EDITOR ' S REVIEW | BOOKS , DVDs AND MORE
Meet Your Dog : The Game-Changing Guide to Understanding Your Dog ’ s Behavior
Written by Kim Brophey , CDBC , CPDT-KA ; Foreword by Raymond Coppinger , Jason Hewitt , photographer
Published by Chronicle Books , LLC , 680 Second Street , San Francisco , California ; released 2018 ; 256 pages . Where to purchase : Amazon , $ 52.50 ( hardcover ), Kindle , $ 9.99 , Audiobook , $ 7.95 ; Google Play $ 14.95 ; AudiobooksNow . com $ 13.59 ; Barnes and Noble , $ 11.99 Nook , $ 24.95 hardcover .
When the legendary animal behaviorist Raymond Coppinger writes in a foreword that it was your book that helped him understand his highly driven and compulsive Border Collie ’ s behavior rather than dismiss it as “ bad ,” well , it ’ s a strong start to a book . And that is what Kim Brophey has as the introduction of Meet Your Dog : The Game-Changing Guide to Understanding Your Dog ’ s Behavior .
As an introduction to her book , Kim explains one of her clients had come to her confused why her Wheaten Terrier had become crazed in her new mountain cabin , running along the walls relentlessly as if chasing shadows . Dexter wouldn ’ t eat or sleep as he ran along the walls , frothing at the mouth . During a visit to the home , Kim became suspicious that the behavior was caused by not a psychotic snap , but mice in the walls . And indeed , that was the case . A visit by the exterminator solved the problem and Dexter was finally able to relax without the need for Prozac .
But as it is usually , not all cases are so easy to solve . Kim ’ s book has but five chapters . The first four set up her program , the four Dog L . E . G . S .®, which is Learning , Environment , Genetics and Self . Chapter 4 ( Genetics ) is the meat of the book , which touches on aspects of different breeds of dogs and the key concept for each breed . For example , with the Meet Your Gun Dog section , Kim lists all the different breeds considered to be gun dogs ( sporting group ), their pros and cons , historical background , and all of the reasons the owner of a gun dog breed might seek professional help , such as distractibility , impulsivity , overwhelming greeting behavior , destructiveness to home , hyperactivity , sensitivity to loud noises and storms , problematic oral fixations ( ball playing , sock infatuation / consumption and lick granulomas ). Kim even breaks down the differences between the spaniels and retrievers . Bred to work as companions , it is that need to be with people – all the time -- that often brings their owners in for help . Kim concludes each breed breakout with a survival key on what needs to be done to provide the right environment that encourages a partnership between the human and dog through games , training , exercise , and adventures .
Other breeds mentioned in Chapter 4 :
• Natural Dog – ritualized signaling and communication
• Sight Hound – good management
• Guardian – dominance and resource guarding
• Toy Dog – oxytocin ’ s hook
• Scent Hound – impulse control
• Terrier – the Premack Principle
• Bull Dog – arousal-aggression continuum
• Herding Dog – sudden environmental contrasts
• World Dog - choice .
The fifth and final chapter is about Self as Kim goes through the six “ self ” issues : Age , Sex , Health , Nutrition , Disability , and Individuality . Kim points out in her conclusion the book isn ’ t exhaustive , but hopefully “ a catalyst for a paradigm shift in our current thinking about dogs ... a first step toward a new and more successful road for people and their canine companions ...” — The editor
56 Building Better Trainers Through Education