Tail Talk: Understanding the Secret Language of Dogs

by Sophie Collins, Karen Overall (Foreword)

What are dogs really trying to tell us? Is that smile a sign of happiness or nervousness? Is she yawning because she's tired or stressed? Such quizzical gestures and other canine conundrums are explained in this smart photographic primer. A pup's ears, eyes, head, mouth and teeth, back and legs, and tail all work in concert to convey his mood. This handy guide lays out the canine body-language alphabet, letter by letter, then neatly illustrates the various body parts "speaking" together. A refreshing approach to understanding man's best friend, this expert-approved guide is indispensable for every dog owner.

Genres: Nonfiction, Animals, Dogs, Science

128 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 2007

Reviews

[Fran · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a clearly written guide to the behavior and body language of dogs. With photos to fully illustrate, this is a must-read for dog owners and dog lovers alike.

[Literary Redhead · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every household with a doggie needs TAIL TALK: THE SECRET LANGUAGE OF DOGS. It’s an utterly charming guide with delightful photos, along with more than 50 insights into your canine companion’s special vocabulary. From ears, eyes, heads, and tails ... to legs, mouths, teeth, and vocalization ... TAIL TALK helps you put together the full picture of what your dog is trying to tell you, so you can better understand his behavior and give him the love that he deserves. 5/5

Thanks to the author, Quarto Publishing Group - Ivy Press, and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are fully mine.

#TailTalk #NetGalley

[Kate Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are an animal lover, or have a wish to be a Vet, or know someone who aspires to be a Vet then I highly recommend this book. Filled with anecdotes, and honest insights into the daily life of a Vet I really enjoyed reading this.

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tail Talk: The Secret Language of Dogs by Sophie Collins is a good read for any person owning a dog, working with dogs, or wanting to adopt a dog. The book offers easy to understand information about the language dog’s speak to humans and to other dogs. The pictures included are helpful when reading the descriptions. The book also includes a quiz at the end to test your knowledge and links, books, and websites to further information.

The book goes describes ear position, breeds and their eye shapes, what it means when a dog’s tail is up or tucked under, vocalizations, and body language, plus so much more. It’s a fast read, but informative. A good book to have on your shelf to understand your animals better.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Suddenly finding myself with a 1 year old dog and a 14-week old puppy, I have been reading quite a bit about canine communication. This is a pretty short volume illustrating some aspects of dog body language - it's well illustrated and very straightforward. They do a great job of capturing stills at just the right moment to illustrate their text -- however, there are some instances where a video would probably be a bit more instructive.

A great book for people who are just learning how to read their dog's cues, though I imagine that experienced dog owners will already be familiar with a lot of the information here. Now, if only vocalizations were so easy to illustrate...!

I received access to this title via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Dawn · Rating 2 out of 5]

A quick read with basic information about dogs and their body language. I didn't learn a great deal from it; just a few interesting tid-bits here and there. A book I picked up in NYC when I found myself at an artsy book store with hardback books like this one laying about. When I determined there was more to glean from it than I could get in a 3 minute glance through and factored in the fact that I had an hour's train ride and had just finished my book, I made the purchase.

[Dyane Harwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED "Tail Talk"! This beautifully designed, inviting book is a must-read for all dog owners. The book will help you figure out your dog's body language. The two authors, one an author, the other has a doctorate in zoology, are extremely experienced in this area. Their obvious passion for the subject have made this book a fun-to-read, accessible resource.

[Gwen · Rating 4 out of 5]

good illustrations make it easy to learn body language of dogs. Quick, easy read and I learned a lot.

[Catherine Puma · Rating 5 out of 5]

The production quality of this informative guide is top notch. Sophie Collins uses photographs of dogs of varying breeds and sizes to first describe how different canine body parts (eyes, ears, tails, etc.) are used to communicate comfort level and situational intent. Then she builds on that taught understanding to explain how to read dogs in different stances and social environments based on the combined cues of those body parts, such as pulled-back ears indicating discomfort, but not fear when paired with a relaxed back posture and alert tail.

Collins' book is written clearly, has multiple explanatory photographs on every page, and does an accurate job of teaching its intended audience a valuable skill. This is a fabulous starting point for any dog parent, canine care employee, vet tech, or just plain ol' dog lover. Obviously every scenario cannot be captured and described, but I loved the practice exercise where we were given previously not featured dogs to observe and try to explain. I'm so glad I read this and will be recommending it widely.

Thank you to the Citrus County Library system in Florida for having this book available.

[Ramona Mead · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having worked in veterinary medicine for over 20 years, I wish I'd had this book to show dog owners! Most of the canine body language discussed in this book, I learned "the hard way" and through years of working with dogs. It all seems highly accurate, displayed clearly with photos of real dogs and straightforward language. I appreciate that the goal of the book is to educate owners so they can intervene before their dog is involved in a serious conflict. While much of he focus is dog on dog communication, there are some tips on how a dog might look at an owner as well. This is a cute book, easy to read, and will be a valuable resource for dog owners and those who work with dogs.

Many thanks to NetGalley for my advanced digital copy.

You can find my reviews and other bookish musings at www.ramonamead.com.

[Soobie has fog in her brain · Rating 3 out of 5]

Visto che son fortunata proprietaria di una cucciolotta di quattro mesi è il caso di cominciare a studiare.

