Recommended Reading

 

Dog Book Resources:

Books on the Belgian Tervuren:

  • Belgian Tervuren - The Complete Belgian Tervuren  1990  American Belgian Tervuren Club Education Committee,  ABTC editor Kay Maves.  This book presents the history of the Belgian Tervuren in the United States.

Books on the Handling & Conformation:

  • The Winning Edge  Show Ring Secrets 1992  George G. Alston.  Written for the amateur exhibitor who already knows the basics of showing a dog.
  • Dual Ring Dog Successful Training for both Conformation and Obedience Competition  1991  Jacqueline Fraser and Amy Ammen.

Books on Obedience:

  • Beyond Basic Dog Training 1986   Diane L. Bauman.  Bauman helps the trainer to think about what they are doing and why.  Only a thinking trainer can train a thinking dog.
  • Obedience Judging: A Beginner’s Manual  1995  William A. Oxandale.   Oxandale provides guidance on all the things a new and aspiring judge needs to know to become a knowledgeable, competent obedience judge.
  • Positively Obedient: Good Manners for the Family Dog   1987  Barbara Handler.  Handler focuses on the importance of two-way communication and recognizes the different temperaments and breed types.

Books on Agility:

  • Agility Success  2000  Angelica Steinker.  Training and competing with your dog in the winning zone! Understand the team dynamics between you and your dog, change your mental approach toward training and competition so you can consistently achieve peak performances in the ring.
  • Agility Training:  Fun Sport for all Dogs 1991    Jane Simmons Moake.  Details how to train on your own or with a group; covers training schedules, competitions and constructing obstacles (USDAA style).
  • Excelling at Dog Agility, Book 1: Obstacle Training  1999  Jane Simmons Moake.  State-of-the-art, step by step instructions for training your dog to master each agility obstacle with safety, fun and competitive excellence in mind.
  • Excelling at Dog Agility, Book 2: Sequence Training   2000   Jane Simmons Moake.  Follows Excelling at Dog Agility, Book 1, teaches you how to sequence smoothly from one obstacle to the next, helps you develop a consistent set of cues for communicating with your dog on the agility course. Includes detailed lesson plans.
  • Excelling at Dog Agility, Book 3:  Advanced Skills Training  2002   Jane Simmons Moake. Illustrates how to isolate and train many of the higher-level skills necessary to successfully compete at the most advanced levels of competition.
  • Introduction to Dog Agility 2000  Margaret H. Bonham.  Includes color photos.
  • Switching Sides:  Making the Transformation from Obedience to Agility  1999  Kay Guetzloff.

Books on Herding:

  • Herding Dogs:  Progressive Training  1994  Vergil S. Holland.  This progressive program goes from the dog’s first exposure to stock through advanced training for farm or trial work.

Books on Tracking:

  • About Track Laying 2001  Betty Mueller.  Gives the reader some basic ideas of what laying a track for a dog to follow is all about. There are fun exercises to try on your own or with friends to test each other.
  • Enthusiastic Tracking: The Step-by-Step Training Handbook  1998  William (Sil) Sanders.   Provides a very specific schedule of training activities that are designed to turn dog and handler into a confident tracking team.
  • Scent:  Training to Track, Search and Rescue 1982  Milo Pearsall and Huge Verbruggen. A thorough review of tracking theory and method. Excellent section on the scientific qualities of scent – how dogs smell and the environmental factors that affect scent.

Books on Canine Behavior:

  • Aggression in Dogs 2004  Brenda Aloff.   Practical Management, Prevention & Behaviour Modification.
  • Animal Behavior 2005  John Alcock.    An Evolutionary Approach to Animal Behavior.
  • Bones Would Rain From the Sky 2005   Suzanne Clothier.   Shows us how to find a deep connection with another being and to receive an incomparable gift: a profound, lifelong relationship with the dogs we love.
  • Canine Behavior: A Guide for Veterinarians 1999  Bonnie Beaver.   Easy-to-read, examines all canine behavioral traits, both normal and abnormal. Details the best ways to solve a full range of behavioral problems, including the latest drug therapies and new treatments.
  • Canine Body Language:  A Photographic Guide 2005  Brenda Aloff.  Through photographs, often sequential, you can learn how to interpret the native language of the domestic dog.
  • Dog Language:  An Encyclopedia of Canine Behavior 1997  Roger Abrantes.  Gives lots of clear examples and illustrations of different kids of dog body language and different ways dogs communicate with other dogs, people, etc.
  • Genetics and the Social Behavior of the Dog 1998  John Paul Scott and John L. Fuller.  Included is important information on:  rearing methods, the origin and history of dog breeds, basic behavior patterns, and the physiological and behavioral development of puppies.
  • Inside the Animal Mind:  A Groundbreaking Exploration of Animal Intelligence 2001  George Page.  Based on the latest scientific and anecdotal evidence  culled from animal experts in the labs and the field this is an engrossing look at animal intelligence, cognitive ability, problem solving, an emotion.
  • On Talking Terms with Dogs:  Calming Signals 2006  Turid Rugaas.   Rugaas uses examples of pack interaction & communication as they relate to maintaining the hierarchy within a pack.
  • Think Dog!:  An Owner’s Guide to Canine Psychology 1990  John Fisher.  Includes lots of examples of behaviors, their causes and cures.
  • Wolves:  Behavior, Ecology and Conservation 2007  L. David Mech and Luigi Boitan, eds.  Many of the world’s leading wolf experts provide state-of-the-art coverage of just about everything you could want to know about these fascinating creatures.  Individual chapters cover wolf social ecology, behavior, communication, feeding habits and hunting techniques, population dynamics, and physiology, to include a few of the topics covered.

