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Dog Talk: Lessons Learned from a Life with Dogs |  | Authors: Harrison Forbes, Beth Adelman
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
Buy New: $3.36
as of 11/21/2009 15:37 MST details
You Save: $21.59 (87%)
New (41) Used (32) from $0.60
Seller: pawsible
Rating:  9 reviews
Sales Rank: 486120
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1st
Pages: 304
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 8.4 x 5.7 x 1.1
ISBN: 0312378734
Dewey Decimal Number: 636.7
EAN: 9780312378738
ASIN: 0312378734
Publication Date: September 30, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
DOG TALK chronicles Harrison Forbes's life with dogs, from the first bond he formed as a boy with a Belgian Tervuren named Sabina, to the story of Lex, a police dog who attacked his owner’s wife, and was redeemed by Harrison’s intense love and respect for the breed. Forbes also offers practical aspects of understanding and dealing with whatever type of dog the reader may have. In DOG TALK, the pet owner will find fascinating insights into behavioral problems, as each chapter addresses a different situation or issue. Here are some of Harrison's trademark insights into dog behavior and training: *Energy management is the basis of behavior management : unwanted or aggressive behavior, is often the result of pent-up, frustrated energy *Dog behavior should always be taken in context; a dog that is housetrained in its home isn't necessarily so everywhere else *Every dog's make-up is individual and distinct--:a combination of nature and nurture *Non-verbal communication, structure and clearly delineated limits, and the human-canine bond are basic building blocks in a good relationship *Reasonable expectations are key to an enjoyable pet experience DOG TALK is at times funny, irreverent, insightful, and touching, and it will deepen the reader's understanding of dog behavior and as a result will enable him to approach his own dog in a fresh and motivated way to begin, improve, mend, or strengthen a relationship that can last a lifetime.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 9
 enjoyed it, thank you October 17, 2009
Linda Guidry (South Louisiana)
I enjoyed the fact that it was light reading about working dogs. I compete in a working dog sport and can appreciate some of the animals. There are enough dog books about training and behavior issues. This was refreshing. Thank you.
 I did NOT like this June 6, 2009
agnes bonaparte
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I agree with some other poor reviews here. I did not think this was good advice. This guy (famous or not) had his dogs get run over, disappear, attack people in the face, get beaten by others to the point they were mentally deranged (which is acceptable in "eastern bloc" countries, supposedly), bite him regularly, and get beaten and choked to unconsciousness while they were inappropriately attackng someone. This guy goes into a puppy store and is throwing bowls around to get the "startle test" results - IN A PET STORE. Then buys a poorly bred, ill, puppy mill dog. Not to mention getting a pure wolf from an unethical breeder and subjecting the thing to a life of unfulfillment. HOW DID THIS GET PROMOTED AS GOOD ADVICE? This guy is the most irresponsible person I've ever read about. It annoyed me that he doesn't miss an opportunity to put his wife and family down OVER AND OVER for how useless they were in training his lhasa apso. I wish I never read this book. The only good he does is tell a few stores about how pit bulls aren't neccesarily going to kill the neighbor. Is this for real? I am very sad thinking someone who doesn't have a lot of dog experience is going to read this. HOW TOTALLY IRRESPONSIBLE! I was really let down by this book.
Dog Talk Insight into Dog Speak January 26, 2009
Mary Anne Miller
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Only rarely does a book come along that captures my interest from the first page of the author's introduction, but Harrison Forbes Dog Talk did just that. I couldn't wait to delve into more of the book and learn about the man who handles and works with aggressive and "damaged" service dogs.
I've read the above comments in the other reviews that are negative and I just have to say that this is not a training book. I did however, pick up a lot of information in how to deal with aggressive dogs and more importantly how to work with damaged or abused dogs to gain their trust.
The author takes the reader through his personal adventures of working with all types of dogs and gives insight into how to gain access into their head without using standard "roughhousing" techniques still so popular in the United States. You sense his passion for his work, his love for the animals that come under his care and his strong bond with two dogs; Lex and Sabina which helped shape his life's work.
Where others read a self-serving or egotistical tone, I read only aa tone of a man filled with confidence and courage. Yes, there is sadness in some of the pages but that shouldn't stop anyone from picking up this book to learn about their own dog(s). Each dog is a work in progress, and Dog Talk is a labor of Love. It is not a dog training book, but Dog Talk is educational, filled with insight and a quick read. The title fits the book as Harrison Forbes has shown himself to be fluent in "Dog Speak."
Great tales of life with dogs January 25, 2009
Rinaldo (Brooklyn, NY USA)
If you are looking for a straight-ahead dog training book--and lord knows there are plenty enough of them out there--Dog Talk may not be for you.
However, if you are looking for an extremely well written, deeply felt memoir by a man who has worked with some remarkable animals, this is your book. Forbes tells a good story and Dog Talk is filled with them. The book has a lovely conversational tone and reads like you are sitting on the back porch with Forbes as he tells his stories. I think the miracle of Dog Talk is Forbes' insights into the very essence of the animals so that each dog becomes a fully realized character. For the record, there is a wolf, a pretty interesting raccoon and group of crafty squirrels in the tale too! Lots of humor, some sadness and good, practical knowledge are here. There is also an abundance of love. Love of animals, love of sport and love of family.
I was puzzled by some of the criticisms voiced here. First, the book isn't meant to be a dog training manual, so any reasonable and intelligent critical assessment of the book has to be done with that in mind. Folks, read the Publishers Weekly blurb that appears on the page.
Second, there was complaint about Forbes "extolling his own virtues" and the equally perplexing "less testosterone please !!" Clearly Forbes is a confident guy, you'd have to be in his line of work, but if you read the book you will see that he also admits to making mistakes and is hauntingly contrite. I came away liking and admiring him very much.
My advice is to park your preconceived notions and political correctness at the door and open your heart to this fascinating journal. Dog Talk is not easy to classify but that puts it in the company of many great books.
 a very easy read January 8, 2009
J. Irons (Hampstead, MD)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I have mixed feelings about this book. How can I say anything negative about it when I read it in a day, found myself crying over a few of the chapters and wished I could meet Harrison (and his family) and talk with him about more of his experiences with dogs? I have to agree with another review: I wished it had more specific training information in it. This man has so much wisdom and experience with dogs and he told the stories of some of them in such an easy way. I wished it had more of the dog stories in it of real life pets, but then again, his expertise is in training dogs for police work. I would have given this review five stars if I felt the read would be more beneficial to the regular dog owner. However, if a person loves dogs, they will find these stories engaging, funny and also heart-breaking. My favorite chapter was his story of Sabina. I also liked learning about his experience with Diablo, the wolf. I think any person considering to have a wild animal should read that chapter. I felt thankful that he revealed some private emotions that he had throughout the book. Overall, I found the book to be very, very good. I wish Harrison success with his radio show.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 9
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