Customer Reviews

How to Live With a Neurotic Dog

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I loved this book. Everything in it reminds me of the fun and antics that I experience with my two Pugs. I would highly recommend this to any dog owner or soon to be dog owner. It is a lot of fun and has many "out loud" laughs.

Stephen Baker's title indicates that the dogs are the ones who are neurotic but I felt this hilarious book showed just how neurotic we humans are in our relationships with our dogs. The reading was light, fun and more acurate than most of us would like to think! A must for anyone who is sure their dog is "human".

I got this book as a gift and really enjoyed it! It made me laugh from beggining to end. Very funny and great as a gift for dog lovers.

My daughter gave me this book for Christmas. It made my day! I could swear that my 4 year old Chinese Sharpei, Smokey, had written it! I looked over and he was watching me while I read and laughed my way through it. My neighbor has the world's "dumbest and biggest" bulldog, Duke and I am getting him a copy. My son is a Vet, and he is getting a copy! Read it and see your self in this Dog-Mirror!

I enjoyed reading it 'til end.
It really make you feel the joy of having, more than a pet, a good companion in your life.
Entertaining book and give you some clues to build a better relation with those tender-annoying-wonderful four legged.

I have a dog. My dog is neurotic. I always used to say I had a puppy, but at seven months, heck, let's go the dog route, y'wanna? So this dog, I'll call her Chocolate...no, wait, that's her name...I'll call her Jane, yes, Jane to protect her anonymity. Anyway, she's cute and overall just great, but she has some issues. Yep. One of these is thunder and another is vacuum sweepers. The first hint of thunder and she dashes for the closest person and plows into that unlucky soul, seeking comfort. And as for sweepers, best to lock her outside or beyond the range of hearing the sweeper unless you want to spend about ten minutes picking up whatever item she's shredded into confetti. Now my first theory was she had some sort of past life trauma. Last time around, she might, say, have been done-in by a vacuum sweeper during a thunderstorm. Or maybe the sound of a sweeper just subconsciously reminds her of her father and activates a dog's normal, otherwise latent "my-daddy-abandoned-my-mother" issues, I have no clue. But the nice thing about this book is its level of compassionate understanding. Sure dogs can be neurotic little challenges to sanity and a happy home, but heck, can't we all? I found a lot of "yeah, me too!" moments in this chipper book and the laugh therapy chapters were a much needed relief after my third fragrant cleanup of the evening during a recent electrical storm. I'd recommend this for light reading (with helpful suggestions) for anyone whose dog has more neuroses than Woody Allen and Oedipus Rex combined. It's a hoot.

I first saw this book at my local vets office. On each visit I found myself looking for the book so I could read a few more pages. If you are a dog lover you will totally enjoy this book. I was able to purchase my copy on Amazon.

"A great many dogs are neurotic, especially in this country. The canine population of the United States is about 25 million. Out of this, about 25 million can be classified as neurotic -- a conservative estimate (page 11)." This is just one of many amusing "factoids" found in "How to Live With a Neurotic Dog." This book is a very short and easy read -- almost half of the book is comprised of Eric Gurney's cartoon drawings. Written in the style of a self-help manual, the author attempts to psychoanalyze and explain what we think are strange behaviors of dogs. For example, there is a very good reason for a dog to jump up to your kitchen table and steal your chicken dinner -- the reason being, because he's hungry (page 11)! In addition to eating habits, you may also learn how to train and bathe your neurotic dog, and how to help your neurotic dog cope with a new baby (without having to find a new home for the baby). Stephen Baker's witty discourse makes for some very amusing light reading for neurotic dog lovers everywhere.

In "How to Live with a Neurotic Dog", Stephen Baker posits the ultimate question: "Can the neurotic dog be cured?" Of course to answer that question, we must first find out why the dog is neurotic to begin with.

In true psychoanalytical fashion, Baker delves into the canine subconscious, sorting through the mass of insecurities and phobias that make up the dog's psyche. It is no surprise (to the dog anyway), the root cause of anxiety for man's best friend is man.

The inhuman treatment that men (and women) inflict upon our four-legged friends is described in detail, and it makes the sensitive reader cringe to contemplate. Rigorous demands on the dog's system include our insistence they remain awake for minutes at a time, as well as restricting the quantity and quality of the food they eat. Every movement the dog makes is micro-managed, from where they sleep to where they go to the bathroom. It's small wonder that our pets are neurotic!

With the aid of illustrative examples by Eric Gurney, Baker gives us a roadmap to healing the divide between man and beast. If you love your dog, you owe it to yourself and your pet to read this book.

The book didn't end up being exactly what I was expecting. But, it was pretty cute and funny
and I did end up enjoying it.