The Story of Your Dog: A Straightforward Guide to a Complicated Animal
- Downloads：6047
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-04-27 06:51:43
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Brandon McMillan
- ISBN：0063040646
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
GET TO KNOW YOUR DOG。 Renowned expert dog trainer and bestselling author of Lucky Dog Lessons Brandon McMillan unpacks the unique and often misunderstood 15，000-year evolutionary history governing a dog's every move。
Most dog owners know the truth--their dogs are totally incompatible with the modern world。 Instincts like herding， chasing， and protecting have no natural outlet and frequently result in chewing， barking， nipping， jumping， lunging， and worse。 However， as McMillan argues in these pages， the solution isn't as simple as mastering "sit" and "stay。"
No matter what kind of dog you have， no matter how old or young or well trained or well-bred， your beloved companion is strongly influenced by his DNA。 The result of these genetic distinctions shows up in every inch and action--from the size and shape of a dog's head （and the brain inside it） to the length and curve of his tail， from the texture of her fur to the webbing （or lack of webbing） between her toes。 It's in their lung capacity， their tolerance for heat and cold， their appetites for food and exercise， and whether and how they bark。 It goes beyond their structure and deep into their psychological profiles。 Perhaps you're lucky enough to have a dog with more than a few breeds mixed in， which makes this information all the more crucial to know and understand。
In The Story of Your Dog， McMillan breaks down why your dog acts the way it does， so you can train better and easier， with fewer missteps and miscommunications， and bond in ways you never thought possible。 It is an invitation to get to know the sometimes frustrating but always incredible dog at the other end of the leash。
Most dog owners know the truth--their dogs are totally incompatible with the modern world。 Instincts like herding， chasing， and protecting have no natural outlet and frequently result in chewing， barking， nipping， jumping， lunging， and worse。 However， as McMillan argues in these pages， the solution isn't as simple as mastering "sit" and "stay。"
No matter what kind of dog you have， no matter how old or young or well trained or well-bred， your beloved companion is strongly influenced by his DNA。 The result of these genetic distinctions shows up in every inch and action--from the size and shape of a dog's head （and the brain inside it） to the length and curve of his tail， from the texture of her fur to the webbing （or lack of webbing） between her toes。 It's in their lung capacity， their tolerance for heat and cold， their appetites for food and exercise， and whether and how they bark。 It goes beyond their structure and deep into their psychological profiles。 Perhaps you're lucky enough to have a dog with more than a few breeds mixed in， which makes this information all the more crucial to know and understand。
In The Story of Your Dog， McMillan breaks down why your dog acts the way it does， so you can train better and easier， with fewer missteps and miscommunications， and bond in ways you never thought possible。 It is an invitation to get to know the sometimes frustrating but always incredible dog at the other end of the leash。
Reviews
Aruna Keswani
，
Interesting information about about various breeds but nothing extraordinary。
Val （pagespoursandpups）
，
I love the way this book is structured！ Learning about the different breed categories to learn more specific ways to train your dog is just so intuitive。 Every breed has a distinct purpose， so why not learn how to take your dog’s strengths and use them to help your pup become the well-adjusted and happy dog he was meant to be！I so appreciate the author’s celebration of mixed-breed， rescued dogs。 He makes it a point to acknowledge the huge number of dogs waiting for people to adopt them。 But he a I love the way this book is structured！ Learning about the different breed categories to learn more specific ways to train your dog is just so intuitive。 Every breed has a distinct purpose， so why not learn how to take your dog’s strengths and use them to help your pup become the well-adjusted and happy dog he was meant to be！I so appreciate the author’s celebration of mixed-breed， rescued dogs。 He makes it a point to acknowledge the huge number of dogs waiting for people to adopt them。 But he also does not diminish ownership of full-breed dogs。 He is ready to help all dog owners find their dog’s motivations as well as their potential triggers。The information is well laid out and well researched。 I enjoyed reading about all the different breeds- not just the breeds of my four fur children。 I found the information insightful and accurate。Highly recommend this one！， thank you to NetGalley and HarperOne for the ARC to read and review。 。。。more
Kyle Winter
，
