Book Review: Team Dog: How to Train Your Dog – the Navy SEAL Way by Mike Ritland
If you consider Team Dog a departure from the type of books I usually review, you’d be right. After all, I don’t even own a dog. However, there is a reason for this deviation. And in the interests of all the millions of dog owners around the world, all will be made clear as we proceed.
One of my sons earned a master’s degree in mathematical engineering at Stanford University and then had an internship at a financial institution in Pennsylvania. Although he was offered an ongoing position, he decided instead to pursue his doctorate at the University of Maine. As a prelude to his doctoral studies, he decided to take a road trip around the States and promote his recently published novella. As companion on his journey, he obtained a rescue dog. But he did not choose a standard cute, cuddly, and playful puppy. Instead, he walked out of the shelter with an adolescent Belgian Malinois that had been rejected and returned by several other people. The Belgian Malinois is a large breed similar to a German shepherd that is often used as a guard dog, guide dog, military or police dog, and in search and rescue.
My son bonded early with his rescue dog, which he named Rider in honor of his shotgun role on the road trip. The dog was strong, intelligent, and energetic; however, he was also a handful that obviously needed much training. My son studied dog training in books, took Rider to in-person trainers, and took classes online. Some sources were helpful, while others were expensive wastes of time. Wanting to assist him any way I could, I searched online for specialized books that might help. That’s when I came across Team Dog and thought that it might be an essential key to training Rider. After all, my son could relate to its background. Before attending Stanford he’d spent ten years in the Navy, including four years as a SEAL. And at Stanford, he’d volunteered at a dog program for veterans.
My son was already on the road, but I ordered a copy of the book to be sent to a place I knew he’d soon be. In short, he told me he read it from cover to cover, and it was of great assistance in helping him get a handle on how to train Rider. In fact, he said it was the greatest single source on dog training he’d come across. The videos my son afterwards shared online showed a very well-behaved, though still highly energetic dog. When he and Rider came to visit me at my small one-bedroom apartment in Seattle, I was very impressed at my son’s affection for but also control of his dog.
The occasion that prompted me to read Team Dog is an upcoming trip I’m taking to visit my son and his dog now that they are settled near the University of Maine. I want to be able to get along well with Rider and even be able to dog-sit in the future if necessary.
The book is thorough in its descriptions of various aspects of dog ownership, including how to select the right type of dog for your situation, building trust, training principles, maintaining health, proper nutrition, and how to reward good behavior. However, what makes this book extraordinarily useful are the chapters on subjects such as establishing yourself as the team leader in the human/dog relationship and understanding and working with the differences between dogs and humans. These principles help you take command and achieve control, and this is essential if you want to maintain a healthy relationship with your canine companion. As Ritland explains, “One of the key methods of my training is to put yourself in your dog’s position and try to see the world through his eyes.” He brings out the point that “dogs respect and seek (with a few exceptions) someone who will exert power and control over them.” And: “Mastering your voice and your body in interacting with dogs to project confidence, power, and authority is absolutely essential…” When Ritland writes about asserting control, though, he does not promulgate an attitude of harshness. The overriding attitude to instill in your dog is not one of fear but of respect, and “the responsibility for developing that ideal relationship is on your shoulders.” That’s the main message of this book. “If you can master yourself you will then be the kind of master your dog is looking for and provide him with everything he wants and needs in his life.”
I recommend this book, then, for anyone who owns a dog or is considering acquiring one. In fact, even if you have no intention of obtaining a dog, reading this will vastly increase your empathy for dog owners and their canine friends.
* * *
As a postscript, I would like to emphasize that after spending a week in Maine with my son and Rider, I realize even more the value of this book. Not only did its counsel and tips help me get along with and bond with Rider, but also when I suggested the book to a friend of my son’s who also has recently acquired a large rescue dog, he later expressed his appreciation for this valuable resource. Highly recommended for dog owners and also anyone else who wants to understand the human/dog relationship.
