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Eat, Play, Love (Your Dog): The Ultimate Guide for Every Dog Owner
Eat, Play, Love (Your Dog) is the book that every dog owner needs, to provide their dog with the healthiest and happiest life possible.
Author Lara Shannon has drawn upon her many years of working (and playing!) with dogs as a certified dog trainer and pet food nutritionist, and through her TV show Pooches at Play. Her book is the essential go-to guide covering everything you need to know about caring for your dog from puppyhood until end of life.
Divided into three handy chapters – Eat, Play and Love – Lara tackles all the important subjects, from ensuring your dog gets the right diet it needs to thrive, through to how to successfully address common dog behavior issues.
You'll also find some healthy D.I.Y dog food and treat recipes, brain games and activities to engage with your dog, advice for choosing the right dog for your lifestyle and guidance on overcoming common anxieties.
Eat, Play, Love (Your Dog) will help you to understand why dogs do what they do, and give you the necessary advice to meet the mental and physical needs of your furry friend.
Author Lara Shannon has drawn upon her many years of working (and playing!) with dogs as a certified dog trainer and pet food nutritionist, and through her TV show Pooches at Play. Her book is the essential go-to guide covering everything you need to know about caring for your dog from puppyhood until end of life.
Divided into three handy chapters – Eat, Play and Love – Lara tackles all the important subjects, from ensuring your dog gets the right diet it needs to thrive, through to how to successfully address common dog behavior issues.
You'll also find some healthy D.I.Y dog food and treat recipes, brain games and activities to engage with your dog, advice for choosing the right dog for your lifestyle and guidance on overcoming common anxieties.
Eat, Play, Love (Your Dog) will help you to understand why dogs do what they do, and give you the necessary advice to meet the mental and physical needs of your furry friend.
- GenresNonfiction
224 pages, Paperback
Published August 4, 2020
4 people are currently reading
28 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
June 13, 2024
I skimmed this in case it had anything interesting and different to other books I've been reading while we prepare for getting a puppy. I found it underwhelming compared to other dog guides. The tone was quite discouraging too and I didn't manage to read it all the way through properly.
The food section has a lot about raw feeding so if you're considering that, this book may be helpful, otherwise I would go elsewhere.
The food section has a lot about raw feeding so if you're considering that, this book may be helpful, otherwise I would go elsewhere.
February 26, 2021
The author has no actual qualifications in any dog related topic and it really shows.
December 10, 2024
Eat chapter was about eating, Play chapter was not about play, it was instructions for subpar compliance training. Love chapter had nothing to do with Love and was just a dumping ground for checklists. Very misleading title and the content within was lacking.
The Eat chapter started out strong and I was hopeful I had finally found a tv dog trainer who wasn't full of outdated techniques. The Eat chapter was surprisingly informative, researched and well balanced on the many types of diet and health relating to food. It did not contain any fear mongering, conspiracy theories about vets or try and trick you into changing your dog's health diet. I appreciated the inclusion of the knuckle test for weight monitoring.
The Play chapter started out with a couple of pages on play between dogs then immediately started going downhill into dominance-compliance training disguised as positive training. The author thinks you can reinforce fear, advocates for learned helplessness and primarily uses methods that follow "light" flooding and nagging your dog until they give up. The presence of food as bribery (not as rewards, but as distractions) hardly made for a modern day book about modern dog training.
It finished with some games/tricks that are more fun for the owner than the dog and never went into Play.
How the eat chapter can be so up to date on research and science with even perspective of all the options then the play chapter outdated by 15-20 years worth of dog training knowledge…beyond me.
The author is hyperfixated on ignoring dogs seeking connection with owners (labels it “attention seeking”) and is full of the outdated myths that comforting a dog reinforces the fear, not letting a frightened dog leave a situation until they are in a state of learned helplessness (calls this “calm” instead of the suppression it is ) and constantly harps on about dogs needing leadership (compliance, control).
You know the quality of training is low if the first step of recall training in a low distraction environment requires a lead and punishing the dog for ignoring you (after all the advice to punish the dog for seeking your attention. You can’t have it both ways!).
