Books

The Well-Adjusted Dog: Dr. Dodman's 7 Steps to Lifelong Health and Happiness for Your Best Friend
By Dr. Nicholas H. Dodman, Houghton Mifflin, 2008, 264 pp.

Some 4 million dogs a year are surrendered to shelters predominantly because their owners cannot handle them properly. Over half of these abandoned pets are euthanized.

According to world-renowned animal behaviorist Dr. Nicholas H. Dodman, "Most of the behaviors that lead to dogs' relinquishment arise through no fault of the dog's and are, in fact, normal canine behaviors that owners cannot properly control or direct."

Dodman bases his observations on 27 years of experience as director of the Animal Behavior Clinic at Tufts University's Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine. In The Well-Adjusted Dog, Dodman's seventh book on the care and management of pets, he offers to, ". . .dispel some of the myths and misconceptions about how to look after dogs, how to manage them and how to train them to be well-adjusted, good canine citizens."

For instance, a cruel and disgusting myth holds that a dog who routinely uses the living room carpet as a bathroom should have his nose rubbed in the mess to break him of the habit. Dodman explains why this approach never works: "The dog would have no clue what was going on. . .and would probably consider his owner's behavior, well, strange."ù

The correct way to manage the dog: Discover his anxieties and discipline him with a proper and sensitive training program. That's what this book is all about.

In this clearly written, authoritative, practical and well-organized book, the first seven chapters give precise instructions for the lifestyle factors: A dog's need for exercise; the behavioral effects of diets; dog speak, achieving a reasonable level of communication; physical control; leadership; fearfulness, and, finally, environmental enrichment.

In addition to great advice on training and management, the text offers anecdotal information, scientific studies and entertaining stories about some amazing dogs. Dodman has written much more than a simple instructional manual. He tells a motivating story about providing for dogs and training them to respond in turn with devotion and fearless obedience. The Well-Adjusted Dog is an inspiring tale (no pun intended) of interspecies communication.

Art Gould is a former newspaper reporter and book publisher. He lives in Anniston.