The Language of Dogs($13.49Value)

Description

From the stand-up comic, award-winning dog trainer, founder of the non-profit Funny for Fido, and host of 2021 CBS series Dogs in the City , a hilarious, insightful, and accessible guide to understanding our canine friends. After a decade of fostering and rehabilitating abused animals, Justin Silver decided to devote his life to improving overall pet wellness. He even opened his own full-service pet care clinic and training center, also called The Language of Dogs, in 2005. Now, in this practical and witty book, Silver shares his extensive expertise on canine behavior, training, health, and more. By focusing on strengthening communication between pet and owner, Silver reveals how important and easy it is to truly understand your pet’s wants and needs. Compulsively readable and with in-depth advice, remedies, and encouragement, The Language of Dogs provides everything you need for your dog to live its best life with you. Justin Silver is best known as the star of the reality series Dogs in the City . He was born and raised in New York City, where he also runs his pet care clinic The Language of Dogs. Language Of Dogs CHAPTER 2 WE’RE ONLY HUMAN “Dogs are, after all, man’s best friend. The least we can do is try to understand them a little better.” —NICHOLAS DODMAN Every dog inherits a set of personality traits from its parents. Genetics determine things like herding instincts, energy levels, drive, and function. A lapdog’s function is to sit idly in its owner’s lap and look pretty. Naturally, its energy and aggression levels are pretty low, and it will never attempt to rustle up cattle or herd sheep. Retrievers used for waterfowl hunting must exhibit a Zen-like calmness because the hunting is done in small boats in winter conditions. Many hunting breeds, such as retrievers, poodles, and cocker spaniels have what’s known as a “soft mouth,” referring to their ability to pick up, hold, and gently carry quarry. It is almost impossible to teach this behavior to a dog without the inborn ability, and although I’m not a proponent of hunting, it is an impressive skill set. Terriers, on the other hand, are expected to shake rodents and snakes in order to kill them quickly and efficiently, so a soft mouth in this breed would be a very rare exception and a problematic one. Breeding has gone a long way to make certain characteristics predictable. Once we set aside these characteristics, each dog still has a unique personality paw print. Distinct from the business of nature and nurture, dogs have leanings, preferences, and moods that are expressed in an entirely individual manner. It is imperative that we know some of our dog’s special ways and put them to good use. Were dogs fluent in English, the first thing they would do is assure us that they’re positive what they’re doing is okay. In fact, they could cite chapter and verse on how their behaviors are approved by their owners. We domesticated dogs, and nowadays, their value lies primarily in companionship. They are no longer on the periphery of our villages, waiting to feast upon scraps. We’ve pulled them closer and closer and expect them to socialize and integrate flawlessly in our changing world. They’ve done a pretty remarkable job, and yet we stretch them to the point where anthropomorphizing is actually trendy. They wear raincoats as if nature forgot to consider rainfall in their evolution; they sit in handbags wearing sweaters at cafés; they accompany us to work on occasion and are expected to be polite to our guests at home. The reality is that dogs are not plug-and-play little people with four legs. They’re dogs, which means they have minds that don’t work like ours. BY ANY OTHER NAME, IT’S A DOG Babies cry and dogs bark. And chew. And eat things that make us yak. They chase, sniff, bite, dig, pull, lunge, bury bones, hide food, and pee on things the way graffiti artists “tag” walls with spray paint. The good news is that dogs are far more reasonable, team-spirited, and adaptable than humans. Dogs come equipped with a set of sensory skills that would make the X-Men jealous, a neural net formidable enough to know my landlord is coming to collect the rent long before he knocks on my door and an incomparable facility to take cues from us with their eyes. A study published in the February 2004 Journal of Comparative Psychology found that dogs are much better than apes at understanding humans’ cues to find hidden food. They are remarkable animals, but they’re not perfect. Breeding and experience can render some dogs more aggressive, irritable, fearful, and antisocial than intended. Still, if a dog is reasonably well trained and properly socialized, it is always capable of fitting in. Training allows us to connect to our dogs and give them a sense of purpose. Along the way, we can get these loyalists to do just about anything we want, as quickly as they can hijack an owner’s life with their hijinks. SPEAKING DOG We’ve all seen someone who is “good