Customer Reviews

Dog Talk: Lessons Learned from a Life with Dogs

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I agree with some other poor reviews here. I did not think this was good advice. This guy (famous or not) had his dogs get run over, disappear, attack people in the face, get beaten by others to the point they were mentally deranged (which is acceptable in "eastern bloc" countries, supposedly), bite him regularly, and get beaten and choked to unconsciousness while they were inappropriately attackng someone. This guy goes into a puppy store and is throwing bowls around to get the "startle test" results - IN A PET STORE. Then buys a poorly bred, ill, puppy mill dog. Not to mention getting a pure wolf from an unethical breeder and subjecting the thing to a life of unfulfillment. HOW DID THIS GET PROMOTED AS GOOD ADVICE? This guy is the most irresponsible person I've ever read about. It annoyed me that he doesn't miss an opportunity to put his wife and family down OVER AND OVER for how useless they were in training his lhasa apso. I wish I never read this book. The only good he does is tell a few stores about how pit bulls aren't neccesarily going to kill the neighbor. Is this for real? I am very sad thinking someone who doesn't have a lot of dog experience is going to read this. HOW TOTALLY IRRESPONSIBLE! I was really let down by this book.

Found the content to be lacking. Not much about training. Reads more like this guys diary. I found the tone to be self serving and not in the best interest of these animals. I stopped thinking I would get anything useful out of it when this guy glorified how a poor sick dog went off into the night never to return. Made it seem like some kind of hero death. More likely the animal suffered a nasty fate in the woods. Lets call it what it is, and not some Disney boy and dog ending. I respect and admire service animals and this just made me feel sorry for some of them.

This book was not what I thought it would be. I was hoping it would give me insight into the minds of dogs who displayed signs of having been abused or mistreated in the past, and propose strategies of how to help them overcome their fears or insecurities. I hoped it would give me insight into the connection between past experiences, current behaviors, and suggested ways to bridge the gaps. Instead, I found it to be about a man who trained dogs for aggressive actions, albeit sometimes necessary for police work, and extolling his own virtues of how macho he was in taking on and training and working with extremely strong-willed and potentially and actually dangerous dogs. I learned about how fearless and competent dogs are trained for police work, but frankly, I grew weary of the author tooting his own horn about his own greatness and competence. It should have been marketed differently to appeal to that aspect of the population that wants to read a book of this nature. It did not help me at all in dealing with a so-called normal dog with idiosyncracies. I donated my copy to the library as it was no source of future reference for me.

If you are looking for a straight-ahead dog training book--and lord knows there are plenty enough of them out there--Dog Talk may not be for you.

However, if you are looking for an extremely well written, deeply felt memoir by a man who has worked with some remarkable animals, this is your book. Forbes tells a good story and Dog Talk is filled with them. The book has a lovely conversational tone and reads like you are sitting on the back porch with Forbes as he tells his stories. I think the miracle of Dog Talk is Forbes' insights into the very essence of the animals so that each dog becomes a fully realized character. For the record, there is a wolf, a pretty interesting raccoon and group of crafty squirrels in the tale too! Lots of humor, some sadness and good, practical knowledge are here. There is also an abundance of love. Love of animals, love of sport and love of family.

I was puzzled by some of the criticisms voiced here. First, the book isn't meant to be a dog training manual, so any reasonable and intelligent critical assessment of the book has to be done with that in mind. Folks, read the Publishers Weekly blurb that appears on the page.

Second, there was complaint about Forbes "extolling his own virtues" and the equally perplexing "less testosterone please !!" Clearly Forbes is a confident guy, you'd have to be in his line of work, but if you read the book you will see that he also admits to making mistakes and is hauntingly contrite. I came away liking and admiring him very much.

My advice is to park your preconceived notions and political correctness at the door and open your heart to this fascinating journal. Dog Talk is not easy to classify but that puts it in the company of many great books.

