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Big Dog Small Dog: Make Your Dog Happier By Being Understood
MAKE YOUR DOG HAPPIER BY BEING UNDERSTOOD
Learning how to communicate with your dog will lead you and your canine companion to a lifetime of happiness. Dog behaviour expert Selina McIntyre uses a natural and direct method, helping humans understand how dogs deal with things like fear, change and anxiety. Big Dog Small Dog is packed with practical advice and natural ways to understand your dog's what they really want from their daily walk, what they think about children, and the truth about dog parks ... Owning a dog is a huge responsibility and the more we prepare for such a major life decision, the more we empower ourselves. With the right signals, you'll soon be able to understand and speak your dog's language, helping you cement the foundations of a lasting and positive relationship.
Learning how to communicate with your dog will lead you and your canine companion to a lifetime of happiness. Dog behaviour expert Selina McIntyre uses a natural and direct method, helping humans understand how dogs deal with things like fear, change and anxiety. Big Dog Small Dog is packed with practical advice and natural ways to understand your dog's what they really want from their daily walk, what they think about children, and the truth about dog parks ... Owning a dog is a huge responsibility and the more we prepare for such a major life decision, the more we empower ourselves. With the right signals, you'll soon be able to understand and speak your dog's language, helping you cement the foundations of a lasting and positive relationship.
304 pages, Paperback
Published November 15, 2022
5 people are currently reading
12 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
September 26, 2025
Time will tell: who is the leader and who isn’t.
Is our proclivity for keeping dogs as substitute humans leading to dogs being less happier and understood? Look at their names for a start 😂……
Is our proclivity for keeping dogs as substitute humans leading to dogs being less happier and understood? Look at their names for a start 😂……
January 6, 2022
Totally recommend, very easy book to read that includes so many very helpful tips. Set out in sections for quick referral.
Keep it handy for the ‘dog moments’ when I need help.
Thank you so much Selina.
Keep it handy for the ‘dog moments’ when I need help.
Thank you so much Selina.
March 3, 2022
This is a very readable, interesting account, suitable for an everyday pet parent. Selina is an experienced dog trainer. She has written this book quite cleverly as it begins with a story of a dog, and through the story, Selina teaches the reader something about a dog. Its clear short passages with headings interspersed with the stories particularly work well. I have learnt many many things from this book that help me take care of Neelo.
The only shortcoming of the book is that it does not seem to be a book written after in-depth research. It is a book written on the basis of the experience of one trainer. This makes the book feel like a manual for a dog, however, she does not stress how much remains unknown about canine behaviour, and how much depends on individual dogs as well.
The only shortcoming of the book is that it does not seem to be a book written after in-depth research. It is a book written on the basis of the experience of one trainer. This makes the book feel like a manual for a dog, however, she does not stress how much remains unknown about canine behaviour, and how much depends on individual dogs as well.
June 26, 2021
Read this new book in a day.
It’s very readable with case studies and suggestions.
Very often it is the dog owners themselves they have unknowingly created unwanted behaviours in their beloved dogs.
The remedies seem easy but the hard part is consistency.
If you have a dog with behaviours like lunging at bicycles, other dogs, people or barking whenever someone walks passed the house / fence line then this is the book for you. With a few tweaks and consistent behaviour modification then your dog can become the best version of themselves and you can enjoy your dog fully.
I thoroughly recommend big dog, small dog for all dog owners, especially first time dog owners.
It’s very readable with case studies and suggestions.
Very often it is the dog owners themselves they have unknowingly created unwanted behaviours in their beloved dogs.
The remedies seem easy but the hard part is consistency.
If you have a dog with behaviours like lunging at bicycles, other dogs, people or barking whenever someone walks passed the house / fence line then this is the book for you. With a few tweaks and consistent behaviour modification then your dog can become the best version of themselves and you can enjoy your dog fully.
I thoroughly recommend big dog, small dog for all dog owners, especially first time dog owners.
January 5, 2022
This is a well written book and Selina comes across exactly as she does in person, lovely.
I was inspired by my own dogs behavioural problems to become a vet nurse and pursue qualifications in dog behaviour and training, which is where my issue lies.
Some of the advice given is outdated and odd (status feeding) and some could be plain dangerous (the section on resource guarding in particular). I think it's unsafe to be recommending a training plan for resource guarding without evaluation the dog in person, and laypeople who read this book because it's popular may not be able to tell what is best practice and what isn't.
I was inspired by my own dogs behavioural problems to become a vet nurse and pursue qualifications in dog behaviour and training, which is where my issue lies.
Some of the advice given is outdated and odd (status feeding) and some could be plain dangerous (the section on resource guarding in particular). I think it's unsafe to be recommending a training plan for resource guarding without evaluation the dog in person, and laypeople who read this book because it's popular may not be able to tell what is best practice and what isn't.
November 29, 2021
If you have a dog, or you're planning to get a dog, or need a present for a friend with a dog, then this is it! Very readable with lots of practical tips and case studies, Selina's passion shines through the pages. Easy to read in one go, but with an excellent contents so you can flick to the right information when you need it. I wish Selina had written this book when I first adopted my dog. I'm already re-reading it so I can pick out some more training tips to try.
July 5, 2021
This is such a practical and engaging book, containing real life case studies as well as so many training tips. It is super readable. Selina has personally helped us with our dogs in the past, and I can vouch for her passion and commitment to dogs and their owners. Her training tips really work!
September 2, 2025
Rather disappointed with the book but not really sure what I expected. Have done a lot of research into dog behaviour and training and the advice seems biased towards problem dogs where brute albeit consistent conditioning will yield better results. May not actually work for dogs across the wide spectrum of temperaments and may actually cause harm in certain cases. Can’t give this a good review, I am sorry.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews