You All Have To Read This Book!!!!

sara

sara

Moderator
Staff member
Ted Kerasote, the Author of Merle's door, has just come out with a new one!

It's called Pukka's Promise: The Quest for Longer-Lived Dogs

IT'S AMAZING!!!!

Some of the topics are:

feeding (raw vs kibble), the whole controvercy about vets getting nutrition training from Hills and such, He talks about how pet food came about, where feeding grains comes from, why there hasn't been any studies done about whether raw is better.

vaccination, and it's health risks

Shelters, the no-kill movement

Spay/neuter, and how European countries have dogs with longer lifespans and don't routinely spay/neuter (and why they don't have stray dog problems.

He gets into training, somewhat... mentions clicker training, GL's and front clip harnesses

toxins in dog products, and why dogs have such a high build up of said toxins.

Cancers and treatments, and genetically inherited diseases, the health of purebreds vs mutts.

It's seriously the best book I've read about dogs in a VERY long time!!!

(and it validates the way I feed :p)

And if you haven't already read Merle's Door... It's fantastic too!!!
 
jackienmutts

jackienmutts

Honored Member
I can't wait!!! Merle's Door was excellent - and my copy of Pukka's Promise arrived today in the mail!!!! I'm starting it tomorrow!! (y):D As soon as I read the reviews, I couldn't wait to read it - for all the reasons you mentioned above.
 
Caiti

Caiti

Experienced Member
I'm a bit broke at the moment, buying puppy stuff for Matrix, so I can't purchase the book, but I found a copy of Merle's Door at my library! :)
 
MaryK

MaryK

Honored Member
Going to get the book a.s.a.p. Expensive time at present with Ra Kismet being so sick, but sounds like I just have to find an extra dollar or two, for this book! Thank you for the share Sara.

Me too amateur, I cried all the way through the second half of Merle's door, borrowed it from a friend, will have to get my own copy and a large box of kleenex!:cry:
 
brody_smom

brody_smom

Experienced Member
I just checked out 6 books on dog training/psychology from our library yesterday. I'll have to see if that one is in the system and add it to my list. There are so many awesome books out there!
 
Adrianna & Calvin

Adrianna & Calvin

Experienced Member
Oh I heard of this book, but was put off by the reviews which talked about his use of a shock collar so I didn't bother getting it out from the library. Since you say it's great, I'll get it, though I'm still going to have a problem if he shocks his dog. There were a few other alarming things in the reviews, and I am quite tired of the false stats on spay/neuter and cancer deaths (since we don't do autopsies on every dog like we do on every human, who knows how many dogs die of what?), but perhaps he's got a more solid argument. And anyway, it sounds like the book has some good info on other stuff. I'm on the waiting list for inter-library loan :-)
 
MaryK

MaryK

Honored Member
I'm with you A & C, I did read his first book, but didn't know about the shock collars etc. Agree totally about the stats, just too much conflicting information out there, that's for sure. I've had a number of neutered dogs, and all have lived, long, happy, healthy lives. Zeus, who isn't neutered, has Cushings - go figure!
 
sara

sara

Moderator
Staff member
Well, he does talk about the whole spay/neuter debate, but he does talk to alot of vets, and other experts about it. He talks about alot of the stats that you call false, however, he never gives absolutes, and talks about the need to do studies. He talks to people all over the world, not just N. America, and there's some really neat things...

He also does use a shock collar once, but explained his choice well, and enough that I wasn't put off by it. He used it to stop Pukka from chasing wildlife after exhaustive work with positive methods (and 2 cracked ribs when the long line swept his feet out from under him and both Pukka and he were thrown)

Obviously there are going to be some that hate it, as he really does do a number on dog food companies, vets and long accepted practices) but I was amazed that my views are pretty much completely in line with his. I haven't done nearly as much research as he, and I'm not as up on environmental toxins and such. I did learn a ton from this book, but I also already knew alot too... so it was really neat that I agreed with almost everything.