If you have a reactive, aggressive or fearful dog - skip this book and go straight to aggressivedog.com
The Love chapter was just "everything else" except love. Primarily checklists for getting a puppy, choosing a puppy, bring it home, travelling, leaving it alone, trimming nails...and of course harping on that dogs are not allowed to receive comfort. Aside from the author's debunked claims about leadership and reinforcing fear, there was nothing notable in this section except that it was about everything BUT the topic of Love - barring two pages at the end about an owner's feelings when its time for an old dog to pass.
It gets a 1.5 star because I've read worst and most of the advice within will just annoy your dog and result in a dog that ignores you… but I've also read a lot better.
And because I got this book for the chapter on play, which was lacking on play, I will recommend for anyone else who just wanted to play with their dog:
- Dog Enrichment: Family-friendly Games and Activities for You and Your Dog
- A Dog's Fabulous Sense of Smell: Step by Step Treat Search Tracking
- Making Dogs Happy: A Guide to How They Think, What They Do (and Don't) Want, and Getting to "Good Dog!" Behavior
The Eat chapter started out strong and I was hopeful I had finally found a tv dog trainer who wasn't full of outdated techniques. The Eat chapter was surprisingly informative, researched and well balanced on the many types of diet and health relating to food. It did not contain any fear mongering, conspiracy theories about vets or try and trick you into changing your dog's health diet. I appreciated the inclusion of the knuckle test for weight monitoring.
The Play chapter started out with a couple of pages on play between dogs then immediately started going downhill into dominance-compliance training disguised as positive training. The author thinks you can reinforce fear, advocates for learned helplessness and primarily uses methods that follow "light" flooding and nagging your dog until they give up. The presence of food as bribery (not as rewards, but as distractions) hardly made for a modern day book about modern dog training.
It finished with some games/tricks that are more fun for the owner than the dog and never went into Play.
How the eat chapter can be so up to date on research and science with even perspective of all the options then the play chapter outdated by 15-20 years worth of dog training knowledge…beyond me.
The author is hyperfixated on ignoring dogs seeking connection with owners (labels it “attention seeking”) and is full of the outdated myths that comforting a dog reinforces the fear, not letting a frightened dog leave a situation until they are in a state of learned helplessness (calls this “calm” instead of the suppression it is ) and constantly harps on about dogs needing leadership (compliance, control).
You know the quality of training is low if the first step of recall training in a low distraction environment requires a lead and punishing the dog for ignoring you (after all the advice to punish the dog for seeking your attention. You can’t have it both ways!).
If you have a reactive, aggressive or fearful dog - skip this book and go straight to aggressivedog.com
The Love chapter was just "everything else" except love. Primarily checklists for getting a puppy, choosing a puppy, bring it home, travelling, leaving it alone, trimming nails...and of course harping on that dogs are not allowed to receive comfort. Aside from the author's debunked claims about leadership and reinforcing fear, there was nothing notable in this section except that it was about everything BUT the topic of Love - barring two pages at the end about an owner's feelings when its time for an old dog to pass.
It gets a 1.5 star because I've read worst and most of the advice within will just annoy your dog and result in a dog that ignores you… but I've also read a lot better.
And because I got this book for the chapter on play, which was lacking on play, I will recommend for anyone else who just wanted to play with their dog:
- Dog Enrichment: Family-friendly Games and Activities for You and Your Dog
- A Dog's Fabulous Sense of Smell: Step by Step Treat Search Tracking
- Making Dogs Happy: A Guide to How They Think, What They Do (and Don't) Want, and Getting to "Good Dog!" Behavior
January 11, 2025
As a dog owner and enthusiast, I enjoyed reading this book. It’s a quick read and easy to follow guide that touches on all things related to owning a dog from diet to training tips and caring for your fur family member. It’s a great holistic guide if you’re looking to begin getting to know your dog more. For more detailed sources, the author gives recommendations on how to learn more. The book has a focus on positive reinforcement and creating a healthy relationship with your pet.
May 3, 2021
Well written,great info for first time dog parent.
June 24, 2021
Lots of great information, will definitely be using it as a bit of a guide with my new pup, good thing to read, especially if you are new to owning a dog or considering getting a new dog!!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews