I was lucky enough to get some new books as a birthday present. One of them is a book I glanced at for a while but did not come to buy. Obviously a dog book, because I write about it on this blog. 😀 Namely; Get to know your dog – and yourself.
You can buy the book here (it's an affiliate).
Before I give me into various opinions, I want to say that on the whole I agree with most of what is written in this book. Not everything, but very much. Above all, I am both a little surprised but above all happy, that the authors address the human role in their dog's well-being and how it works. Now I haven't read a hundred billion dog books, but from the ones I've read by Swedish authors, it sometimes appears that it doesn't matter at all how you are with your dog. That Kerstin Malm and Malin Avenius, who wrote this book, do it, feels innovative on the Swedish dog scene.
When I started looking at this book I was interested that it is about getting to know yourself, in addition to getting to know your dog. That's one of the main reasons I got curious and had hopes of having some kind of aha experience. Unfortunately, it didn't turn out that way. I can't necessarily feel that I learned anything new from this book, but on the other hand, I have had some things confirmed. That then (many of) the dog books I've read in Swedish seem to be aimed at people with low intelligence – there, maybe it's the case that many new dog owners need easy-to-read and sometimes somewhat confusing masses of text to be able to absorb. One advantage of that is that to the extent I agree with the authors on the content, so their version is perhaps more easily explained than mine. There we have a disadvantage in having different ways of thinking and formulating ourselves.
To dedicate me little to the actual content; the book is in two parts. The first part is about the dog itself, from puppyhood to trouble with the body, learning and so on. It is easily explained, but not very profound. It is full of descriptive examples of various scenarios and solutions to various problems. The second part is devoted to man – our own role in the relationship with our dog. In this section, the authors already write at the beginning that some of what is written can be perceived as provocative, and for those who haven't had a dog before or just generally haven't gotten too involved in why a dog does this or that, so I think it can really be provocative. Who wants to accept that you yourself are the root of what you experience as a problem with your own dog?
But like me wrote earlier; I really appreciate that it is brought up in an easy-to-understand way that hopefully doesn't provoke too many people. As I also wrote earlier; my opinion of the book is that it is extremely shallow, especially when it comes to this piece. But it is good that it is brought up – if you have questions after that, there are people, although perhaps not so many, with whom you can talk and develop your knowledge on the subject. But on the other hand again; it is such people who are perceived as extremely provocative by the whole of dog-Sweden, I understand. Tragically enough.
For those who Had a dog for a while, for those who are interested in how dogs communicate and make an effort to find their own voice in communication with dogs, this book is pretty uninteresting. It does not come with what I perceive as anything new – men; for those who have got their first dog or are interested in getting a dog, I think this book is a goldmine. It provides basic information and gives an indication that man has his role to play and it is important to keep track of himself. As a new dog person, this book can be a fantastic starting point towards creating a significantly better relationship with your dog.
So yes, I recommend this book. And by all means, it can be fun to read for people who “able to” dog too. Because as I said where; although I don't agree with exactly everything, I agree with quite a lot. I am far from an expert, but I still consider myself relatively well-read.
Are you curious? There is a link to buy the book here (it's an affiliate).
It is not giant animal, but worth the money. And feel free to buy it. For every human who opens their eyes to the phenomenon that a dog becomes what its human projects, is worth anything. Your insights and your development into an even more amazing dog person than you already are, are worth everything for both you and your dog.
So damn it. Don't do it. Buy the book. 🙂