È anche il primo cane che vive dentro casa. Tutti gli altri han sempre vissuto fuori. Ma Kami è piccola e freddolosa, anche se ha una cuccetta tutta sua riscaldata con una lampada a infrarossi.

Così son andata in biblio e ho fatto razzia di tutti i libri sull'educazione del cane. Questo è stato il primo perché veloce da leggere e pieno di foto.

La prima parte è incentrata sul linguaggio non verbale dei cani. Le orecchie, la bocca, la coda, gli occhi... La seconda, invece, presenta un campionario di comportamenti che poi vengono analizzati.

Molto utile e interessante.

[Fran · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a clearly written guide to the behavior and body language of dogs. With photos to fully illustrate, this is a must-read for dog owners and dog lovers alike.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Libro carino, da leggere per iniziare a capire il linguaggio canino...
Non è un libro accademico ma, per il prezzo e per le numerose foto di cani inserite, lo consiglio volentieri ai neofiti o quasi

[Rachel Quinn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tail Talk: The Secret Language of Dogs by Sophie Collins and Karen L. Overall is the perfect gift for a new dog owner or wanna be dog owner. This book is fast and easy to read. The photos of the dogs in reference to their actions make it simple to follow along and understand even if you aren’t very familiar with dogs. This book will help you decode some of the basic actions that all dogs make. It will help you to empathize with them and understand why they do what they do.

I really enjoyed the section of this book on the dog’s stress reactions. A dog’s stress is often mistaken for anger or aggression. This book also outlines the difference between fighting and playing. Tail Talk: The Secret Language of Dogs is the perfect addition to any dog-friendly home.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Quarto Publishing Group - Ivy Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

this little book from the u.k.was a quick but informative read. it has great photos to illustrate various expressions, postures, ear. tail, head, body etc. positions and how to interpret what your dog may be feeling. i was looking for info to help reassure me that when our border terrier interacts with other dogs e.g. his 'cousins' doug, the wheaten terrier or hazel the westie-poo they really are having fun and not being stressed out. i got that reassurance and had more fun playing with geordie myself.

[Emelia Björkstén · Rating 5 out of 5]

Suomeksi:Koira puhetta. Oli hauska ja mielenkiintoinen kirja - enemmän kuvia, kun tekstiä. Ei mitään turhaa teorian teoriaa (joita koirakirjoissa piisaa aina puuduksiin asti). Mitä enemmän tutki sitä selvemmäksi kävi, että mulla on todella "lörpöttelevä" chihu=D Ja huomasi kyllä senkin, että osa Caran eleistä on jotain sen ihan ikiomaa kieltä, jota mä olen oppinut tulkitsemaan. Mutta ei varsinaisesti kuulu koirien kieleen.
Kaiken kaikkiaan kiva kirja, kannattaisi jokaisne koiranomistajan lukaista läpi, vaikka vaan huvikseen=)

[AndrewP · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a short, lavishly illustrated, book that was sitting on my bedside table half read for more than six months. The problem was not that I didn't find it enjoyable or informative, I did. But the format of the text is just really bad. Very small double spaced grey text on white was very hard to read even in perfect lighting conditions. If not for this problem I would have given it 3 stars based on content.

As it was so short I made a definite effort to finish it off before the end of the year.

[Ralph · Rating 4 out of 5]

So much of what is presented in this book I see in the dogs that I encounter. It truly is amazing the feelings that dogs convey through various body positions, ear placement, tail wagging (or not), etc. You'll really appreciate the language of dogs after reading this and studying the pictures which provide vivid examples of the information.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great visual book on how to interpret dogs' movements and actions as a type of language.
Great pictures and easy to understand comments. A "glossary" at the end of in-action pictures for the reader to "test" their dog language skills.

[Tfalcone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for the free ARC.

I have two corgis and of course, I always want to know what they are trying to tell me. I got most of their language right, and found an explanation for some really strange warbling vocalizations they have when I come home from work! Fun book!

[Nettie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

An interesting and informative book on the behavior and body language of dogs. Definitely something I would recommend for someone who has just gotten their first dog and wants to socialise it with others.

[Annarella · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very interesting and fascinating guide to dog behaviour. It's fully illustrated and it's really helpful for a better understandment of your dog.
Recommended to dog owners and whoever loves dogs.
Many thanks to Quarto Publishing Group and Netgalley for this ARC

[Carolyn McBride · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderfully visual book filled with clear and entertaining pictures. I understand some of the things my dog does better now. This is a charming, enchanting and educational book that I would recommend to any dog owner, sitter or really anyone who works with dogs.

[Jojo · Rating 3 out of 5]

http://devaneiosdajojo.blogspot.com/2...

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

A phrasebook of dog body language. Dogs really "say" a lot!

[Vesa Vänskä · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read the Finnish translation Koirapuhetta.

[Jana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book for those wanting to know more about how dogs communicate.

[Pernilla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Boken förklarar på ett enkelt sätt hundars olika signaler via deras kroppsspråk och visar exempel med hjälp av bilder.

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

#TailTalk #NetGalley

A very well documented and explained book about dog psychology. The charts and illustrations teach us how to decode and better interact with our furry friend.

[Ann T · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Quatro and Metgalley for an ARC of this lovely book.

This was a fun, well illustrated book to help teach what our lovely dog friends are telling us.
Recommended for all dog lovers.