Mama's Last Hug. Animal Emotions and What They Tell Us about Ourselves

Animals have emotions. I know, I am preaching to the choir. We - dog people - already know this. Still, I want to highly recommend this book, "Mama's Last Hug. Animal Emotions and What They Tell Us about Ourselves."

A Must Have on a Tough Subject

I am glad I read this book.

I am even more glad to have it, waiting on my book shelf. Ready to help me when that monster called grief, will show its ugly face again.

I read Roxanne Hawn's "Heart Dog: Surviving the Loss of Your Canine Soul Mate" with two questions in mind, was Viva my heart dog? am I wallowing? I got my answers, but more importantly, I also found things I could have done differently that would have helped me coping with the grief. Something I never expected would happen.

Grief is immensely personal, and I remember how I also wanted to own it. Find my way. Not listen to others. Being stubborn about that nobody could help me, and how I persisted on drinking the cup empty alone.

Four Books About the Hovawart in Four Languages

I have been reading up on my Hovawart book list. Before you continue reading, first a disclaimer: picking up one of these books in your language might very well be your very first step towards your first Hovawart, so beware before you order or borrow. You have been warned.

Let's start with the must-read. Susanne Kerl's "Der Hovawart", in the new 2012 edition. Unfortunately only available in German. But that shouldn't stop you, more about that later.

The Gift

It was time for some long overdue recharging of batteries. We all needed it after our last boring busy period. To round it of, we traveled to Holland for business for the week - again - and spent the two weekends trying to catch up some of the time lost on the family's favorite place, the beach at Kijkduin.

It was beautiful autumn weather on the beach. Low temperatures, windy, sunshine, rain, all at once. Excellent Hovawart weather and especially Kenzo couldn't stop bouncing, he even forgot to swim :)

Without me knowing it I was carrying a little gift in my travel bag. Edie started a book club on her will my dog hate me blog. Although I missed the discussion about the first book from Steinbeck, due to the mentioned busy period, I was prepared and had a copy of Following Atticus - by Tom Ryan and Atticus M. Finch - for the next installment of Edie's book club packed for the ride.

After both Kenzo & Viva were laying down after another active day and went to rest for the remainder of the night, I made the mistake to open this book and read the first couple of pages. Just reading the prologue was enough. I was hooked and unable to stop reading until I finished it.

I am burning to tell you all about it, but will not at this time as it is Edie's party. So tune in to Edie's book club session on her blog on December 8 where we can all join and talk about this wonderful book.

It is a story about hiking. And a story about dogs. But it is so much more than that. After you read it, I am sure you will see your dog - and your life as well - through different eyes.

Please read and join us!

Welcome to the world of scent

One of the things that have always fascinated me is a dog's scenting capabilities. When a search-and-rescue party is on the news, or a drug smuggler is arrested at the airport by a K9 unit, I find myself wanting to know more about the dogs involved and how they did it. Next to the actual story itself.


It takes just a sniff

Everything a dog does has to do with scent. They live in a world of scent. Take a dog walk. You have probably noticed you can pass by another dog when it is out of sight and going downwind. But if you were going upwind it is like your dog's nose from one moment to the other is catched by a virtual fish hook. They don't see the world, they smell it.

What an interesting world that must be. I could go to my favorite restaurant, sniff a little, and know which of my friends or foes have been there before me. And from the people I have not met before, I quickly find out their age, gender, and general state of health.

Trust your dog

It is the dog that can step into that world of scent, we are merely outsiders and have no clue on what they "see". That's why handlers of search-and-rescue dogs always say "Trust your dog". But thankfully our dogs love to tell us in their own language what they are scenting so we can engage in their world. With a little imagination we can paint a picture of what they are really experiencing in daily life. Make a habit out of observing your dog on your daily walk and wonder why they stop at certain places. Let them to go off the path and indulge them. They don't have to "heel" all the time. Let them be dogs and prepare to be awed.

