The Tao of Bow Wow: Understanding and Training Your Dog the Taoist Way

by Deborah Wood

The Tao of Bow Wow is not just any dog training book. Part how-to, part primer in the ways of Tao, this unique guide to training and understanding your dog will revolutionize the way owners view their dogs. Not only does veteran dog trainer Deborah Wood explain how the principles of Tao can be used to train your dog in a clear, prescriptive fashion, but she also shows owners how to better communicate with and relate to their dogs using these same principles. Included in this companion designed for easy reference

Quick simple instructions for teaching the essential commands for a dog's safety and sit, stay, heel, down, come and stand.
The best (and the worst) games to play with your dogs.
Dog Qi, true telepathic communication between you and your dog
How to use meditation, massage, and exercise to achieve true peaceful companionship
The Tao of Bow Wow is an essential guide for any animal lover seeking to have a truly profound and joyful relationship with their dog.

Genres: Nonfiction

224 pages, Paperback

First published December 29, 1998

Reviews

[Wolf Ostheeren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe it's my own fault for expecting too much, but I'm disappointed. Most of this book is very basic dog training advice you will find in most books these days (the book is from 1997 when there was obviously still a lot more "dominance at all costs" crap the author has to write against). Also, there is some far-out stuff about doggy telepathy being "proven" and dogs having been domesticated for 130000 years... I'm all for myth and magic, but please don't present them as science. Still, there are also some chapters actually about Daoism and dogs I enjoyed very much, especially one on what you can learn about Daoism from your dog.

[Dan Baum · Rating 3 out of 5]

An entertaining title and read. Wish I had stumbled on this with our first two dogs. Much more compassionate than many dog training books rooted in dominance. Perhaps the timing reflects, “when the student is ready, the teacher appears.”

[Roberta · Rating 5 out of 5]

In "The Tao of Bow Wow" Deborah Wood takes a kinder, gentler approach to dog training. I liked that the author explains WHY you give a dog a command; for example, the "Watch Me" command makes the dog focus on your face. She says that your dog cannot exhibit bad behavior (i.e. jumping on guests, challenging another dog) when (s)he is being attentive to you. I found the sections on breeding and grieving to be especially interesting. Did you know that due to overbreeding and inbreeding the life expectancy for an Irish Wolfhound is 4-7 years? Unbelieveable!

[Brook · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little woo-woo, but a lot of good information.