Dog Talk: Lessons Learned From a Life with Dogs

by Harrison Forbes

From Publishers Weekly In the newest life-with-dogs memoir, veteran dog trainer and radio show co-host Forbes forgoes the maudlin for some genuine insight into dog behavior and psychology. Beginning with Lex, a German Shepherd that attacked its owner's wife, Forbes chronicles the challenges and victories of rehabilitating and living with aggressive dogs that others would have given up on. Forbes doesn't offer a program for dog training, but readers will benefit from his insights on the importance of a consistent training regimen and his approach to managing aggression. Arguing that dogs' behavior is 75 percent genetic and 25 percent environmental, Forbes doesn't offer any pat answers to handling a challenging dog besides a lot of patience and hard work. Still, those interested in the hows and whys of dog attacks and aggression will find the book useful, and Forbes' tone of love and respect for his charges is itself both instructive and encouraging. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Genres: Dogs, Nonfiction, Animals

446 pages, Hardcover

First published September 30, 2008

Reviews

[Stephen Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book! Good amount of history, science and personal stories as she trains her dog to do cadaver work. I like these books like this one because it gives you different insights into training from a different perspective. People who do search and rescue are hero's. This one is in my list of favorite books on dogs.

[Krazykat · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 (a dog easily picks up on a person's state of tension by how tightly or loosely they hold the leash). What I loved about this book is how the author personalized each of his dogs and made their quirky characters shine. I had more than a few laugh-out-loud moments reading about each of his different dogs, including PJ the pitbull whose initials stood for "Praise Jesus" and Ivan the Terrible who had many reasons for being called such.

Forbes' intensive experiences working and living with police protection dogs are particularly enlightening. The best part is how evident the author's love and respect for these canine creatures are, from him describing Lex the German Shepherd's samurai spirit to Akbar's redemptive story ("one badass dog" whose life was spared euthanasia by his own police handlers who thought he was too aggressive).

I could go on and on about this book (and already have, see preceding paragraphs :) but basically this book made me miss my dogs in Hawaii. Since present circumstances leave me pet-less, the next best thing is for me to snuggle up with less furry and more books like Forbes'.

[Leigh-ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 any owner (125 lbs. or 250 lbs.) can strive for. I'm not a fan of Cesar Milan and his quest to dominate... Forbes trains dogs by leading, not by forcing. He shows great patience with many dogs with trust issues, and shows that practically any dog can be rehabilitated and given a useful role. He also shows that not every dog is meant to be a family pet.

I'll be adding this to my "books I'd like to own shelf", because my copy was just from the library. I really hope to be able to adopt one or two older German shepherds from a rescue in the future, and this book provides a lot of insight into how to cope with any potential baggage the dogs may bring with them.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 drive behavior, and understanding training is absolutely spot on. Unlike some trainers in this area, he does not feel the need to dominate or out-muscle the dogs, instead, teaching them with hands-off methods that he is in charge and that they can trust him.

His book is very much Schutzhund based, and he does a wonderful job of talking about the difference between dogs with on & off switches and those that don't have an off switch. I would recommend this to anyone who is interested in dog training generally.

[Carey · Rating 3 out of 5]

"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 collection of stories of these dogs, but I wouldn't read it for training or dog care or bonding tips. Felt like Forbes was telling more about himself and his training life/world than really sharing knowledge.

[Anne Pinckard · Rating 3 out of 5]

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 reflect Forbes's personality--down to earth, intensely focuses, no-nonsense.

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Helena · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Jacqueline115 · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Zen · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Holly Haze · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you ever owned a dog or have one now, this is such a good and informative book. You learn the all breeds are trainable. All have their quirks. The importance of dominance and socialization. Harrison knows his stuff. That’s for sure.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Rascal's Trainer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. A must read.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Tasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting book. If you love dogs I'd definitely recommend this one.

[Kyre · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read it occasionally gets a bit dry in tone; hence four stars. I really enjoy the Diablo chapter because I have a similar belief about wolf-hybrids.

[Starr J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read for dog lovers

I enjoyed reading this book and getting to know the authors philosophy about training and selecting different dogs. He kept the subject both personal and informative telling the stories of several different dogs. All of the dogs had charming and challenging personalities which I found very engaging. If you enjoy different types of dogs and learning from other peoples experiences you will enjoy reading this book.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Each chapter about a different dog. The dog trainer and author trains police dogs. Lots of info about how to train these dogs, and the reader learns that many police units, really have no idea what they’re doing with the dogs. The author had a few chapters about his personal and family dogs and training them too. I learned a few things about working with dogs. Interesting book.

[Dewayne Stark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having recently lost my German Shepherd to cancer I found parts of the book sad.

[Bill Church · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read about Harrison Forbes and his life as a dog expert and radio host. I love how Harrison points out the same mistakes that he makes are the same he advises his clients against. Would recommend for dog lovers, and professionals.

[Autumn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved, loved, loved it!!!

[Keith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story of relating to dogs. Cured me of not liking pit bulls.