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Dog Talk: Lessons Learned from a Life with Dogs
DOG TALKchronicles 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
Hardcover, 288 pages
Published
September 30th 2008
by St. Martin's Press
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Really enjoyed this book. I would classify it as a memoir more than anything. Forbes works with dogs that are pretty high-drive, and mostly with police or tracking dogs. Despite this, his comments on dog behavior and why they do what they do is very interesting. Dogs of this ilk are not the dogs I pick, as you can tell by my preference for spaniels, which generally tend to be softer dogs, but even with that bias, much of what he has to say about treating each dog as an individual, understanding...more
I *loved* this book, and at the same time, I totally understand criticism of it. Harrison Forbes is a tough guy who likes tough dogs, and the macho nonsense would be laughable if it didn't seem so sincere (and effective). Like Forbes, I love big, burly, scary dogs, but unlike him, I'm a 5'2" female who weighs about the same as the dogs in question. The great thing about Forbes' training techniques is that they're based in having a strong personal relationship with the dog, and that's something a...more
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A touching and inspiring book. I am in awe of how in tune he is with his dogs, and how willing he is to take risks and experiment in new techniques. There are a lot of hidden insights about dog behavior and training that really made sense for me. I work with shelter dogs, and I see many of the points he makes about obedience and training issues. The writing itself is rather poor; very repetitive, relies on catch phrases and cliches. Nevertheless, it's an engaging read, and the style seems to ref...more
It should come as no surprise that I've chosen yet again more canine chapters for Summer Reading Program, being the self-admittedly loud and proud dog lover that I am. That said, the author is the host of the nationally syndicated radio show "Pet Talk" and in this book, he reveals lessons learned from his life with dogs.
Harrison Forbes reminds me a lot of Cesar Millan (the Dog Whisperer and my hero!), the two men both being dog behaviorists and espousing such common sense as leash communication...more
Harrison Forbes reminds me a lot of Cesar Millan (the Dog Whisperer and my hero!), the two men both being dog behaviorists and espousing such common sense as leash communication...more
This is a great book for anyone who loves dogs to read. It really opened my eyes to what dogs are really all about, and how although we can train them to do certain things...there are things a dog is just meant to do we can't train out of them.
Harrison Forbes is very passionate about dogs, and you can see this in each and every chapter, about different dogs in his life. It really motivated me to learn more about all dog breeds.
Harrison Forbes is very passionate about dogs, and you can see this in each and every chapter, about different dogs in his life. It really motivated me to learn more about all dog breeds.
I will note that the version I read matched the cover photo here and was called Dog Talk, not Heart of a Dog. Even though the author works mostly with police dogs--which I found fascinating to read about--and this is not a dog training manual, I was still able to pick up a few tips for working with our sometimes-frustrating little dog.
Very insightful if you own a hardcore working breed - like the two Belgians (a Malinois and a Tervuren) that I recently adopted from the dog shelter. Not much in here in terms of technique. But there are a lot of pointers as to how to strike a balanced relationship with these types of dogs.
"When a dog gets into your heart, the loss hurts forever." Great line from Forbes. Catches the thread that runs through his book. Each chapter highlights Forbes' experience with a significant dog he trained in his life/career. I enjoyed the later chapters ("PJ" and after). Since he trains working dogs (mainly police like "Lex"), I couldn't strongly relate to Forbe's training focus. But I loved the heartfelt story of PJ, the childhood bond of Sabina, and the interesting research of Diablo. Good c...more
awesome book....it made me smile, have tears and learn so many new things. author dispelled myths about certain breeds of dogs + explained his philosophy and tactics....it all comes down to how the owners train their dogs.......not the dog's behavior that is troublesome.
Great book! Each chapter a story about one of his dogs. Most were police K9s but some were just pets. I've "liked" the author on Facebook and really enjoyed his take on life with dogs.
Good story of relating to dogs. Cured me of not liking pit bulls.
The title shown above must have the pre-pub title, because the book I read was called Dog Talk: Lessons learned from a life with dogs.
I enjoyed this one a lot. I know next to nothing about the kind of dogs he focuses on, and that made it interesting. If you like reading about dogs, this is a good choice.
I enjoyed this one a lot. I know next to nothing about the kind of dogs he focuses on, and that made it interesting. If you like reading about dogs, this is a good choice.
This is non-fiction, written by a trainer of police dogs. Each chapter is devoted to a different dog in his life. Interesting insight, but not a page turner.
A very interesting book. If you love dogs I'd definitely recommend this one.
Loved, loved, loved it!!!
Great book. A must read.
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