No you will not cry for half the book... Pukka is only 2 years old when the book ends... But I did cry in the opening chapter, as he talks about Merle, and of course, I had residue tears remembering Merle's door :)
 
sara

sara

Moderator
Staff member
MaryK said:
I'm with you A & C, I did read his first book, but didn't know about the shock collars etc. Agree totally about the stats, just too much conflicting information out there, that's for sure. I've had a number of neutered dogs, and all have lived, long, happy, healthy lives. Zeus, who isn't neutered, has Cushings - go figure!
Click to expand...
Actually I was going to ask you about that Mary, as endocrine diseases are being linked to spay/neuter. He spent some time with dog endocrine specialist, and they talked about this... it's really interesting, but again, there's nothing for sure, and no studies :)
 
brody_smom

brody_smom

Experienced Member
I was wondering about how to "judge" a good book on dog training, etc. If they don't specifically say "positive reinforcement" or non-aversive somewhere on the front cover, you can get pretty far into some before you realize what methods they are actually using. One of the books I took out the other day is called "Hip Ideas for Hyper Dogs". Not that Brody is hyper, but I thought it might give me some ideas about how to exercise him if I can't take him to the park for fetch. The chapter titles sound interesting, but in the Introduction there is a section called Freedom from Food where the author states: "Bottom-line: This food-free approach to training delivers lasting, dependable results more quickly than any treat-based program ever could-- and in the process can help improve your hyper dog's character, often more dramatically." I was intrigued by this, wondering what could possibly work better than positive reinforcement. In the first chapter, she is describing a situation where her friend is serving her coffee and cookies at the coffee table while constantly keeping "an eye on her dog and delivering continual warnings and threats. But Gail could have made it much easier on herself by preparing for the situation. If she had attached a leash to Chelsea's collar before setting out the food, she could have given the leash a quick jerk the moment the dog wiggled her nostrils -- and that probably would have ended the issue." I stopped reading right there, and started scanning through the book a bit. There are pictures showing the proper way to put on a choke collar, but then there is also a personality profile for dogs, and a lot of good photos and information about different dog sports and tricks, etc. So do we throw the baby out with the bath water when we run across something in a book that we disagree with? Or do we simply excuse the author for their ignorance on a certain area, acknowledging that they may actually be quite knowledgeable in others? I am going to continue reading, and pass judgement later.
 
southerngirl

southerngirl

Honored Member
I say ignore all the stuff you don't agree with and take the information you feel is right. Not every book about dog training are you going to agree with their methods, but there could still be useful information. When I read books on training I take notes on the parts that I like and feel will help me with Missy.
 
tx_cowgirl

tx_cowgirl

Honored Member
Staff member
Brodys_Mom...I once ended up somehow with a book that started out well enough, didn't seem aversive at all, and then progressively got worse and worse and worse. I kept reading for a while thinking SURELY it's going to turn around--"Then I found a positive dog trainer who made me see how HORRID the methods I used were...." but it didn't. It got so horrible and made me so furious that I through the book away so no one else would have to read such filth. (As though my throwing this one copy away will save the world from ever seeing that author's words...lol whatever it made me feel better at the time.)
Some books seem like they could be very informative, and you just don't know until you hit that page that rubs you the wrong way. The best thing you can do (aside from reading tons of reviews) is get it from a library or buy it used on Amazon. I have bought many many books on Amazon for less than $10, shipping and all. If you end up not liking it, you aren't out the $20-30+ that some of them cost new. You can also post here about it before you buy it since there are quite a few bookworms here, lol. :)

That being said, I have had a few books that weren't exactly positive but I still got something from them. There have been a few books like the one I described though that are just so bad that they get me fuming and I can't possibly force myself through it. But, I do try to take something from every book I read and not just etch everything in stone from one author. I'm ashamed to admit it, but I used to be a devout Cesar Milan follower and heavily studied his style of training. Now I firmly disagree with it, but I did learn very much about how dogs communicate from his books. When I first started looking into his methods and what he does, I didn't know much about canine body language, so that's where I learned that. Probably the easiest way to see a stressed out dog--just turn on his show. Doesn't matter which part of the show, you'll probably see it all the way through.

Oh and I really really hope this doesn't derail the thread, sorry Sara. Soooo on the original topic...I need to read both of these!!!! My Amazon wish list is never going to stop growing, lol!
 
jackienmutts

jackienmutts

Honored Member
My copy came yesterday - and I think I read the first 40 pages today -- I wish I had time to read way more today, I couldn't put it down! And Sara, yes, the memories of Merle in the beginning did kind of make me teary. I've heard great things about this book tho, and him, and listened to a great interview with him, so was very interested in reading the book. Can't wait to get into it more. It's obvious he's really done his homework, loads and loads of research went into this. Can't wait to get into it more....
 
sara

sara

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Staff member
There's a 40 page "notes" (kinda bibliography, kinda quote section) section at the end of the book... ya, he's done his research LOL
 
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