Product Description

"Dogs are a kind of tame wolf".
"Dogs are predators and pack animals".
"You have to be your dog's leader, or else the dog will dominate you".
"Pit bulls are just like any other dog."

All these statements are FALSE.

In this ground-breaking and sometimes controversial book, Alexandra Semyonova explodes the 100 most common myths about dogs, their nature, their behaviour and how to treat them. She explains how the old, pseudo-scientific theory of dominance in dogs originated in Nazi ideology and the disastrous consequences this has had for dogs, and replaces it with conclusions drawn from twenty years of researching and directly observing real dog behaviour.

As she takes us through the 100 myths, Semyonova shows conclusively that serious aggression is utterly abnormal in the domestic dog, bringing us up to date on the true nature of dogs and what their body language really means. We gain a clear explanation of the three simple rules that dogs follow and clear guidance on how to use them to improve our interactions with our canine friends.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #235586 in Books
• Published on: 2009-07-01
• Binding: Paperback
• 272 pages

About the Author
Internationally acclaimed animal behaviourist Alexandra Semyonova was born in the United States and was educated at John Hopkins University and University College London. Author of the pioneering academic paper `The Social Organization of the Domestic Dog', she works with dogs and their owners on a daily basis and is an animal welfare inspector for the Dutch Society for the Protection of Animals. She currently lives in the Netherlands in a house with four dogs

Customer Reviews

Excellent read - as long as you're not in denial
This book is so interesting. It challenges all sorts of 'myths' about dogs, things we have all heard/read so often that we assume they must be right and that we - fairly unthinkingly - accept if we've read a book or two on dog training/psychology (I certainly plead guilty).

However this work turns so many myths on their heads I ended up feeling like I previously knew next to nothing about dogs!

It blows the work of so many other 'dog experts' out of the water, in fact, that I could see some people finding Ms Semyonova's findings difficult to accept. Easier to deny them rather than make a massive mental shift.

The format of the book is very clever, as you can read the whole thing cover to cover or simply dip in to the topic that interests you. You can also read the 'fact' at the bottom of each topic for a quick answer or can explore the academic references cited ie you can go into it at the depth you choose.

It's not a 'how to' book but will help you avoid lots of mistakes when raising your dog, and you will watch dog-dog and dog-human interactions with new eyes.
Strongly recommended.

Contains many many facts.
This is well written and contains all the facts you can pick from other books, such as the Coppingers book.
It is bang up to date and dispels all those silly myths like eating a cracker before you give your dog it's food etc! Now if only pervaders of the Rank Reduction Program and certain tv trainers would read this book!
The only thing I'm not 100% happy with is there are some slight generalisations regarding certain breeds.
That aside, it is a very interesting book and one to leave around the vets waiting room or the local dog training club!

Excellent - informative & thought-provoking.
This is a great book for anyone who has anything to do with dogs, from pet owners to vets to trainers. It dispels many of the common and widely-held myths about dogs. The title doesn't do it justice - it is a serious book and it is written by a well-regarded academic, yet at the same time it is accessible and easy to read.

Definitely worth reading!