We all know that dogs come from wolves， but this book really breaks down the specific behaviors and evolutionary traits passed down to our favorite breeds and explains both how and why these traits affect our dogs' personalities today。 My Corgi-Staffordshire Terrier mix fits the behavioral descriptions EXACTLY， and now I feel like I understand my little goober better than ever before。 We all know that dogs come from wolves， but this book really breaks down the specific behaviors and evolutionary traits passed down to our favorite breeds and explains both how and why these traits affect our dogs' personalities today。 My Corgi-Staffordshire Terrier mix fits the behavioral descriptions EXACTLY， and now I feel like I understand my little goober better than ever before。 。。。more
Andee
，
LOVED this book！ So much very interesting and useful information about the historic genetics， selective breeding， and jobs each breed was basically created to do。 Also， a great deal of good information as to cautioning owners what you can and cannot fix， as well as things to avoid altogether （wolf hybrids for starters）。 And my personal favorite， the shameless push to encourage people to adopt dogs from the shelter first and foremost over any other place。 Amen Brandon！ I’ve been a fan of Brandon’ LOVED this book！ So much very interesting and useful information about the historic genetics， selective breeding， and jobs each breed was basically created to do。 Also， a great deal of good information as to cautioning owners what you can and cannot fix， as well as things to avoid altogether （wolf hybrids for starters）。 And my personal favorite， the shameless push to encourage people to adopt dogs from the shelter first and foremost over any other place。 Amen Brandon！ I’ve been a fan of Brandon’s for some time now， I love the work he does and his mission - to rescue dogs from the wild and shelters， find and train them for jobs （service animals）， or just plain old forever homes， all the while educating the public about how amazing rescue dogs are。 I first came across Brandon by chance while channel surfing years ago and found his Lucky Dog show。 I was hooked immediately。 I’ve since followed him on Instagram and am a fan of his current show on YouTube， rescuing stray dogs from streets， deserts， and places they don’t belong。 He’s doing great work。 But my opinion of him aside， this is a very well researched and well written book， with loads of useful info for anyone - dog lover， dog owner， prospective dog owner， etc。 It’s a great read， with some very funny parts， interesting tidbits， and some sad or scary moments too， which all reinforce why people should be more invested and knowledgeable about the dogs they choose to bring home。 A knowledgeable， well rounded owner， who puts in a bit of time and effort， will be rewarded ten fold with a happy， well adjusted dog。 It makes for a healthy dynamic for all involved - the dog， the family/owners， and the neighbors。 。。。more
Liz
，
After years of adopting purebred lab rescues， I have found myself with a lab mix。 And the personality was definitely different。 So， I’ve been reading up on her Siberian husky traits。 Let’s just say， she doesn’t have the easy going， I’ll do anything for my human， nature that I’m used to。 Getting an advance copy of The Story of Your Dog was perfect timing。 McMillan’s supposition is that neither you or your dog is going to be happy if you try undoing hundreds of years of breeding through one size f After years of adopting purebred lab rescues， I have found myself with a lab mix。 And the personality was definitely different。 So， I’ve been reading up on her Siberian husky traits。 Let’s just say， she doesn’t have the easy going， I’ll do anything for my human， nature that I’m used to。 Getting an advance copy of The Story of Your Dog was perfect timing。 McMillan’s supposition is that neither you or your dog is going to be happy if you try undoing hundreds of years of breeding through one size fits all training。 For each group， he provides behavior challenges and possible solutions。 He initially focuses on the different groups - working， herding， sport， terrier， hound to give an overview and then provides a brief snapshot on specific breeds within the group。 He’s a big fan of mixed breeds and says that he now requires clients to have a DNA test done on their dog so he knows what he’s dealing with， saving everyone time and trouble。 He’s honest about which dogs aren’t good for novice owners or ones not willing to devote daily time to wear a dog down。 It should be required reading before someone buys or adopts a dog。 Here’s what he has to say about the herding group: “keeping any dog cooped up is like never allowing a child to play。 Keeping a herding dog cooped up is the next level， like what happens when that child is a track runner with attention issues who’s stuck in a chair by an open window on a sunny day。 The scenario just doesn’t work。” I found the book fascinating。 I learned things about my little sled dog and got some good ideas on figuring her out。 But I also enjoyed reading about other breeds - their original jobs， their background and their traits。 I recommend this to anyone who has a fondness for dogs。 This is not， per se， a training book。 McMillan wrote another book on that topic。 My thanks to Netgalley and Harper One for an advance copy of this book。 。。。more
Linden
，