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Dog Lovers Book Club - June 2024





Enjoy browsing our selection of the June 2024 Dog Lovers Book Club with a focus on education and training to kick off your winter reading season! Time to grab your favourite cuppa and snuggle up under a warm blanket with your dog (or cat, we won't judge)!

HOW TO FOSTER DOGS
From Homeless to Homeward Bound
by Pat Miller

Pat Miller’s How to Foster Dogs was the first book on the market to deal specifically with the care and training needs of foster dogs and how the fostering process works when done through a formal arrangement with an organisation like a shelter or breed rescue group.
 

Fostering dogs involves caring on a temporary basis for puppies and dogs who for whatever reason cannot be housed with their owners, shelters or breed rescue organisations. Many shelters now have formal fostering programs for dogs who are too young, unhealthy or have behavioural issues and therefore have to be housed with a foster family or face euthanasia. 

The book also covers informal fostering situations when families move or have some disruption and a friend or relative agrees to care for the dog temporarily.
You will learn:

✔️ About the various organisations that seek the services of foster families for dogs.
✔️ What a typical formal arrangement between a shelter and a foster parent involves including expectations of care and training, and the support you can expect from the shelter including covering expenses and other legal issues.
✔️ About the most common behavioural issues facing foster dogs and puppies including fear and separation anxiety, a likely undeserved reputation for what may have been perceived as “dominance,” and irritating but usually solvable problems such as house soiling, chewing and barking.
✔️ How to successfully integrate a foster dog into your home if you own other dogs.
✔️ While it is possible that you will end up adopting the dog yourself, learn how to prepare to say goodbye to your foster best friend knowing that you have done your best to build a bridge to a better future for him or her.

Paperback: ‎ 168 pages
Publisher: Dogwise Publishing; First Edition (1 June 2014)


Price: $21.05 from www.amazon.com.au

HOW DOGS WORK
by Raymond Coppinger, Mark Feinstein, Gordon M. Burghardt (Foreword by)

How well do we really know dogs? People may enjoy thinking about them as “man’s best friend,” but what actually drives the things they do? What is going on in their fur-covered heads as they look at us with their big, expressive eyes? Raymond Coppinger and Mark Feinstein know something about these questions, and with How Dogs Work, they’re ready to share; this is their guide to understanding your dog and its behaviour.


Approaching dogs as a biological species rather than just as pets, Coppinger and Feinstein accessibly synthesize decades of research and field experiments to explain the evolutionary foundations underlying dog behaviours. 

They examine the central importance of the shape of dogs: how their physical body (including the genes and the brain) affects behaviour, how shape interacts with the environment as animals grow, and how all of this has developed over time. 

Shape, they tell us, is what makes a champion sled dog or a Border collie that can successfully herd sheep. Other chapters in How Dogs Work explore such mysteries as why dogs play; whether dogs have minds, and if so what kinds of things they might know; why dogs bark; how dogs feed and forage; and the influence of the early relationship between mother and pup. 

Going far beyond the cosy lap dog, Coppinger and Feinstein are equally fascinated by what we can learn from the adaptations of dogs, wolves, coyotes, jackals, dingoes, and even pumas in the wild, as well as the behaviour of working animals like guarding and herding dogs.

We cherish dogs as family members and deeply value our lengthy companionship with them. But, isn’t it time we knew more about who Fido and Trixie really are? How Dogs Work will provide some keys to unlocking the origins of many of our dogs' most common, most puzzling, and most endearing behaviours.


Hardcover, 224 pages
Publisher: The University of Chicago Press, 27th October 2015


Price: $75.95 from www.booktopia.com.au

ENRICHMENT GAMES FOR HIGH-ENERGY DOGS
Your step-by-step guide to dog training fun!
by Barbara Buchmayer

How could a game transform your dog from the Energizer Bunny into your ideal, adoring companion? By going way beyond the everyday, plain vanilla dog game!

It's time to change your dog's life by playing together.

Introducing 11 unique games that have been carefully crafted to excite and delight your dog while meeting their needs for physical and mental exercise.


While many activities provide a dog with plenty of action, your dog needs more than miles, they need mental exercise as well. Your dog craves activities that engage them mentally and physically. They need enrichment games!

These innovative games give your dog the thrill of the chase while building their skills, self-control, and relationship with you. Carefully designed to provide a balanced blend of mind and body activity, these games can provide the mental and physical exercise your dog requires.

Check out these dog-lover-tested, pup-approved elements:

✔️ Fun to play, both indoors and outside
✔️ Simple to learn & easy to play
✔️ Perfect for a wide range of skill levels; from pet dogs to sports dogs
✔️ 
Totally customisable for you and your dog

This game-changing book can take your dog from fired up to calmed down - so you can enjoy your lives together!


Paperback, 160 pages
Publisher: Positive Herding 101, 22nd August 2023

RRP: $57.41 from www.amazon.com.au 

SCENT TRAINING FOR EVERY DOG
by Dr Robert Hewings

The Award Winning…… Scent Training for every dog

Scent dogs are happy dogs!

Scent training, so long the preserve of the specialist, is now one of the fastest growing canine sports, enriching the lives of all the dogs that take part. Scent work taps into the dogs natural behaviour and is the means of providing a rewarding occupation with a very special feel-good factor.

