We also saw a change at the top of the list for the first time in 3 years. One of my personal favorites, Where The Red Fern Grows, overtook the top spot! Well deserved. Every dog owner wants the perfect dog, but this takes time, patience, and commitment. Of course, there are some dog breeds that can be easier to train, like the breeds listed here. However, trainability is individual to each dog. As a puppy, it is important the dog experiences as many good things as possible, even if the situations are strange and scary at first. This includes meeting different people and animals, hearing different noises at varying volumes, and visiting new places, such as the beach, town centres, and more. There are useful nuggets of information here and there, but this book serves, unfortunately, to confirm the biases of the ones who wrote it. Unleash your inner detective to search and find your daring dog as they embark on an epic journey through the weird and wonderful world dedicated to our four-legged friends.

Aside from writing books, David is an experienced business consultant, coach and facilitator, spearheading culture-changing initiatives that define priorities, deliver strategic solutions, and move companies forward. Lastly, I see you seem to prefer Fiction over non-fiction. Have you considered splitting your list into two or more groups? The authors' take on nutrition smells like they started with a conclusion and went looking for things they could use to support it. Eliminating highly processed foods makes sense, but they simultaneously rail against carbs and advise you to feed your dog fruits and vegetables. Then they frequently cite carbs as the primary culprit in AGE formation in high heat applications without mentioning the role of fat and protein, particularly in meat (I would like to know who funded THAT study, if there is one). And warn about the dangers of lignans in beans (which is a dated argument that only applies to uncooked or partially cooked beans). And that plant food might expose your dog to pesticides, but a) they talked about organic food already and b) what do the animals raised for their meat eat? and c) we're already on the fruits and vegetables train. Rodney Habib has no certifications in animal health or nutrition - he is a film maker and a blogger that has a personal agenda which is to make money by furthering misinformation, and preying on people's fears about their pets health. Who wouldn't do anything to keep their furry friends alive for as long as possible?The authors go out of their way to emphasize that what matters most in caring for your dog’s health is what you believe. They have particular beliefs they want to sell you, of course, but they take pains to emphasize that you should “do your research” and “educate yourself” and that your observations and intuitions and feelings are ultimately the most important guide to what is good or bad for your dogs. Pet owners are responsible for their pets’ health (especially since vets and other “experts” can’t be trusted), and they shouldn’t doubt their own instincts or ability to teach themselves everything they need to know to confidently disregard science and scientific expertise. This idea is closely connected to the next, Forever Dog ( fə -ˈre - vər - dȯɡ): A domesticated carnivorous mammal, descended from the gray wolf lineage, that lives a long and robust life free from degenerative disease, in part due to their humans making intentional choices and wise decisions that confer health and longevity. Both puppies and dogs are best trained when they are hungry as this can increase their focus on the food used as rewards. To have the perfect pet, training is essential. Dogs are similar to humans in the sense that they have to learn which behaviours are acceptable and which aren’t; unfortunately, this is made even more difficult for them by having to adapt these behaviours to a human-orientated world. Thankfully, there are great books available to use as training resources. Bottom line, we are in complete control of what are dogs eat and how they live. Of course, we can not control all external factors, or the sequence of their DNA, yet the new science gives us more control than we have ever had in history. When we know better, can’t we do better for these creatures and family members that give us their unconditional love? Life and death are facts of life. Yet, all the time in between has never been more in our control.

Nevertheless dogs do serve as a useful metaphor. You see, dogs are the closest thing we can find when searching for examples of uncompromising honesty. Dishonesty is not part of their DNA. In contrast, the problem for many leaders today is that at some level “most people lie”. Positive reinforcement training is especially successful at curbing unwanted behaviours. It teaches the dog that good things happen when commands are followed. This training can also work to tire out the dog, which will decrease the chances of misbehaving. Builds a Relationship Between Dog and Owner I’ve talked about my favorite books before, but never my favorite dog books. This is going to be tough, but I’ll give it a shot. The Philosopher and the Wolf. I know I said this above, but this is my favorite by far. I don’t think this book is for everyone though. It’s laden with philosophy and discusses the life and loss of the wolf owned by Mark Rowlands.

