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Title: How to Talk to Your Dog by Jean Craighead George, Sue Truesdell ISBN: 0-06-027092-6 Publisher: HarperCollins Pub. Date: 29 February, 2000 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $11.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.67 (9 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: THE CAT'S MEOW! GREAT ADVICE AND HOWLING FUN ILLUSTRATIONS
Comment: Let's start simply and honestly, the same way these tomes approach their subject matter, and say these are the cat's meow! Jean Craighead George has penned two ultra-thin volumes on communicating with our best friends and felines, and each is a howling success. The Newberry Medal-winning author does what someone like Elizabeth Marshall Thomas has tried to do in books tens of thousands words and pages longer and could not. Jean, by George, had found the winning ways to teach pet lovers how to chat with their four-footed pals. Her writing is sparse: "A lick is not a kiss. It is a statement that says you're a wonderful leader." Her advice is refreshing: "Growling is aggressive
talk. Don't growl back. Dogs don't like that." As special as her words is the whimiscal use of arkwork: actual color photos of the animated author interacting with illustrations (by Sue Truesdell) of equally animated cartoon cats and dogs. (We just love the one of George on all fours, rubbing heads with a cat!) Four paws up!
Rating: 1
Summary: More Harm Then Education
Comment: When I was given this book by a client I was thrilled. The book's a brilliant red front cover is beautifully illustrated with a cartoon dog. The inside pages are illustrated with more canine cartoons interacting with photos. At first glance it seems to be an intriguing children's book. Unfortunately the cover of this book is where all positive comments end.
I believe the author's intention in this book is to teach canine communication skills. If I am correct in this assumption, she not only failed miserably but may have caused more harm then education.
She advises "To say hello to your dog, sniff toward his nose. That's dog talk. He will answer by pulling his ears back and close to his head. What he is saying is 'Hello, Leader". Ms. Craighead-George is describing a dog who is telling their nose-sniffing-human "This is a bit uncomfortable, please stop". A dog's ears going back can be a conflict behavior.
She goes onto say "'Good night' in dog talk is physical. Rub your dog's head, ears and neck. Lower your lids and sigh into his fur. You are the mother dog licking her pup off to sleep." Although I often enjoy a nice snuggle with my dog I am relatively certain he knows I am not his mother or a dog. I was relieved that she did not suggest I lick my dog, we all have to draw the line somewhere.
Ms. Craighead-George advises "'Good-bye' is a whisk of the tail, then turning and walking off. Since you don't have a tail, swish your hand downward and show your back. If your dog does not choose to hear this unwelcome message and races after you, tell him, 'I am the boss,' in dog talk, then repeat the dog 'good-bye'." I will admit to frequently suffering from serious bouts of tail-envy but I'm afraid my hand waving behind my rear end is a bit of a stretch in wishful thinking.
Ms. Craighead -George crosses the line from embarrassingly silly to potentially dangerous in her section titled "How do you say 'I am the boss'?" She advises, "The most effective way is to put your mouth on his muzzle. That means in dog talk that you are the leader. His ears will go back and against his head, and his tail will lower. This is his way of saying, 'Yes, you are my leader'." I suspect many people who attempt this will have time to contemplate what their dog was really saying ("You have totally lost your mind and you are frightening the heck out of me") while they wait patiently in the emergency room to have their dog bite treated.
She suggests if your dog becomes anxious or confused you should "Sniff his nose to tell him not to be angry or confused. Nose sniffs are peace talk." I have a sincere concern that for a dog that is in an anxiety situation, a human sticking their face in his to sniff his nose may increase the stress level to a point where the dog may feel he has no other option but to bite the face that sniffs him.
It is cautioned in "How to Talk to Your Dog" that children should not roll onto their backs while playing with their dog or they will be saying in dog language "I am your humble servant". My own dogs must be the most misinformed canines on the planet. They have three young humble servants in their household and they don't even realize it!
I would recommend that the author stay with ridiculous but harmless comments suggest as "You can pass other messages with your eyes. Think, 'I love you. I love you,' and your lower lid will involuntarily come up and soften your expression. Your dog will read that and return this message by softening his eyes."
I am still uncertain to what population this book is directed. I can only hope it was not written for innocent children and will only fall into the hands of adults who will quickly realize this book for the nonsensical hogwash that it is.
Rating: 3
Summary: Good book, but assumes too much of children
Comment: This book shows young people the joys of communicating with dogs, from how to recognize dog talk through body language to the various ways animals communicate through whimpers, sniffs, and barks. The book, however, assumes that young children will know not to apply these very "hands-on" techniques to strange dogs--a very dangerous assumption that could lead to dog bites. The book offers two suggestions that one should never do in front of an aggressive dog: one is to wave a newspaper above the dog's head, the other is to sniff a dog's nose to calm an angry or confused dog down. Children should never be expected to calm an angered or aggressive dog down. While the book has lots of good information on dog behavior that could benefit both children and adults, it lacks the cautionary requirements to keep kids from getting bitten by dogs too.
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Title: How to Talk to Your Cat by Jean Craighead George, Paul Meisel ISBN: 0060279680 Publisher: HarperCollins Pub. Date: 29 February, 2000 List Price(USD): $11.99 |
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Title: Totally Fun Things to Do with Your Dog by Maxine Rock ISBN: 047119574X Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Pub. Date: 27 March, 1998 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
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Title: Puppy Training for Kids by Sarah Whitehead, Jane Burton ISBN: 0764119400 Publisher: Barrons Juveniles Pub. Date: August, 2001 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
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Title: Puppy: Pet Care Guide for Kids (Aspca Pet Care Guide) by Mark Evans, Roger A. Caras ISBN: 0789476525 Publisher: DK Publishing Pub. Date: May, 2001 List Price(USD): $5.99 |
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Title: The Complete Dog Book for Kids by American Kennel Club ISBN: 0876054602 Publisher: Howell Book House Pub. Date: 16 October, 1996 List Price(USD): $22.95 |
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