog

[emelsea]

We are planning to get a dog in the next few months (probably late spring/early summer).  Can anyone suggest 1 or 2 books to start reading now?

We won't be getting a puppy.  We're working with a rescue organization, and most of the dogs they get are between 1-5 years old.  I see plenty of books about training puppies, but not many about bringing an older dog home and training them. 

[greenmagick]

Honestly bringing a new dog in is not much different from brining home a puppy.  Things tend to progress quicker and often you dont have to worry about the puppy nipping but a lot of the rest is similar.  I would definitely recommend taking some positive reinforcement classes with the dog.  It is so important even for people who have trained tons of dogs already.

For reading, well, I will try to limit lol...I love books:)

A wonderful book is called Before and After You Get Your Puppy.  Yes, its catered towards puppies but also talks about older new dogs as well.  And, its available for free as a pdf.

Before 

After

For background on dogs, but not really a how to primer....I highly highly recommend Susanne Clothier's Bones Would Rain from the Sky and Patricia McCOnnell's THe Other End of the Leash.  Also, Karen Pryor's Dont Shoot the Dog is a wonderful base to have.

For actual training....I LOVE kikopup's videos on youtube.  Patricia McConnel also has a 6 step program in a book called Family Friendly Dog Training and then I am now reading one that I really like called The Love That Dog Training Program.

[JulianneW]

I have to say after raising 2 puppies and rescuing 3 dogs i have found them to be very different. Yes every dog has a different personality however, rescue dogs have past histories we know little about. Rescue dogs behavior is influenced by past treatment. When dealing with a puppy you teach them appropriate behavior where a rescue dog may have behavior that you are trying to curb and issues that need to be dealt with appropriately. Separation anxiety, marking, food aggression, cowers when you go to pet it, peeing when scared, getting scared by a tone of voice or other seemingly silly things, fear of boxes, fear of the car, fear of people, getting on furniture ect. 

Cesar Milan is excellent. He has books as well as DVD's and The Dog Whisperer airs on the national geographic channel. 

http://www.cesarsway.com/news/dognews/Cesars-Rules-Book

http://www.cesarsway.com/shop/Mastering-Leadership-Series-Vol1-People-Training-for-Dogs-NTSC

http://www.cesarsway.com/shop/Mastering-Leadership-Series-Vol3-Your-New-Dog-First-Day-and-Beyond-NTSC

He is an excellent resource for training as well as dealing with any issues that may arise. 

My favorite is the people training for dogs.

[greenmagick]

Sure, if the dog has issues you are going to have to treat those issues.  I am talking in general, teaching basic  house manners in a new home is the same no matter what the age.  A new rescue is going to learn where to go potty, what is allowed and what isnt.  Many need to be retaught (or even taught for the first time) basic obedience.  I too have had both puppies and adults rescues....I find most of it very very similar.  

I also would stay far away from Millan.  A quick google search will turn up all the professional organizations that take a stance against his training "method"

[Oubliette8]

I really like Victoria Stillwell's "Its Me or the Dog" She has a TV show of the same name, but the book is really good about going over the basics.

I would also NOT recommend Ceasar Milan. His method is very dominance based, which can be the completely wrong approach for a rescue dog. For many problems, it might actually make your dog worse. And, some of them put you in a pretty good position to be bit, which is never a good thing.

[Subhuti]

I would second anything by Cesar Milan. I find his suggestions are very intuitive and natural. Kinda like natural style parenting.

Don't believe it when people claim he is rough or inappropriate. Go and check out a show or two for free on hulu and judge for yourself.

He works a lot with adult rescues.

The ones I thought were too rough were the monks of new skete. Maybe they've mellowed their methods.

Milan does not have a one sized fits all approach. He's highly responsive and creative according to the dogs and the owners. His general principles I find work nicely in many other aspects of life.

[greenmagick]

LOL..monks of new skete have mellowed....they now regret popularizing the alpha roll which is one of Millans staples.  He rolls a lot of dogs.  

No, Millan is NOT at all like natural parenting...he is more like Ezzo or even the Pearls.  He does not understand dog behavior.  He punishes and uses force to get what he wants instead of guiding and using positive reinforcement.  

[Subhuti]

I disagree. I think Milan is great. Anyway, op, check out a range and see what you feel comfortable with.

[oaktreemama]

I think hands down the best practical book is Brian Kilcommins and Sarah Wilson's book "My Smart Puppy." While "puppy" is in the title, it is completely applicable for dogs of all ages.

They also have a free website with an active and knowledgable community.

Cesar Millan has mellowed a bit and modified some of his more outdated methods. However, he is still too dependent on the dominance model of dog training (most wolf researchers will tell you they got the alpha stuff totally wrong and anyways why would we base pet dog training on wolf behavior-but that is a whole 'nother post), and doesn't seem to know a lot about operant conidtioning. He also gets bit fairly often and frankly I would expect a true "dog whisperer" to not get bit if he understands and reads dogs well.

[Oubliette8]

Originally Posted by oaktreemama 

However, he is still too dependent on the dominance model of dog training (most wolf researchers will tell you they got the alpha stuff totally wrong and anyways why would we base pet dog training on wolf behavior-but that is a whole 'nother post), and doesn't seem to know a lot about operant conidtioning. He also gets bit fairly often and frankly I would expect a true "dog whisperer" to not get bit if he understands and reads dogs well.

This. I could not ever recommend for a dog owner to use a method that is likely to get them bitten. Milan might accept that risk, but there's no reason anyone else has too, particularly if there are children in the home. Its also worth pointing out that while dominance based methods may work for some dogs, for others types of dogs they can actually create serious behavior issues, particularly if tried by a novice.

[greenmulberry]

Lots of suggestions already given.

I really enjoyed "The Other End of the Leash." It is not so much an instruction book, but a book that explains perspectives on interacting with dogs that I felt really helps you understand what is going on with them, and with you, and how to make the communication go smoothly.