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	DOGGY PRODUCTS Click on an image to order Dog Obedience Training Recommended Reading Trackers : The Untold Story of the Australian Dogs of War by Peter Haran Service work and associated dog training to me, is the real world of dog training. I enjoy competition and encourage people to compete. But in service work the long lonely hours of working by oneself and the long hours of training the dog, is suddenly extraordinarily rewarding when the dog successfully tracks down a dangerous person or finds a lost child. And the hard dog that displays awesome aggression when a handler’s back is to the wall facing overwhelming numbers of violent people, and the dog wins the day. The excitement and adrenalin rush is something that can never be bought. 'Trackers' is a book I thoroughly enjoyed, particularly after a period of wading through the written ranting of people who have never had to put their lives in the hands of their dog. The never ending waffle of the best way to train where food, toys, clickers, working in drives etc. become the novelty method on the block and jammed down everyone's neck. This book is like a breath of fresh air to me. I quote from the back page of the book which describes the contents much better than I can. And I quote. "'Trackers' is a moving and gritty account that reveals the Australian Army’s little - known use of combat tracker dogs during the Vietnam war. A war veteran tells his story with vivid and compelling immediacy, blending the terror of hunting the elusive Viet Cong with the tender relationship between him and larrikin Labrador-Kelpie cross, Caesar. A graphic portrayal of the timeless reality of war - the horror, the madness, the tedium, the dark humour - 'Trackers' hurls you into a surreal world of seething jungles, random minefields, and lethal 'friendly fire'. Amid the mayhem, the author finds vital refuge in Caesar’s playful innocence. Peter Haran was first posted to Vietnam in 1967, aged just 19, as a dog handler with one of the Army?s first Combat Tracking Teams. He returned after a year to become a war dog trainer in Sydney, and was reassigned to Vietnam in 1970 as an Infantry section commander. He is now a journalist with the Sunday Mail in Adelaide." Never Cry Wolf by Farley Mowat Mowat was a Biologist for the Canadian Government as a Wildlife Officer in the mid 1940’s after serving in World War 2, who was sent into the Artic Regions to study wolves. To cut a long story short Mowat found that wolves were not the scourge of man or beast as believed in those times and his research makes fascinating reading. Written in a highly entertaining fashion this was a book I found enjoyable to read and very informative. The Working Airedale by Bryan Cummins I have a large collection of dog books on the training and care subjects. (No books on showing). Most books I have are largely a waste of money, however I have a few of which I cherish. One of these is titled, ?The Working Airedale?, by Bryan Cummins and published by OTR Publications, compliments of? my instructor - Barbara Thomson. The working Airedale is a lion hearted dog of extraordinary abilities, and has a long and colourful history in the area of field, military and Police work. Quote, ?The June 1921 issue of Kennel and Bench has a story titled ?Canadian Airedale Travels on Foot?, and it says. ?It tells the story of Buster, who travelled from Edmonton. Alberta, to Vancouver, British Columbia, a distance of nearly 800 miles through three mountain chains, in 1919. Six months after being shipped to Edmonton, Buster arrived back in Vancouver, emaciated, footsore and exhausted. At the time, there was no travelled road between the two cities. Additionally, railway tracks, traversing the three mountain chains, covered only two thirds of the distance. Railway section houses and occasional small stations, some without human inhabitants, were the only places Buster could find refuge. Incidentally, the Airedale had to negotiate the 12 different rail lines which converged in Edmonton. Buster found his way home over 786 miles, through mountains, in 42 days. This is an incredible rate of 18 3/4 miles per day?. Unquote. When one considers the harshness of the Canadian wilderness, the variety of dangerous wild life, and the fact that he must have travelled at a gallop over most of this terrain for 42 days makes the feat even more incredible. Airedales aren?t called the king of terriers for nothing. The Dogs Mind by Bruce Fogle A book that I believe should be in every dog person’s library. Bruce Fogle has done an excellent job of putting together a comprehensive outline of the dog and the intricacies of its senses. And it is written in a simple manner for anyone to follow. The chapter on Hormones in particular, was very interesting to me. I have believed for years that hormones play a part in dog’s behaviour as it does in human behaviour. Particularly desexed bitches. I made inquiries with Veterinary friends of mine and I got the same answer from each of them. "Doesn’t happen with dogs." All my questions were answered in one chapter of a book printed in 1992. And yes, hormones do play a large part in behaviour. This book explains everything about the dog in an easy to understand format, such as sight, brain, smell etc. The Monks of New Skete: The Art of Raising a Puppy The Monks of New Skete have earned their good name through many years of conscientious experience with their breeding and training programs. On top of that they produced very informative and practicable books. I was very disappointed to read some reviewers harshly criticizing the Monks methods of discipline in favour of more so called enlightened methods. If they had been training dogs professionally for over 30 years as I have, they would realise that the so-catted modern methods of today are in fact old methods. The reason why these methods never endured? Because at the end of the day these methods do not produce a dog that is reliable under stressful circumstances. (Call a dog back when it is chasing a cat into heavy traffic, etc.) The so-called modern methods are not used by Police, Prison & military dog units - the philosophy of the Monks methods are. If the new enlightened philosophy was so good, why wouldn't the professional trainer of real working dogs being using it? The Monks of New Skete: How to be Your Dog's Best Friend The Monks built a Monastery at New Skete situated outside New York, US. As