Culture Clash: A New Way Of Understanding The Relationship Between Humans And Domestic Dogs

By Jean Donaldson, Foreword by Ian Dunbar

Description from Goodreads:  Winner of the Maxwell Award for BEST DOG TRAINING BOOK (1997) from the Dog Writers Association of America. Voted #1 BEST BOOK (2000 & 2001) by the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, the largest and most influential worldwide association of professional pet dog trainers.

The Culture Clash is utterly unique, fascinating to the extreme, and literally overflowing with information so new that it virtually redefines the state of the art in dog behavior and training. The Culture Clash depicts dogs as they really are, stripped of their Hollywood fluff, with their lovable “can I eat it, chew it, urinate on it, what’s in it for me” philosophy. The author’s tremendous affection for dogs shines through at all times, as does her keen insight into the dog’s mind. Relentlessly she champions the dog’s point of view, always showing concern for their education and well-being.

Note: Whenever possible, I have supplied link to the author’s “book store” (click on book’s image). If not available from author’s store, I have linked to Amazon. Most of the books included in our recommendations are also available from Dogwise. If you shop at Amazon, don’t forget to check out their AmazonSmile program where Amazon donates a portion of the purchase price to your favorite charitable organization.

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Perhaps we are ready to accept the real species. We are now living in a culture that is much more aware of the concepts of tolerance and validation. Dogs are not like us, not nearly as much as we thought, but that’s okay. We can still bond with them, share our lives with them and use them as surrogate children without apology. We don’t have to build myths surrounding their nature to legitimize how we feel about them. They are valuable and fascinating as they really are. They don’t need to be promoted in intelligence or morality to merit fair treatment or places in our families. Empathy and compassion for beings that are clearly unlike ourselves is in fact the next phase of ethical progress.

JEAN DONALDSON