Raven Woods Animal Sanctuary
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Raven Woods Animal Sanctuary
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Animal Care Books These are some of the books in my own personal collection that I recommend and that I have used in writing the material for this website and for caring for my own pets and those at our shelter. Most are available from Amazon. This list will expand to include other topics as I have time. In the mean time if you have any questions about a book for a specific problem not covered please feel free to email me and I will make a recommendation if I can. ------------------------------------------------ Two
Best all round books on dog/cat care: Dog
Owners Home Veterinary Handbook Cat
Owners Home Veterinary Handbook both
are by Delbert Carlson, Liisa (really are two ii's!) Carlson, Debra Eldredge,
and James Giffin
and new
editions of both published in 2007. Basic Training and House Manners These
are good basic books on getting started on a
positive foundation. I highly recommend anything by Patricia McConnell. Also
from my own experience, I highly discourage any method of training that
emphasizes punishment, fear, or anything painful or not fun for both you and
your dog. Dogs
DO NOT do things intentionally to make you mad and they do not understand
anything that does not immediately follow their action. For example, yelling at
a dog because you find an "accident" makes no more sense than yelling
at a baby who has wet their diaper. Even if a dog looks "guilty" they
are not feeling guilt as we know it, they are simply reacting by being
afraid of a misguided owner. Training should be fun, and based on showing
your dog what you want, and rewarding him for doing it---NOT on frightening a
dog or punishing it into submission. In the example of "finding an
accident", if you find an accident your only sensible recourse is to clean
it up, not punish the dog! Then be certain you take the dog out to the
appropriate area to eliminate more often and reward him for doing his business
in the right place. It won't be immediate, but your dog will learn. And in the
meantime, that’s where crate training and just plain keeping a closer watch on
the dog come in. If you catch a dog in the act, a mild scolding and redirecting
(as in taking it outside to potty) is in order but never punish or even show
disapproval at something that’s already done. The poor dog just won't have a
clue. A lot of dog training is training you to understand the world from
the dog's perspective! The
Power of Positive Dog Training by Pat Miller Family
Friendly Dog Training
by Patricia McConnell Rover,
Get Off Her Leg by
Darlene Arden Way
to Go--how to housetrain a dog of any age by
Karen London and Patricia McConnell Clicker
Training Many
people swear by clicker training. It is described on the website www.clickertraining.com.
It employs a little handheld, very inexpensive device that makes a clicking
sound and cues your dog to perform an action. I have found that some of my
dogs react very well to clicker training and some have not responded as well,
but I readily admit that any lack of progress may have totally been my fault. So
many people have gotten such good results from clicker training that I believe
it is a very workable method. Getting
Started--clicker
training for dogs by Karen Pryor Clicking
with your Dog by
Peggy Tillman Click
for Joy by
Melissa C. Alexander Good Books on Understanding your Dog Seeing the world from their point of view
and understanding why they do what they do Canine
Body Language
by Brenda Aloff Culture
Clash--A Revolutionary Way to Understanding the Relationship Between Humans and
Domestic Dogs
by Jean Donaldson The
Other End of the Leash
by Patricia McConnell For
the Love of a Dog--Understanding
Emotion in You and Your Best Friend by Patricia McConnell On
Talking Terms With Dogs by
Turid Rugaas Barking--the
Sound of a Language by
Turid Rugaas Just
Plain Good Reading Anything
by James Herriot (All Creatures Great and Small, All Things Bright and
Beautiful, All Things Wise and Wonderful, The Lord God Made Them All)
These stories of the experiences of a British country vet in a simpler time are
some of my all time favorites! Lessons
from a Girl's Best Friend by Michelle McKinney Hammond - The story
of a once reluctant dog lover and her two Shih Tzus Purrables
from Heaven--Devotions for Cat Lovers by M.R. Wells, Dottie Adams, and
Connie Fleishauer The
Gospel According to Sam by William Miller great chronicle of an
Episcopalian priest and his Airedale, Sam Saturdays
With Stella--How My dog Taught Me to Sit, Stay and Come When God Calls
by Allison Pittman |