2010 Book Challenge Updates
HistoryGirlie asked: can we reread books that we love, or are we going with ones that are a first time around only?
An important guideline that I failed to establish from the get go. For myself, I'm going to declare that any books I reread won't count... but it's really up to everyone to decide for themselves.
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Next bit of business - I finished my first book for the year!
(Cue the Hallelujah chorus)
Patricia B. McConnell is an animal behaviorist, author, professor, ethologist, radio personality, columnist, (and Madison, Wisconsin resident!) who has written tons of books and articles on dogs, their relationships with humans, and well, dogs. NavyGuy and I got one of her books before Christmas and it was a nice easy read to get the year rolling. Tales of Two Species; Essays on Loving and Living with Dogs bounces from what dogs can mentally understand to the psychology of training methods to why our dogs probably think we're crazy much of the time :)
McConnell really does a great job of making the more complex science-y stuff approachable, and inserting lots of fun stories and anecdotes. I like her general attitudes towards training and living with dogs, in that she advocates moderation and common sense, not any of the extreme training philosophies that are popular these days (she doesn't cite him by name, but she definitely has issues with Cesar Milan's ideas that dogs are just like wolves and should be dominated by "pack leaders," their owners). The short essays are nice little bits of info to swallow and my interest has been piqued enough to read some of her other books.
Keep on reading everyone! And let everyone know once you've gotten book number one under your belt!
(Cue the Hallelujah chorus)
Patricia B. McConnell is an animal behaviorist, author, professor, ethologist, radio personality, columnist, (and Madison, Wisconsin resident!) who has written tons of books and articles on dogs, their relationships with humans, and well, dogs. NavyGuy and I got one of her books before Christmas and it was a nice easy read to get the year rolling. Tales of Two Species; Essays on Loving and Living with Dogs bounces from what dogs can mentally understand to the psychology of training methods to why our dogs probably think we're crazy much of the time :)
McConnell really does a great job of making the more complex science-y stuff approachable, and inserting lots of fun stories and anecdotes. I like her general attitudes towards training and living with dogs, in that she advocates moderation and common sense, not any of the extreme training philosophies that are popular these days (she doesn't cite him by name, but she definitely has issues with Cesar Milan's ideas that dogs are just like wolves and should be dominated by "pack leaders," their owners). The short essays are nice little bits of info to swallow and my interest has been piqued enough to read some of her other books.
Keep on reading everyone! And let everyone know once you've gotten book number one under your belt!
2 comments:
The Monks of New Skete "The Art of Raising a Puppy" is the best dog training book I've read. They provide insight into why dogs do what they do and how to train so the dog understands. Eleven years later my pup is still the best behaved dog I know (and tied for cutest with Tally). It's a quick read; I vote that you add it to your list.
I finished my first book yesterday. It was a reread, but I'm allowing it in my 50 since it's still a full book and I do like to reread books.
This title isn't dog related, but I read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo over vacation and loved it. I think you should add it to your list too.
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