Best Training Books?

hi there,

dont know if i should be posting this here, but which books would you recommend to read as regards learning more about training and behaviour of dogs? i've read bits and pieces about jan fennell, jean donaldson and ian dunbar! i'm a bit confused as to which method to go down now as i've heard good and bad about both! i know alot about monty roberts work with horses but didnt know he worked with dogs too! doesn't take much to confuse me! x

There are some good books around - and some awful ones!

Please read Jean Donaldson's 'The Culture Clash'. Even if you read nothing else this will help enormously with understanding how dogs learn and the best way to implement training

hi shadowboxer,

i have already ordered it! seemed to be the best one out of the few that i had in mind. hopefully it will help me understand my doglets.

Good work Let us know your opinion of it

If you are looking for a more academic approach I would not hesitate to recommend Steven R. Lindsay 'Handbook of Applied Dog Behavior and Training' (3 vols)

It's hard to know where to start - I'd recommend reading one of the dog magazines in fact, to start - Dogs Today or Your Dog. Then also:

Why does my Dog? John Fisher (remember he did a bit of a U turn re pack theory but his books are still so very good due to his great way of explaining things)

Teach Yourself Dog Training in assocation with APDT

How Dogs Learn by Burch and Bailey - excellent but a bit academic, wonderful on learning theory though!

Clicker Training for Dogs by Karen Pryor

Click for Joy by Melissa Alexander (one of my personal favourites)

Jean Donaldson is excellent, I like her Dogs are from Neptune also; I believe she did a lot of learning from Ian Dunbar

Anything by Gwen Bailey or David Weston and investigate Dr Patricia McConnell too

some good books ive read that i would highly recommend:

the culture clash by Jean Donaldson

books by james o'heare - canine aggression workbook, canine seperation anxiety workbook, canine neuropsychology workbook.

how dogs learn, by burch and bailey

dont shoot the dog, by karen pryor (brilliant book, on in depth clicker training)

'Handbook of Applied Dog Behavior and Training' (3 vols), by
Steven R. Lindsay (expensive, but well worth the money, really indepth about all aspects of dog behaviour and training, includes scientific studies etc.

a new understanding of canine origin, behaviour and evolution, by raymond coppinger (brilliant book)

if dogs could talk, exploring the canine mind , by vilmos csanyi (not read this yet, but apparently meant to be good.

how dogs think, by stanley coren (meant to be good)

dominance fact or fiction, by barry eaton (small book, but interesting)

anythin by Gwen Bailey for mostly basic behaviour and training

I forgot the Coppinger book, that's pretty essential reading really...

In the middle of the Stanley Coren How Dogs Think right now...is VERY good, academic but well put...sort of puts a lot of other books together in one...
As to what book to get, it depends how indepth you want to get...
John Fisher, as Wys said, is a great first step into an analysis of behaviour...not too academic and doesn't go into theory too much, but a step up from pet dog training manuals...step by step books if you like.
Gwen Bailey's books are a good foot in too....

thanks everyone for your advice re books! just waiting for my jean donaldson book 'the culture clash' to arrive. will let you know what i think x