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Smile! and other practical life lessons your dogs can teach you
Smile! immerses its readers in canine culture in a manner that provides incredible insight into human behavior. It is about reducing tension, communicating clearly, leading the way and honoring pivotal differences. It is about practicing kindness, dumping bad habits and finding happiness. It is about the energy we share and the state of mind behind that energy. It is about letting go of the stuff that isn't working, and it is about teamwork.
If you equate training your dogs with frustration and failure, fear not! This book's commonsense, canine-savvy, smile-based approach will be of great help, and it will bring meaning and enjoyment into your life. After all, if you aren't happy, your dogs can't be their best!
If you equate training your dogs with frustration and failure, fear not! This book's commonsense, canine-savvy, smile-based approach will be of great help, and it will bring meaning and enjoyment into your life. After all, if you aren't happy, your dogs can't be their best!
340 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 20, 2016
If you can relate to learning something new and feeling "Wow! I wish I knew this years ago!" that's how you will feel when you read Smile! Chapter after chapter, it's the perfect combination of human psychology and canine psychology, and the practices Dr. Swanson teaches works really, really fast. I did what she recommended, and my dogs responded as if they were saying, "Thank you! It's about time you got what we've been trying to say."
Smile! is practical and straightforward (yet thought-provoking), and I like that you can apply its wisdom moment-to-moment. Unlike other books on animal psychology, it doesn't get bogged down in scientific terminology and paragraphs on apes and chickens. And it is smile-based! Why is that so neat? To quote from the book (Chapter 2):
"We reward our dogs with sincere, relaxed smiles. What, no dog biscuits? No "good dogs?" No clicker clicks? That's right, smiles ninety-five percent of the time. Why is that? Because smiles don't lead to mouthiness the way treats can. Smiles don't elevate a dog's energy the way "good dogs!" often do. Smiles are always with you. They can't be dropped by arthritic hands, and they don't leave crumbs in your pockets. Smiles can be used selectively when working with multiple dogs, and we don't even have to be looking at a dog for them to send their message. Plus, giving smiles to others helps us let go of a lot of our unwanted stress, through the release of endorphins (our very own happy-molecules). This further helps us to communicate with our dogs! Because dogs aren't happy where there is tension. Dogs just don't love the drama. Have you ever tried to smile and be dramatic at the same time? Fortunately, it is hard!"
You have to love Smile's cover, too. It's got a picture of two smiling goats hanging out with a happy little dog and three smiling dobermans!
According to the back of the book, all the proceeds from its sale go to dog rescue and public library projects. Pretty cool. Check this book out, especially if you have issues with your dogs that you wish to solve! I found it at givesmiles dot us, though I know it is available elsewhere.
Smile! is practical and straightforward (yet thought-provoking), and I like that you can apply its wisdom moment-to-moment. Unlike other books on animal psychology, it doesn't get bogged down in scientific terminology and paragraphs on apes and chickens. And it is smile-based! Why is that so neat? To quote from the book (Chapter 2):
"We reward our dogs with sincere, relaxed smiles. What, no dog biscuits? No "good dogs?" No clicker clicks? That's right, smiles ninety-five percent of the time. Why is that? Because smiles don't lead to mouthiness the way treats can. Smiles don't elevate a dog's energy the way "good dogs!" often do. Smiles are always with you. They can't be dropped by arthritic hands, and they don't leave crumbs in your pockets. Smiles can be used selectively when working with multiple dogs, and we don't even have to be looking at a dog for them to send their message. Plus, giving smiles to others helps us let go of a lot of our unwanted stress, through the release of endorphins (our very own happy-molecules). This further helps us to communicate with our dogs! Because dogs aren't happy where there is tension. Dogs just don't love the drama. Have you ever tried to smile and be dramatic at the same time? Fortunately, it is hard!"
You have to love Smile's cover, too. It's got a picture of two smiling goats hanging out with a happy little dog and three smiling dobermans!
According to the back of the book, all the proceeds from its sale go to dog rescue and public library projects. Pretty cool. Check this book out, especially if you have issues with your dogs that you wish to solve! I found it at givesmiles dot us, though I know it is available elsewhere.
July 31, 2025
I recently finished reading Smile and Other Practical Life Lessons Your Dogs Can Teach You (While You Are Training Them) by my friend Lynne Swanson, D.V.M. Lynne directs a variety of programs and activities at Dragonfly Dog Park and Nature Trails at Safe Harbor Farm in Maysville, North Carolina. Her book is a practical guide to everything a person needs to know in order to establish a positive relationship with one’s canine friends.
Based on years of training and even more years of practical experience, she uses science-based psychological principles to guide us through a broad range of topics, including how to think like a dog, how to interpret a dog’s wants and needs, how to manage multiple dogs, and how to communicate with and respond to your dog. Swanson stresses the importance of exercise and keeping dogs moving. There are techniques for de-stressing your dog, troubleshooting specific problems, and practical lessons on improving your relationship with your furry friends.
Smile is not only the key word in title; It is also the main theme of the book. Relationships are the focus.
Based on years of training and even more years of practical experience, she uses science-based psychological principles to guide us through a broad range of topics, including how to think like a dog, how to interpret a dog’s wants and needs, how to manage multiple dogs, and how to communicate with and respond to your dog. Swanson stresses the importance of exercise and keeping dogs moving. There are techniques for de-stressing your dog, troubleshooting specific problems, and practical lessons on improving your relationship with your furry friends.
Smile is not only the key word in title; It is also the main theme of the book. Relationships are the focus.
October 11, 2020
I think it was a thoughtful book with great ideas about training dogs. It got a bit philosophical in the end, which wasn't bad, but also got a tiny bit religious in the end too. Overall though I think you could learn a lot from this book. I probably won't be trying everything listed here, but a lot of things are working well already.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews