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44 of 52 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
What a disappointment, November 20, 2000
By A Customer
This review is from: The Body Language and Emotion of Dogs: A Practical Guide to the Physical and Behavioral Displays Owners and Dogs Exchange and How to Use Them to Create a Lasting Bond (Paperback)
I regret to say that I agree with a previous reviewer who said that this book "turned my stomach." I bought the book because I wanted to learn about dog body language and our interpretations (or misinterpretations) of that language in an effort to improve my understanding of canine behavior. Instead of the careful analysis I expected from a veterinarian, Dr. Milani uses anectotal examples of cruelty to dogs as her examples. She describes, over and over again, dogs who are beaten, tied outside and euthanized because their owners "misunderstand" them. Not only are the case studies anecdotal and, as such, not a useful statistical description of dog/human relations, but they are very upsetting to read. And, as a previous reviewer has stated, Dr. Milani fails to condemn the practices she describes in such great detail. In fact, she admits to euthanizing otherwise healthy dogs simply because their owners failed to change their attitudes toward their pets, take them for training or make attempts to re-home the dogs. I cannot imagine how a veterinarian could engage in such a practice. In conclusion, my work with a breed rescue organization prevents me from recommending a book in which euthanizing dogs is called "termination of the relationship." It is a fact that sometimes dogs and owners are mismatched, but every effort must be made to re-home the dog before euthanasia is ever considered. In fact, there are several animal sanctuaries in the United States which provide permanent homes for "untrainable" or aggressive dogs. Shame on you , Dr. Milani, for representing your book as a useful tool for improving our relationships with dogs.
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting, December 4, 2005
This review is from: The Body Language and Emotion of Dogs: A Practical Guide to the Physical and Behavioral Displays Owners and Dogs Exchange and How to Use Them to Create a Lasting Bond (Paperback)
As a dog trainer-in training, I've been systematically reading just about every title I can find about dogs. I do find this book taking a bit longer to read then many others, however I feel it contains helpful information on the various behaviors of dogs that humans often misread.
Anthromorphisizing our pets' behaviors, while often cute and funny, can lead to some serious relationship issues and Ms. Milani is attempting to combat that in this book. Rather then emphasizing "terminating the relationship" as many of the previous reviewers have focused on, the author is attempting to prevent such occurances. She does mention on occasion that in some situations rehoming the dog in a more suitable environment is best for all those concerned. I don't feel her intent is to condone euthanasia as a "cure-all" nor do I feel she encourages anyone to simply give up on the dog/human relationship without taking every reasonable measure to ensure sucess.
I feel she does a good job explaning common issues that arise in dog/human teams and the reasons behind these problems. Dog training is often more about the person then the dog and she does well illustrating how our behaviors shape those of our companion animals.
I would recommend this book to anyone wishing to understand the motivations of dogs, the behaviors they present, and the reasons we humans do what we do. Ms. Milani presents solutions to common problems in an easy to understand and implement manner.
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18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Reading Language of Your Dog while your's is being read, April 14, 2001
This review is from: The Body Language and Emotion of Dogs: A Practical Guide to the Physical and Behavioral Displays Owners and Dogs Exchange and How to Use Them to Create a Lasting Bond (Paperback)
This is not written in the most entertaining or comfortable of styles, but nonetheless, it contains much valuable info on body language of dog and of dog owner. We learn from our dogs and trainers and vets much about how to relate better to our dogs. Milani certainly has experience and credibility demonstrated by this work that she knows how to read dog's signs and react appropriately with behavior that gives them the feedback, message received. If you're looking for more comfortable read, see "Latchkey Dogs." Both will give similar info. This one, slightly more of a heady version without all the story format.
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