I have mixed feelings about this book. How can I say anything negative about it when I read it in a day, found myself crying over a few of the chapters and wished I could meet Harrison (and his family) and talk with him about more of his experiences with dogs? I have to agree with another review: I wished it had more specific training information in it. This man has so much wisdom and experience with dogs and he told the stories of some of them in such an easy way. I wished it had more of the dog stories in it of real life pets, but then again, his expertise is in training dogs for police work. I would have given this review five stars if I felt the read would be more beneficial to the regular dog owner. However, if a person loves dogs, they will find these stories engaging, funny and also heart-breaking. My favorite chapter was his story of Sabina. I also liked learning about his experience with Diablo, the wolf. I think any person considering to have a wild animal should read that chapter. I felt thankful that he revealed some private emotions that he had throughout the book. Overall, I found the book to be very, very good. I wish Harrison success with his radio show.

Anyone who loves great pet stories will be endlessly entertained with this book. Everything from heartfelt attachment to pets to family dramas to skilled insight into dog behavior is contained within its pages. I learned alot about dog training and picked up some great tips to use with my own dog. A good read...I'm ordering extras to give my dog-loving friends for Christmas!

This book is not about training tips for ordinary pet or non-attack working dogs, which I think the cover misleadingly implies. It's about attack dogs, the author's history of working with attack dogs, and the mindset of an attack dog. It might help you know how to react if you are being attacked by an aggressive dog. But don't expect any tips on living with a non-attack dog. For example, the author informs us readers how to get a dog off the couch without him attacking you. Has this ever been a problem for most people with pet dogs? It hasn't been for me, nor for anyone I know. We just say, "Hey you! Off!" And shove them off, if they don't comply! Forbes informs us that such behavior could get us viciously attacked by the dog! I would not accept a dog in my home that behaved as terrifyingly as his apparently do. But as I've said, his are attack dogs, so they probably have different standards.

Also, don't expect any heartwarming stories of him with his dogs, as the cover also misleadingly implies. Forbes obviously has a deep love and respect for his dogs, but I just could not warm up to them because they sound so scary in his stories. For example, he describes how his dog mauled a teddy bear and ripped it to shreds, and pointed out that the situation was very fortunate, and just a hair's breadth away from the dog mauling one of the young human children instead. Whew! He seems to shrug it off. Not me. Another example is that he describes a dog by saying, "He could be a punk sometimes..." like when the dog sunk his teeth into Forbes, down to the bone! I would not describe that behavior so lightly and affectionately. That's how I described a friend's dog when she stole cornbread off my counter. That is NOT how I'd describe a dog who had just removed flesh from my bones.

Still, an overall informative read, for what it is.

very interesting book for people who think seriously about dogs and the work they do. He is very insightful and obviously has the expertise to back his views. The book is about working animals, not pets and he makes a distinction between the two. I learned several things I plan to use with my dog and watching dogs interact with their owners. I would recommend this book to people interested in agility or other dog work.

I enjoyed the fact that it was light reading about working dogs. I compete in a working dog sport and can appreciate some of the animals. There are enough dog books about training and behavior issues. This was refreshing. Thank you.

Only rarely does a book come along that captures my interest from the first page of the author's introduction, but Harrison Forbes Dog Talk did just that. I couldn't wait to delve into more of the book and learn about the man who handles and works with aggressive and "damaged" service dogs.

I've read the above comments in the other reviews that are negative and I just have to say that this is not a training book. I did however, pick up a lot of information in how to deal with aggressive dogs and more importantly how to work with damaged or abused dogs to gain their trust.

The author takes the reader through his personal adventures of working with all types of dogs and gives insight into how to gain access into their head without using standard "roughhousing" techniques still so popular in the United States. You sense his passion for his work, his love for the animals that come under his care and his strong bond with two dogs; Lex and Sabina which helped shape his life's work.

Where others read a self-serving or egotistical tone, I read only aa tone of a man filled with confidence and courage. Yes, there is sadness in some of the pages but that shouldn't stop anyone from picking up this book to learn about their own dog(s). Each dog is a work in progress, and Dog Talk is a labor of Love. It is not a dog training book, but Dog Talk is educational, filled with insight and a quick read. The title fits the book as Harrison Forbes has shown himself to be fluent in "Dog Speak."