Books on Health/Structure/Movement:

  • Canine Orthopedics 1997  Robert Rooks, Connie Jankowski and Suzanna Lee.      Canine Orthopedics identifies and discusses the diseases and maladies, genetic, environmental and traumatic, that affect the skeletal structure of dogs. These problems that determine the fitness, function, soundness and overall well-being of dogs. Canine Orthopedics directs particular emphasis to how owners can learn to evaluate problems; preventative measures including nutrition, accident prevention and selective breeding; treatment options (including the very latest and experimental programs from veterinary schools); and causes of lameness. Canine Orthopedics will give all dog owners enhanced insight to use for themselves and communicate more effectively with the veterinarian.
  • Complementary and Alternative Veterinary Medicine:  Principles and Practice 1998  Allen M. Schoen and Susan G. Wynn.
  • Control of Canine Genetic Diseases 1998  George Padgett.  How to understand the mechanics of inheritance, how to deal with percentages, predictability of outcome and how to breed away from such diseases as hip dysplasia, PRA, and other similar scourges. Charts, graphs, tables – everything the breeder needs to take a positive role in enhancing genetic health!
  • Dog-Steps 2001 Rachel Page Elliott. This classic on the evaluation of movement and gait will help you to a better understanding of dog gait through cineradiography – “moving x-rays.”
  • Emergency First Aid for Your Dog Handbook 2004  Tamara S. Shearer.
  • Getting in TTouch with Your Dog.  2001  Linda Tellington-Jones.  Using a combination of specific TTouches, a dog’s performance and health is improved, common behavior issues are solved, and physical problems are positively influenced
  • Peak Performance:  Coaching the Canine Athlete 1992  M. Christine Zink  DVM  PhD.  How to keep a dog physically fit and mentally ready to be a canine athletic companion.
  • The Tellington TTouch:  A holistic approach to Training, Healing & Communicating with Animals 1992  Linda Tellington-Jones with Sybil Taylor.

Books on Human Behavior Modification:

  • Don’t Shoot the Dog:  The New Art of Teaching and Training 1999  Karen Pryor.  Pryor explains the underlying principles of behavioral training and how they can be applied to virtually any common situation.
  • Fear No More:  Competing with Confidence 2002  Barbara Cecil & Gerianne Darnell.  Because the trainer with the best mental game has the advantage.
  • In Pursuit of Excellence:  How to Win in Sport and Life Through Mental Training 1990  Terry Orick, PhD.
  • It’s Not Just About the Ribbons 2003  Jane Savoie.  Includes a wealth of ides to help deal with your “mental monsters”.
  • That Winning Feeling 1992  Jane Savoie.  Presents positive was of changing our mental approach toward ourselves, toward training our horses (dogs)  and toward competition.

Books on Canine Behavior Modification:

  • Behavior Problems in Dogs 1975  William E. Campbell.  This is casebook approach to specific behavior problems, causes and corrective procedures.
  • Culture Clash 1996  Jean Donaldson.  Helps owners understand pack behavior and motivation.  Explains training in general terms through behavior modification.
  • Dog Problems 1989  Carol Lea Benjamin.  A professional trainer’s guide to preventing and  correcting including aggression, destructiveness, shyness, excessive barking, and many others.
  • How to Raise a Puppy You Can Live With. 2005   Clarice Rutherford.    Planning for the new puppy, selecting a breeder, house training, where to sleep at night, bonding with your new puppy, socialization, discipline, simple commands, leash training, more.
  • Mother Knows Best 1985  Carol Lea Benjamin.  Utilizing the concept that  the dog is a pack animal, Benjamin as developed a highly effective and dynamic approach to dog training.
  • Peak Performance:  Coaching the Canine Athlete 1997  Christine Zink. Selecting, conditioning, and coaching the canine athlete, whether for obedience, herding, sledding, hunting, frisbee, agility–whatever the field! Completely revised.
  • People, Pooches & Problems 1991 Job Michael Evans.  Presents a clear understanding of why dogs respond as they do and shows how to restore a derailed relationship with a dog by correcting problem behavior  through a social rehabilitation program.
  • Smart Trainers: Brilliant Dogs 1997  Janet Lewis.  Applies the concepts or positive and negative reinforcement, forced versus induced, etc.  Geared for obedience trainers  as examples of how various techniques can be used with different degrees of success are provided.
  • The Toolbox for Remodeling your Problem Dog 1998  Terry Ryan.  Provides tools and explanations to help the pet owner design a training program for their own dog.
  • Training Your Dog Step by Step 1983  Jack Volhard and Gail Fisher.  Eight carefully planned lessons plus info on canine behavior and human-animal interaction. A clear and comprehensive manual

Books on Dog Fiction:

  • Benjamin, Carol Lea–Mysteries–Pit Bull Terrier
  • Berensen, Laurien–Mysteries–Standard Poodles
  • Conant, Susan–Mysteries–Alaskan Malamutes
  • Henry, Sue–Mysteries–Sled Dogs
  • Lanier, Virginia–Mysteries–Bloodhounds
  • Manson, Cynthia, ed.  Canine Crimes I    Canine Crimes II
  • Paulsen, Gary–Adventures–Sled Dogs

Books – Other:

  • Animals in Transition 2005  Temple Grandin.  One of the world’s most celebrated animal scientists merges a lifetime of study with her extraordinary perceptions as an autistic person in a groundbreaking book that revolutionizes the understanding of how animals think and feel.