In the follow up to his The Dog Whisperer book, Graeme Sims delves more deeply into the subject of rescue dogs. The first concept you may have to rethink the what being a rescue dog actually means. Graeme asserts that there are many things a dog may need rescuing from - not the least being the training methods sometimes employed by well meaning owners.
Graeme focuses on two dogs he has rescued and rehabilitated. He starts by assessing them, and tries to understand what their problems are before attempting to solve them. Two very different dogs make interesting subjects for his methods. Ceri (pronounced Kerry) has been made fearful by something in his past, and as a consequence is unhappy and distrustful. How can Graeme gain the dog's trust? Jack is a much more complicated dog, suffering fits as a puppy, and developing a taste for eating plaster wall and other dogs' poo, a condition known as coprophagia.
Written in Graeme's usual easy to read style, this book includes many anecdotes of Graeme's experience with dogs over a long and varied career. Graeme also considers specific cases of rescue dogs, what their problems were, and how they were overcome.
If you are looking for guidance in choosing and living with a rescue dog, this book is full of useful advice. How to settle in, bond with, and train a rescue dog are all considered, along with the great benefits that can come from grooming. Perhaps the biggest advantage you can get in training is finding what motivates a dog, and Graeme has developed a "magic button" system.
Graeme Sims has spent many years gaining his insight into the mind of a dog, and here offers you the benefits of seeing the situation from a dog's point of view. Gentleness and love lie at the heart of his methods; he knows and understands dogs. With his help you can make your rescue dog a happy dog.
You can hear Graeme Sims talking about Give A Dog A Home in Episode 84 of DogCast radio.
Review by Julie Hill