Think Dog

by John Fisher

New edition of the classic guide to canine psychology for dog owners.

Genres: Dogs

192 pages, Paperback

Published July 14, 2016

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads data base.

Reviews

[Outdoors Nerd · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great books who's advice you will find echoed in many other more recent books. Odd section on homeopathy tainted it a little.

[Simplymegy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciate that this book was originally written in 1990, and though many canine psychology books have been written since then, it’s safe to say that Fisher is probably one of the pioneers of Positive reinforcement in dog training, and one of the few who challenged Dominance Theory.

The book packs quite a punch for its 185 page size. There are chapters on canine development, diet and nutrition, and various canine behaviours that humans deem problematic. There’s a lot of real life scenarios that will make any dog owner think that “Jeez, i’m not so bad after all,” especially after Fisher shares that a woman tried to breastfeed her dog after the baby, in the hope that they will develop a “bond” 😆.

However, this book is poorly edited. There are a few grammatical and spelling errors even though it has been revised a few times (latest edition is 2012). The chapter on diet is one I fully disagree with, as Fisher advocates never to change the dogs diet because they are not humans. He also recommends commercial kibble and said he would only ever use human grade food in an emergency. He also advocates the use of loud, startling noises to curb bad behaviour. I believe these are outdated practices.

3.5 ⭐️

[Gill · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit dry in places but good advice.

[Isabella Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of great advice! A lot of the ideas in this book were ones I had already adopted, which gave me instant reassurance about the author’s intentions. The author approaches dog psychology from a compassionate perspective. If you are not a fan of dominance theory or have had little success with it, this is a good read! Especially if you have a timid dog! Dominance theory would never work on my super submissive anxious pooch. She gets scared and intimidated so easily and requires a gentle, compassionate hand. There were some concepts that I was a little wary of initially, but the author explains his reasoning for them very well. This book also discusses breed specific instincts that were very helpful for me! I finally understand a couple of my dog’s mystery behaviors. With the help of this book’s ideas on a dog self-teaching, my “slow to learn” Pyrenees pit mix has soared through training! We went from working on walking manners unsuccessfully for months, to nailing them in less than a week. We have also been able to bond more with the help of this book. I recommend this book for all dog owners, especially aspiring ones. This book is not just a training aid. It explains dog psychology which you may apply to all areas of you and your dog’s lives.

[Ami · Rating 1 out of 5]

Probably among the worst books I have ever read. In addition to the spelling and grammar errors (which were prolific), Fisher advocates for sound aversion therapy while also criticising negative reinforcement. This is very confusing, as any kind of aversion therapy is inherently negative reinforcement; it is also negligent, as the harmful effects of negative reinforcement on dogs have been well documented. Additionally, Fisher uses the book as an opportunity to advertise his “discs” (for sound aversion) and his collar and leash called the “Mikki Walkee”, which is rather off-putting.

Would not recommend this book to anyone, dog-minded or otherwise!

[Freya Crosby · Rating 2 out of 5]

Useful in making me think about techniques I use to train my dog and how effective these are - and generally focussed on positive reinforcement which is nice - but found it a bit of a slog to get through despite the training anecdotes.

[Karmen Skandali · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple and helpful guide for dog psychology.

[Lois · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is a little outdated and dry in places but has some very useful and informative advice on common behavioural problems.

[Hannah Hancock]

See my review here. http://oldoriginalthoughts.blogspot.c...

[Rochelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I agree with his philosophy but found the language and examples un-relatable for a contemporary American audience.

[Max Balch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book!