Dog Books and DVDs

We’re always reading books and watching DVDs so we can keep our clients up to date on the latest publications before they spend their money. Here’s what we’re recommending to our clients:

Books

DON'T SHOOT THE DOG by Karen Pryor
This book’s author is the foremost proponent of clicker training for animals. This book is a fun way to learn about the power of operant conditioning in shaping your dog’s, cat’s, horse’s, parrots, spouse’s, children’s, and boss’ behavior!

THE OTHER END OF THE LEASH by Patricia McConnell
This wonderful book is about how your behavior affects your dog. The thing at the other end of the leash is you!

FOR THE LOVE OF A DOG - UNDERSTANDING EMOTION IN YOU AND YOUR BEST FRIEND by Patricia McConnell
This book is Patricia McConnell’s latest effort and focuses on whether dogs experience complex emotions. She also delves into canine body language and communication.

CULTURE CLASH by Jean Donaldson
This book will bust those “myths” such as “my dog feels guilty” and “my dog should do it because I want him to”. Learn to take responsibility for your dog’s behavior instead of blaming your dog.

HOW DOGS LEARN by Mary Burch and Jon Bailey
This book will teach you about classical and operant conditioning and how to use these principles to modify your dog’s behavior. While this book is a little heavy on the learning theory scale, its easy to read and understand.

EXCEL-ERATED LEARNING by Pamela Reid
This is the textbook at the SF SPCA Academy for Dog Trainers. This book is highly technical but covers deeply the topics of learning theory.

CONTROL UNLEASHED - CREATING A FOCUSED AND CONFIDENT DOG by Leslie McDevitt
This book was originally written for the handlers and trainers of agility dogs, but the concepts and exercises in this book are invaluable for any owner or training working with fearful and reactive dogs.

OH BEHAVE! - DOGS FROM PAVLOV TO PREMACK TO PINKER
by Jean Donaldson
Whether you’re a professional dog trainer or an amateur dog behavior wonk, this book is fascinating. Jean Donaldson has compiled her essays on dog behavior issues and how to handle them in a question answer format.

DVDs

REALLY RELIABLE RECALL - TRAIN YOUR DOG TO COME WHEN CALLED... NO MATTER WHAT! DVD by Leslie Nelson
Leslie Nelson’s DVD is in our opinion, the best resource on the market for helping owners train a truly reliable “COME” command. She uses a realistic approach for systematically building this important behavior.

THE HOW OF BOW WOW: BUILDING, PROOFING AND POLISHING BEHAVIORS DVD by Virginia Broitman and Sherri Lippman
We love the Bow Wow DVDs because the production values are good and the instructional design is excellent. The How of Bow Wow focuses on using a clicker to shape foundations skills.

TAKE A BOW...WOW/BOW WOW TAKE 2 DVD
by Virginia Broitman and Sherri Lippman
This is our favorite Bow Wow DVD because it teaches owners how to shape fun tricks using a cliker. Teach your dog to take a bow, crawl, roll over, get your keys, and other fun tricks.