It is difficult to imagine how it would feel if we could distinguish as many scents like a dog. On top of that it depends on wind directions, humidity, going up- or downhill, and a lot more factors. When you have already been going to nose work classes or have done some first tracking with your dog you are probably wondering about what you have been observing and which factors played a role in your last "search".

Scent and the scenting dog

Fortunately, there is an excellent book about scent, "Scent and the scenting dog" by William G. Syrotuck. If you want to know more about the world of scent this is definitely the book to read. It is obligatory material on police K9 training schools. It is not so much a training manual, but more a thorough description of what scent is all about, and what your dog can do with it. After you have read this book, even a routine dog walk will never be the same. Welcome to the world of scent !

I hope this book can bring you closer to your dog and maybe also inspires to engage in nose work. What could be better then to let your dog explore his own "dogginess"? It is one of the most rewarding activities you can do together. To quote Randy Hare: "Anything a dog can learn on his own is more effective and better understood than what humans can force on the dog".

Scent of the Missing

Scent of the Missing. Love & partnership with a search-and-rescue dog
by Susannah Charleson

Are you intriged by K9 search and rescue? Do you wonder why dogs are so good at this and what the partnership with such a dog would be like? Be prepared to be swept off your feet by this book.

Susannah Charleson takes you on a journey in the search and rescue world. She is herself intriged by search and rescue (SAR) work, joins a SAR team in Texas and decides to become a handler. After a long search she picks a Golden Retriever puppy as her partner, Puzzle. With her high drive and willfullness Puzzle is like born to become a SAR dog. The story follows Susannah and Puzzle through the many training sessions to become a team, and as they search for the lost.

What I love about the book is that it describes so well how the partnership between Susannah and Puzzle evolves and deepens. And to which lengths Susannah goes to understand how Puzzle works, how she thinks, and how her world of scent must be like. Not a training book, but a book on partnership, love, and understanding.

But this book is also for you if you are mostly interested in a dog that is "just" a part of the household. SAR, like tracking, works with a very important principle: "Trust the dog". You don't have to practice SAR to benefit from this principle in the everyday life with your dog. When your dog barks, or starts to act strangely, trust him, what is he trying to tell you?

I am really excited about this book and will probably read it again. And again. And again. If you love dogs, you must own this book.

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Interview on Fox with Susannah and Puzzle (video)
Patricia B. McConnell book review of "Scent of the Missing"
Scent of the Missing, official website

Book review: Feeling Outnumbered

Feeling Outnumbered? How to Manage and Enjoy Your Multi-dog Household
by Patrica McConnel and Karen London

This 50-page booklet is a quick how-to guide for anybody having difficulties with their multi-dog household. It explains how to train group commands so you can get control over the situation: when eating, playing, greeting, waiting and walking.

The social skills of all the members are also put under the loop, and how you can help your dogs to ensure that interaction is done on a polite manner. The booklet also provides a good checklist with signs that would indicate looming conclifts between your dogs. Preventing them is better then curing them.

It provides enough depth to tackle the basics and gives tips on further reading if you would need that. Some basic knowledge on how to train an individual dog is more or less required. The booklet mainly adds the group dimension to your existing toolbox.

Book review: The Cautious Canine

The Cautious Canine: How To Help Dogs Conquer Their Fears
by Patricia McConnell

This 30-page booklet gives you a quick walk through of the possibilities to help dogs with their fears. Don't expect the actual treatment to be just as short as this booklet, the author also clearly manages any expectations you might have for a "quick fix" on page 1.

It is not possible to cover a complex subject as behavior based on fear in a booklet, but the author manages very well to give a good overview of how a treatment schedule could look like in a five step program. She indicates what all the key factors are you should be aware of and follows up with some recommendations for further reading. What I liked in particular was that it describes hands-on and real-life situations you might encounter when following the five steps.

This booklet will definitely get you started, no time to waste.

The only thing I found disappointing was that the examples, although the booklet uses a lot of them, always elaborated on the same subjects: meeting new people, or the mailmen or pizza boy at the door. And there are lot more factors that can trigger fear in a dog. Instead of elaborating on the same examples, different examples could have been used like fear for other dogs, sounds, crowds, etc.