On Talking Terms With Dogs: Calming Signals
This is one of those books that you might be disappointed in if you had the wrong expectations. On Talking Terms With Dogs is a short, quick, easy, and simplistic read coming in at just 78 pages filled with pictures. It is not a how to training book but rather a book on behavior. More specifically, it aims to identify the “calming signals” dogs send off in stressful situations.
It’s a good primer for learning about dog body language. It will help you understand the some of the signals your dog consciously and unconsciously gives off. You can use this information to try to mimic your dog’s behavior in an attempt to communicate in different situations.
While some readers find the book lacking in practical advice and the information too basic, the majority of readers will appreciate even gaining a few valuable insights they weren’t aware of before.
There is also a companion DVD (45 minutes) that is available to purchase that is also good. The author also has a couple other related behavior books, Barking: The Sound of a Language (108 pages) and My Dog Pulls: What Do I Do? (64 pages)
The main problem is that the information between all her books could be combined into a single book. While there is no question that the information in each is good, it just falls short in value compared to other books. Overall though, as long as you don’t mind this, On Talking Term With Dogs: Calming Signals is a good read, particularly for the new dog owner.