Gifts for Dog Mums

Others have said “David is a truly inspirational and dynamic leader with a natural flair for business”. These highly regarded comments make it clear that David is not any ordinary author, but rather one who writes with passion, energy and commitment to ensure his beliefs in authentic and transformational leadership are brought to life and reach as many people as possible.

The authors paint a terrifying picture of the modern world as a toxic wasteland full of dangers and unscrupulous or misinformed false experts offering you bad advice for money. They need you to be afraid so that you will eagerly embrace the anodyne they offer for the malady they have created. And they do offer a way out of the nightmare, by giving you a sense of understanding, competence, agency, and validation in making your own decisions that they promise will miraculously transform the health of your pet, just like the pets in the numerous miracle stories that open many of the chapters. Marketers of all stripes have discovered the persuasive power of anxiety to undermine confidence in their current sources of information and drive them to seek eagerly after another. Upon seeing this book at Indigo I immediately grabbed it for purchasing. Our little boy Indigo is the love of our lives. Precious and perfect at six months old so why not start now - learning ways to have him live a long, full and happy life. A lot of the tidbits are common sense such as physical exercise, no strict punishments (yelling, hitting), socialization and outdoor play but there was also so much more!

Birthday Cat Gifts

What's bizarre is that it's clear the authors were going for a Blue Zones thing here, they even referenced it, but did they read it? Because the Forever Dog authors argue that humans should follow a ketogenic diet too, but those Blue Zones centenarians are not eating ketogenic diets.

Like the Blue Zones for dogs EXCEPT there is some bizarre keto-mania going on here. Overall, the authors offer a lot of good ways to improve your dog's life. My dog will be happy that I read this book because Sniffaris and massages and more off leash time! But I do not trust all of the nutrition recommendations here. Dog training involves teaching a variety of commands to the dog, which helps owners to have better control over their pets. This is particularly important in situations where the dog is put at risk, such as when crossing roads or when another dog or person is around. I once had a vet say to me, “Never let anyone tell you that you can’t buy a good brand of dog food at the grocery store”, and that is the unexamined advice that I have brought to my dogs’ nutrition. (That and the fact that my last dog got bladder stones from sharing my meals with me, and my brother-in-law said he wishes he had never given his dog human food because Blue now drools at the table every time they eat, is why our current dog has only ever had grocery store kibble, and I thought I was doing what was best for him.) So I did find it very compelling when this book explained that “nutritionally complete” kibble has only been around a short while, and by comparing it to infant formula (which we now think of as second best, and at any rate, is only used for a few months in human lives, compared to a dog's entire life on processed foods), the authors did make the case for the addition of fresher, whole foods. There is a lot of nutrition science explained for why this or that is essential in a dog’s diet (and how ultraprocessed foods not only undernourish but actually harm various body systems), and the authors are careful to emphasise that it is very hard for a dog owner to successfully cook from scratch (there are many vital micronutrients that aren’t readily available in grocery store ingredients and supplements can be difficult to add in the precisely required amounts). However, there are many recommendations for how to boost kibble with add-ins (from blueberries to homemade mushroom broth), and in an ideal world, explains why one ought to switch to a minimally processed fresh dog food. I did find all of this to be compelling, supported, and I’ll look into it further; so what’s my beef with these authors as science communicators?

Birthday Gifts

As previously mentioned, using positive reinforcement during training sessions helps dogs to develop good associations with their owners. By using positive methods, dog owners are working with their dogs to form mutual trust and understanding instead of forcing the dog to bend to the owner’s will. Enables Socialisation This may seem like a provocative statement but it’s true, even though most of the time we do not even know we are doing it. Some, including many renowned psychologists, would even say that at some level we need to lie to survive. Do we? Breaking news! your dog has escaped through the garden gate, fled the paw-parazzi, leapt and bounded across the country and dug up a whole new adventure! What a bizarre title. But nevertheless, it is interesting isn’t it? Doesn’t it make you ask, “What could this be all about”? Well the truth is it’s not about dogs at all; it’s about leadership and honesty. True Story Vs. Non-fiction. A “true story” is technically non-fiction, but I’ve separated “true stories” to be more of memoir style novels, whereas “non-fiction” is reserved for more training or scientific/informative books.