The Book Your Dog Wishes You Would Read

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I bet everyone does this,” I say, sheepishly. She nods: they do. Like any therapist, she’s had to get better at setting boundaries. Spending time under the skin of a dog-person relationship can be intense, whether it’s young offenders or A-listers. “You’re getting so involved in people’s lives… you’re invited into people’s homes. I love it, I’m quite nosy and always have been, and that’s a massive privilege, but equally it is a massive responsibility. And it comes with that feeling of offloading.” I absolutely loved this book by Louise Glazebrook! If you are already a dog owner or you are a dog lover, about to add a dog to your life, this book is a must>. Hopefully the book will help, but in our dog-obsessed, dog-confused age, I doubt Glazebrook will get a breather any time soon. Thankfully, I don’t think she minds much. “I just think there’s a wonder about them. The love they give you is incredible.” She includes a list of questions you should answer before you choose a dog (instead of how a breed looks or what color it is). you can't train a dog out of its breed behavior... nor should you try." If you don't want a dog that barks, don't get a breed that going to bark a lot (e.g., Yorkshire Terriers, Dachshunds, Chihuahuas, Rat Terriers, Huskies, Miniature Poodles). You aren't going to be able to train them out of it. Instead, choose a quiet breed (e.g., Basenji, Bulldog, Corgi, Irish Setter.)

This is an honest book that really makes you think about what dogs like vs what they merely tolerate, and it provides useful insights to all owners about how to meet a dog’s needs and communicate effectively with each other. The first section talks about Your Dog especially dealing with the different ways a dog learns about the world, and Understanding Breeds and Behaviour. Some behaviors are bred into certain types of dogs (e.g., barking, digging, temperament, activity). One of the major things she points out is that You’re getting so involved in people’s lives… you’re invited into people’s homes. I love it, I’m quite nosy’: Louise Glazebrook. Photograph: Dan Burn-Forti/The ObserverI get it, I’ve seen it. In addition to her private clients (from families to celebrities), puppy classes and online courses with her Darling Dog Company, Glazebrook is a BBC regular, troubleshooting all manner of canine conundrums. Most recently she appeared on 12 Puppies and Us, which followed the ups and downs of a dozen families and their pandemic pups. You see the stressed owners’ shoulders drop in relief as she takes charge. A confident, kind, never-judgmental presence, she is passionately dog-centred, but realistic about what stretched families can manage. Her solutions can be as simple as giving a dog a quiet space away from the overload of family life or making sure a puppy is getting enough sleep. More knowledge about dogs and seeing flaws in your treatment of them is an uncomfortable thing for someone who identifies as a dog lover to face. But it is worth it, so finish the book, and make changes to your behaviour so that from now on you act like someone who values and respects dogs.

We all love dogs, but Louise loves them more - and she knows how to love them. If, like Alain de Botton says, love is a skill, then a lot of us are pretty rubbish when it comes to treating our dogs in a way that really makes them feel happy, safe and fulfilled. To my absolute horror, I've been doing so many things wrong for years. I actually feel really angry about this - the thousands of times I've walked along the pavement that goes through a meadow near my house, when I should have walked in the grass to let my dog sniff... The tone in the writing and the performance are quite serious a lot of the time, and I'm sure some people might not like this, but caring for a dog is a serious business so I think this is absolutely right. It's not all serious though - there's loads of great info about how to play with your dog effectively, in a way that will challenge them mentally. I think Louise might just love dogs more than anyone in the world - you can just hear it in her voice. It's really touching at times - it's absolutely no wonder she has celebrity clients, and I'm sure she'll have a lot more once the word gets out about this title.Walking to meet Louise Glazebrook, I see dogs everywhere, even in central London, even on a rainy weekday lunchtime. A Shiba Inu in a neatly belted mac trots past; a shaggy sphere on its owner’s lap in a café peers through a dense fringe at her pastry; a sleek sausage shimmies, belly grazing puddles.