Suggested Reading & DVD’s

Below is a list of books, DVDs and other resources that might be of interest to you. They are organized according to the following sections. Click on a section to see the suggested reading list. We have also included links to each book at Amazon and Dogwise, if you wish to purchase a copy. Receive future changes and/or additions to this web page by subscribing to the resources e-mail list.

• Sue’s Top Pick
• General Training & Behavior
• Puppy Training and Behavior
• Teaching "Come"
• General Knowledge of Dogs and Learning Theory
• Dog Body Language and Signals
• Effects of Punishment and Stress
• Aggression
• Fearful or Shy Dogs
• Housetraining
• Multi-Dog Households
• Separation Anxiety
• Difficult-to-Train Dogs
• Children and Dogs
• Choosing Your Next Dog
• Alternative Methods to Complement Your Training
• Other Books, Publications or Authors
• Radio Shows
• A Word About the Book Retailers Found on this Website

General Training & Behavior Advice

Leader of the Pack by Patricia B. McConnell, Ph.D - If you buy only one book about training your dog, make it this one! A very quick and inexpensive read at only 15 pages, it gives you in very concise, easy-to-understand terms the basic pointers you need to have a well-behaved dog. I recommend this as a starting point whether you continue with any other training or not. I like this one so much that I include a complimentary copy for each client in my Puppy Pre-School and Basic Training Group Classes. Most of my training is based upon the methods you will see in her books.

Family Friendly Dog Training: A Six Week Program for You and Your Dog by Patricia B McConnell, Ph.D and Aimee M Moore - This book replaces Patricia's earlier book Beginning Family Dog Training. If you are planning to train your dog on your own and want some guidance from a book, or you want some additional reference material in addition to your training, this is a good option. This lays out a six-week training plan and walks you through everything. Definitely a good resource to have!

Beginning Family Dog Training by Patricia B. McConnell, Ph.D - Beginning Family Dog Training by Patricia B. McConnell, Ph.D - If you aren't able to attend training, want to get started on your own before class starts, or just want an extra resource for training your dog, this is a great resource. The book is easy to read and contains practical and easy to follow advice. Please note: This book is being replaced by the new Family Friendly Dog Training: A Six Week Program for You and Your Dog by Patricia B McConnell, PhD and Aimee M Moore (just above on this page). This is still a good book but will become harder to find. If you want a copy, get it while they are clearing out their remaining stock!

Here are links to purchase this book.

How to Teach a New Dog Old Tricks by Ian Dunbar - Ian Dunbar was one of the founders of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers and was one of the leaders in promoting positive reinforcement in dog training. He has lots of great information in this book. If you want something more in-depth, this is a very good book. The only drawback is you need to have some time to read!

Puppy Training and Behavior

Puppy Primer by Brenda K Scidmore and Patricia B. McConnell, Ph.D - If you aren't able to attend training, want to get started on your own before class starts, or just want an extra resource for training your puppy, this is the book for you. This book is easy to read and contains practical, easy to follow advice. It is a great resource to assist with training your puppy.

BEFORE You Get Your Puppy by Ian Dunbar - This is a free download, offered by Ian Dunbar through James & Kenneth Publishers. To paraphrase the publishers, they believe very strongly that preventing the development of extremely common and utterly predictable puppy problems is the only way to prevent the unnecessary euthanasia of millions of unwanted shelter dogs. In their attempt to educate prospective puppy owners before they get their puppies, they are offering this book for free.

Teaching “Come”

Really Reliable Recall (DVD and booklet) by Leslie Nelson - If you want to teach your dog to come when it really counts, Leslie Nelson's Really Reliable Recall - or some variation of it - is probably the most-used method by positive reinforcement dog trainers today. If coming when called is all you really want from your dog, then invest in the DVD and/or the booklet. In regard to coming when called, if I could only recommend one product, I would have to go with Leslie Nelson's Really Reliable Recall.

Lassie Come! (DVD) by Patricia McConnell, Ph.D. - If teaching your dog to reliably come when called is your top priority, then you might want to invest in a group class or private training with an experienced trainer. Or, if you prefer to handle the training on your own, I highly recommend you invest in a DVD devoted specifically to coming when called. McConnell is always good, so you really can't go wrong with any of her products, but in this particular case, I would have to recommend Leslie Nelson's Really Reliable Recall over Lassie Come!

General Knowledge of Dogs and Learning Theory

The Other End of the Leash by Patricia B. McConnell, Ph.D - This is a bit longer read than most of her other books. However, if you have the time and would like to understand how to better communicate with your dog, this is one of the best books you will find. No, I don't get any commissions from Patricia McConnell, but I am a huge fan of hers! She is a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist, which means she has a Ph.D in animal behavior, so she really knows her stuff. This is without a doubt my favorite book and I highly recommend it!

For the Love of a Dog: Understanding Emotion in You and Your Best Friend by Patricia B. McConnell - Those of us who love dogs know that dogs feel emotions, but which ones? Do they experience the same range of emotions that humans do? Ever wondered whether dogs love us as much as we love them? If you've ever wondered about the emotions of dogs, this is the book for you.

Don’t Shoot the Dog by Karen Pryor - This book and the next book, Culture Clash, are considered "classics" when it comes to discussing the learning theory behind current dog training methods. They are both very good if you really want to dig into the details of how/why certain methods work. If you really just want a well-behaved dog and don't care so much about the how and why, then these are not for you. These are for the people who really want to know all the details!

The Culture Clash by Jean Donaldson - This book and the previous book, Don’t Shoot the Dog, are considered "classics" when it comes to discussing the learning theory behind current dog training methods. They are both very good if you really want to dig into the details of how/why certain methods work. If you really just want a well-behaved dog and don't care so much about the how and why, then these are not for you. These are for the people who really want to know all the details!

Excel-erated Learning by Pamela J. Reid, Ph.D - If you are interested in knowing more about learning theory and what positive reinforcement, positive punishment, negative reinforcement, negative punishment and all the other learning theory terminology mean and are all about, then I highly recommend this book to you. Of all the books I have read, this one most clearly explains all the learning theory lingo in layman's terms.

Suggested reading continued on next page.

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