On being a best friend

The Dog Listener: Learn How to Communicate with Your Dog for Willing Cooperation by Jan Fennell


Last year I adopted a little sheepdog from a shelter, and he's one of the most caring and clever creatures I've ever met. He's given me hope and unconditional love when I've needed it the most. However, he came with considerable baggage from his puppyhood: the early months spent neglected and possibly abused, followed by being shunted between different shelters, didn't make for a very optimistic or trusting outlook on life. Things that I had taken for granted with dogs that I'd had previously - going for walks, getting into a car, seeing people go by - were major sources of anxiety for him. In the time since I got him, he's been improving slowly but surely. At his latest checkup, the vet suggested that this book might be useful in helping me to figure out more ways in which I can help him.

The essential philosophy of the book is this: many modern dogs believe that they are alphas of the pack, and that they're responsible for guiding and protecting the rest of their family. However, because they live in a society dominated by humans, not dogs, they are ill-equipped for the challenges presented by this responsibility. The result is anxiety, which can manifest in different ways, depending on the individual dog: defensiveness, jumpiness, even self-mutilation and refusing to eat. The solution that Jan Fennell presents is for the owner to assume the alpha role by broadcasting signals that the dog will understand. None of it involves any kind of violence of course - it's all about body language, tone of voice, routine, and being aware of which behaviors you're rewarding. Once the owner has taken on the responsibility of being alpha, the burden is lifted from the dog's shoulders, leaving him or her free to relax and enjoy life.

In explaining how to implement this lifestyle (and she emphasizes that it needs to be a lifestyle, not a temporary fix), Fennell emphasizes the two C's of being calm and consistent. I'd add a third - being conscious. The book has really encouraged me to pay closer attention to my dog's behavior, and to remember to consider how things look from his point of view.

Some of the things recommended in this book were actually things I'd already figured out, which was interesting to see. I can't attest to the effectiveness of the entire method yet (it takes time), but in the time that I've been practicing it I have noticed improvement.

As for the way the book is written, I do think it could've been considerably shorter, which I think would make it accessible to a larger number of owners who could benefit from it.

View all my reviews