Holiday reading

If you'll have time this holiday season to enjoy a book or two, the Wall Street Journal lists five books about dogs that cover heartwarming, practical, educational, historical, and fun. A very short synopsis is below, the full article gives a more detailed description of each book.

• For the Love of a Dog by Patricia B. McConnell - a book about the emotions of dogs and people, from a behaviorist point of view. Includes personal stories and antidotes to make it an easy read.
• If Only They Could Speak by Nicholas H. Dodman - Deemed the best of the books he's written to date, this one covers case studies of dogs (and cats) that were treated at his behavior clinic at Tufts University.
• If Dogs Could Talk by Vilmos Csanyi - a more scientific, but interesting, look at how dogs communicate with humans.
  
• Bones Would Rain from the Sky by Suzanne Clothier - a hands-on, practical guide as to the differences in how dogs and humans communicate. The premise is that if we learn our dog's language, we will have an easier time in all other aspects of our lives with them, including training.
• Always Faithful by William Putney - A fascinating story of how pet Doberman pinschers were trained as wartime partners when liberating Guam in 1944, and then what needed to be done to successfully repatriate them with their families at the end of the war.