A review by headingnorth
The Secret Language of Dogs: Unlocking the Canine Mind for a Happier Pet by Victoria Stilwell

4.0

The short easy-to-read chapters cover everything from wanting to play to the confusion of old age, and the overall strength of the book is in its breadth, not its depth. This is great because it gives readers a basic overview and points them in the right direction without overwhelming them. For instance, the book mentions that if your dog is destructive while you're not home it's probably because of separation anxiety, so punishing the dog won't help and will likely be harmful. She doesn't say what you should do to help the problem, but readers would at least know that what they're dealing with is separation anxiety and they can seek out information about that. I was grateful the author didn't try to cover every problem in detail. As it was, I skimmed the parts in the early chapters that covered various neurotransmitters and whatnot.

All in all I found this book pretty informative and useful without being a slog or including way too much scientific information that isn't practical. I borrowed it from the library, but it seems like a great general guide to have on hand.

More of thoughts at the full post here.