Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 11-15 of 78
 A good book for what it is, with caveats July 12, 2007
Lyn McCloskey (Hoosierville USA)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
This book describes, through subjective stories and sometimes rather overly sentimental and repetitious narrative, how to relate to a dog as a thinking, feeling being with a soul of his own, rather than as a furry domestic "object" to be systematically molded by force to man's will.
There's an upside and a downside to this approach. The upside is that Suzanne is clearly a person who deeply loves and cares for her animals, and she desires to inspire others to adopt a similar approach and thus obtain a closer connection with their dog on a deeper and more meaningful level. Based on the overwhelmingly positive reviews of the book here, she is largely successful in this effort. The downside is that this approach is difficult if not impossible to quantify, and as such the book is neither a manual of training nor technique, which Suzanne openly admits. If you have an interest in a specific "behavior problem", this isn't the book you're looking for. However, if you have an interest in the underlying issues and human-canine dynamics that may very well be the source of the "behavior problem", then you'll at least be well on the road to finding your answer here. And given the fact that many "behavior problems" in dogs actually arise because of our own incompetence or misunderstanding of dog psychology, many people (and dogs) would benefit tremendously by our learning to get in touch at some level with "the canine soul".
The one small criticism that I have about the book is that I think Suzanne is rather disingenuous and over-the-top in her blasting of Vicki Hearne. Given the opposite ends "A" and "B" on the scale of approaches to dog training -- with Suzanne at "A" and Vicki at "B", Suzanne's pendulum clearly swings too far to the left at times.
I say this because, all deference to doggie souls aside, they are *still* and will always be dogs. As such, their neurological systems are designed so that they learn MOST EFFECTIVELY through methods that utilize operant conditioning. As Jean Donaldson so appropriately points out in her excellent book "The Culture Clash: A Revolutionary New Way to Understanding the Relationship Between Humans and Domestic Dogs", training methods based on operant conditioning are the widest window that is open to us in this regard and thus, the ones we should use.
This is not to say that one should not also listen to what Suzanne Clothier has to teach us. Because in the end, the absolute best that you can do for your dog is to understand him not only as a thinking, feeling being in his own right, but also how to teach him in ways that he'll best understand.
The Culture Clash: A Revolutionary New Way to Understanding the Relationship Between Humans and Domestic Dogs
 Outstanding perspective June 8, 2007
B. Belzer (Maryland)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This is not a cookbook on training a dog. It's not a list of dos and don'ts. Suzanne Clothier gives us insight and understanding and if we're paying attention, helps us to develop a way of interacting with our canine companions that is mutually beneficial. And I think that's the key - the book can give us the tools to develop our own way. Dogs are still dogs and are not humanized. It's worth reading again and again and it's definitely a superb gift.
Bones Would Rain from the Sky: Deepening Our Relationships with Dogs March 16, 2007
K. Peyser (Charleston, SC USA)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
This should be mandatory reading for anyone with a dog and recommended reading for anyone who has to relate to any living creature.
Changed My Dog's Life February 10, 2007
DogandMe (Boston, MA)
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
I brought home a human- and dog-reactive (aggressive) adult border collie about a year and half ago. He came from an unknown background, had been in shelters on and off for 5 months, and was a mess. I had no idea what to do.
After about a month of wading through countless training books, all of whose philosophies seemed to tout some other "miracle system," I was fortunate enough to stumble onto this one. Clothier's take on my dog's reactions to a frightening world gave me the perspective I needed to help him, rather than frighten him more. Most enlightening was her section about "friendly" dogs who charge at other dogs "just to say hi." Once I could interpret the other dogs' behavior and body language through my own dog's eyes, I could finally help him. I realized that a charging dog - regardless of intention - looked like an attacking dog, at least to Buddy. Knowing this, I could step in, intercede, to protect my dog. This was crucial in giving him the faith that I could handle the tough situations we meet in our day to day walks. Trusting me, he let down his guard, and has become a dog who looks "normal" to those who meet him. We even get "Oh, he's sweet" comments from people on our walks now! He may never be as easy-going as a lab, but I'd say he's 90% of the way to "normal."
"Bones Would Rain from the Sky," along with "The Other End of the Leash" by Patricia McConnell, should be on every dog owner's bookshelf. The more challenging your dog, the more you need to read these books. And once you've read these, you'll be able to filter out the mush in the other books.
 hard to extract the meat of the topic from this book January 3, 2007
K. L. Hughes (Fort Worth Texas)
5 out of 21 found this review helpful
It is no doubt that this author 'loves' animals. That is apparent. What also is apparent is that the author is not a writer. Many chapters started out with a 'subject' of discussion only to find by the end of the chapter the author touched on everything 'but' the subject leaving the reading saying "huh". She vicariously relives too much of her own experience losing her self in it to the point that she forgets what it was that she wanted the reader to gain thus losing the the essence of the point. There is a comparison to famed horse whisperer Monty Roberts, to whom I have personally worked. She is not a monty roberts. I beleive she is a caring individual with a lot of stories just not a writer. I do not recommend this book as a guide to training or understanding dogs.
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