Customer Reviews

Understanding 'Dog Mind': Bonnie Bergin's Guide to Bringing Out the Best in Your Dog

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Decades of training pets and assistance dogs has resulted in this wonderful book. While Bergin covers all aspects of behavior, this is no dry, scientific tome. She provides very clear graphics and examples to help a dog owner identify what is going on in the dog's mind, based on the body language and behaviors observed. While that data is certainly useful, Bergin takes the next step and tells the owner what approach will work best for the particular type of dog.

This book is the perfect answer to the recent trend in dog training to insist that one method works for all dogs. By going beyond breed group temperament differences to look at the individual dog, Bergin gives every dog owner the help they need to determine how to best deal with their own dog for both basic training and problem resolution.

I have read dozens and dozens of books about canine behavior and training and, in my opinion, this is the best. In fact, if I could have only one book on this subject, this would be it. Not only has it helped improve my relationships with my dogs, but it's given me tools to improve my relationships with all beings, including friends, family, and colleagues.

I also recently enjoyed the book "The Other End of the Leash" by Patricia McConnell.

I bought this book after receiving my Service dog Bassie from Assiatance Dog Inistutite in 1998. I reminds me of some of the commands I learned in class and a good reminder if you forget how to train your dog a command. Bassie knows over 90 of them! I highly recommend this book!

This is an excellent book if you would like to know more about the way your dog "thinks," what makes him/her tick, and how this information can be used in training.

Some good dog advice, but some off-the-wall comments as well. E.g. in talking about dogs left home alone and destruction, she suggests on p 44 you "say to your dog in a commanding tone'Watch the house.' Your tone tells the dog it has something to do, and it will indeed do it - ..." Sorry, dogs don't work that way in my experience. Some of the grids and charts seem like a personal perspective that isn't necessary to the discussion. A lot of 'authority figure' discussions that are less useful than behavior modeling from other trainers. I'd go with someone like Karen Pryor or Ian Dunbar's books instead.