part of their fund raising towards the Monastery they went into the breeding of German Shepherds and training of peoples problem dogs. Over the years the Monks have built a reputation as an elitist group in this area. They published their book on adult dog training with a chapter on puppies. They wrote a second book on the puppy side separately. The above book was published in 1978 and can be regarded as a "golden oldie". I have no doubt the Monks have made changes to the way they do things over the years, but overall it is an excellent book covering dog behavioural problems as well as training. Certainly far better than many so called modern methods of dog training and behavioural modification. Another one of the few books that take pride of place in my library. The Complete Herbal Book for Dogs by Juliette de Baïracli Levy Sqn.Ldr. Bill Perrett and his very competent offsider, Warrant Officer Kev Saunders, the original founders of the RAAF Police Dog Mustering, were strong advocates of natural food diets for dogs. The basic course had strong emphasis on this aspect with weekly exams having the inevitable questions on the benefits of honey, seaweed powder, raw meat, bones etc. in the dog's diet. The information came from books written by Juiette de Bairacli Levy. Over the years I kept a lookout for her books but for some reason or another never obtained a copy. One reason possibly, was that I never realized the importance of natural diet as a necessary aid to correcting dog behavioural problems, until the last five years of my work. Ironically, one of my very competent Instructors Barbara Thomson was packing house to relocate premises, and I was fortunate to have some of her library thrown my way. I put the above book in my briefcase for future reference, not looking at the front cover. A few weeks later I settled back to check out the new book and I couldn't believe my luck. Having read the book from cover to cover I could easily say that this author whose book was printed in 1971 - was ahead of her time. However, the truth is we have turned the clock back so far, in relation to the health aspects and treatment of common diseases with dogs. Wonderful book packed with vital information. So old yet so advanced on modern day diets for dogs. Worth it's weight in gold to me. Thank you so much Barbara. The Police Textbook for Dog Handlers by Bill Tolhurst William Tolhurst is without a doubt a dog trainer who has earned the title of, "Living Legend". "Bill" Tolhurst was one of the earlier man traillers with his bloodhounds. His pioneering work and subsequent successes in the tracking field of law enforcement is amazing. This book is mandatory reading by any person involved in service work, and a great read for anyone simply interested in what can be achieved in the fields of tracking, drug, arson work etc. The Koehler Method of Training Tracking Dogs by William R. Koehler In any case all Bills books are worth having in ones library as a reference for the "problem dog or tough nut." He was a man (now deceased) who had achieved a great deal of success in the trialling arena's, sporting dog arena's and the service dog arena's. Love or hate his advise - I would suggest it is always a good idea to hear out someone who has done it all and done it well. The Tracking Book however, is a book that I recommend as a good book for anyone interested in tracking for sport or for work. There are other good books of course that have worked very well. However, Bills book has produced results in circumstances that mean life and death, as such I can only recommend this book highly. . How to organize a Canine Unit and Train Dogs for Police Work Jay Rapp is a Police Dog Handler of extensive experience who has written a good book on training dogs for Police Dog work. There are numerous people who work in the field of Police, Prisons, Military and Security work who would benefit from this book. Unfortunately, there are so many obedience triallers who would not read this book because it relates to service dogs and not sporting dogs. This I regard as unfortunate due to arrogance or ignorance because the reliability required from a well trained Police Dog is the same criteria the keen obedience competitor should also aim for. Who's the Boss? by Val Bonney Val and her husband Bruce own and run a private dog obedience training school, ”Bonnie’s Dog Obedience & Care Centre” at The Gap, Brisbane. Val, a senior obedience judge, senior dog obedience trialer, and certificated behaviourist is also involved with an organization that utilizes her services in the training of Japanese both in Australia and Japan. A few years ago Val wrote a book on dog psychology in a simple format that a child could understand, covering the basics of understanding the dogs mind. It is in my opinion, essential reading for all dog owners, particularly those involved in training their dogs. I have always believed that dog psychology is at least 80% of training and this book puts together the understanding of the mind of the dog beautifully. I strongly urge the purchase of this book and it can be obtained by clicking on the book image to email Val directly. Give your dog a bone, Grow your pups with bones & The Barf Diet by Dr Ian Billinghurst As a Professional Dog Trainer, Competitior in Obedience Competitions and Problem Dog Behaviourlist, I have long believed that diet with dogs was the first and most important issue in relation to improved work performance and improved behaviour generally. Over a thirty three year dog training span I have come to the conclusion that processed food such as dry biscuit food, as well as canned food or cooked rolls are the greatest evils man has produced to adversely affect a dogs health and change its behaviour. Billinghurst lists numerous adverse affects on the dogs health in his books. I have also observed behavioural aspects such as Hyper Activity, Short Concentration and aggression. (Short tempered with both humans and dogs) Anyone work with Attention Deficet Children?? Dogs need raw food in the form of meat, bones, fruits and vegetables. Cooked food destroys the nutrients required for a dog - it is that simple. Billinghursts books are essential reading for any true dog lover In my opinion. He also provides an excellent natural feeding regime. Visit www.drianbillinghurst.com or www.barfworld.com You can also check Dr. Bruce Symes web site. Bruce sells a prepared natural food which is the one I personally use.