Packed with trainers tips and details of making your own scent studio, scent work games to play and troubleshooting solutions ‘Scent Training for every dog’ is the complete guide for those who want to get started in scent work. This book 
written by head of the UKCSD, Dr Robert Hewingswon the best training book award 2020, from the Dog Writers Association of America.

Free postage to the UK. International customers can contact info@thecollegeofscentdogs.com for more information and postal rates.


Paperback, 208 pages
Publisher: First Stone Publishing, 22nd January 2020


Price: $56.49 at www.amazon.com.au

WAG: THE SCIENCE OF MAKING YOUR DOG HAPPY
by Zazie Todd (Author), Marty DVM Becker (Foreword)

A psychologist and respected dog trainer shares the secrets to a happy pooch.


Did you know that seemingly noiseless electronics may be upsetting your dog? Or that letting her sniff the breeze is one of the best gifts you can give her? Wag bridges the gap between human and canine by demystifying the inner lives of dogs to share evidence-based advice for making them happy.


Acclaimed blogger Zazie Todd distils the latest canine science and shares recommendations from leading veterinarians, researchers, and trainers to cultivate a rewarding and respectful relationship with your dog―which offers many benefits for you, your family, and your four-legged friend.


Paperback: ‎304 pages
Publisher:‎ Greystone Books; Illustrated edition, 19 May 2020

Price: $29.64 from www.amazon.com.au

For a chance to listen to presentations by Zazie Todd, Barbara Buchmayer & Dr Robert Hewings (amongst many others), don't miss the Pet Professional Guild of Australia Conference (14-16 June 2024) in Sydney!

MATTIE, MILO AND ME 
A Memoir

by Anne Abel

Anne grew up in an abusive home, leading to severe depression and a determination to do better as a mother. One of her sons wants a dog from the time he is a baby; Anne very much does not. 

For years she appeases him with creatures who live in cages and tanks, but on his tenth birthday she can no longer say no-and she proceeds to fall in love with their new four-legged family member, Mattie. Then Mattie dies a sudden and tragic death, and Anne feels herself begin to sink back into depression.

Trying to cope, she immediately adopts Milo - a dog who, unbeknownst to her, has already been returned to the rescue by several families due to his aggressive behaviour. But even after she realises Milo is dangerous, she's committed to trying to give him a chance at a good life.

Anne's journey takes the reader from dog school into the deep woods as she perseveres with Milo's lifelong rehabilitation and her unwavering efforts to be a good mother to her sons.

Working with Milo strengthens Anne and expands her ability to love. Ten years later, when Milo dies, Anne faces another choice: close the door to that part of her heart, or risk loving another dog after two tragic losses?

Paperback, 288 pages
Publisher: SparkPoint / SheWrites Press, 23rd April 2024


Price: $32.95 at www.booktopia.com.au

BOOK CLUB - KIDS CORNER

QUEEN OF DOGS
by Joe Weatherstone

Maddy’s family are talented and ambitious — sporting trophies, top grades, they collect them all. 

But Maddy would rather spend time with her best friend, her pug Gusto. When Gusto disappears … her world changes.

Her search for Gusto reveals a surprising talent and Maddy can't believe her ears. She can understand everything the neighbourhood dogs are saying and suddenly Maddy becomes the go-to canine problem solver. 

But when more and more dogs go missing, Maddy finds herself with a much bigger problem … and she is going to need a lot of friends – two-legged and four-legged – to help her solve it...


Paperback, 288 pages
Imprint: Walker Books Australia, 5 June 2024
For Ages:  9-12 years old


RRP: $12.75 from www.amazon.com.au

WILLA AND WOOF 7: CAMP CHAOS
by Jacqueline Harvey

Adventure, imagination and loads of fun!

It's time for school camp and Willa is excited. But Tae, her best same-age friend, seems to be keeping a secret . . .

Things aren’t going too smoothly at camp either, so Willa will need to use all the camp survival skills Frank, her best old-age friend, has taught her and to recruit Woof, her best four-legged friend, to help save the trip.
Can Willa turn everyone into happy campers?


Paperback, 128 pages
Publisher: Penguin Books Australia, Imprint: Puffin, 4 June 2024
For Ages: 6-9 years old


Price: $8.00 from www.amazon.com.au

PERLA THE MIGHTY DOG
by Isabel Allende, Sandy Rodríguez (Illustrator)


In the first children's book written by critically acclaimed, bestselling author Isabel Allende, Perla, the mighty dog, teaches her human brother, Nico Rico, how to use his superpowers to stand up to a bully.


Perla is a mighty dog who has two superpowers - making people love her, and roaring like a lion. When she finds out her human brother, Nico Rico, is being bullied at school, she knows she has to step in But what will Perla do?

In a charming and poignant story about the bond between child and pet, Isabel Allende makes her children's literary debut.



Hardcover, 32 pages
Publisher: Bloomsbury Children's Books, released on 4 June 2024
For Ages: 3 - 7 years old


Price: $18.75 from www.amazon.com.au

SOPHIE, THE SCAREDY-CAT DOG, MEETS A MONSTER
by Russ Consaul

Sophie is a sweet, loveable, brown and white sausage dog who loves to play and explore - but exploring by yourself in a dark upstairs closet may not be a good idea for a scaredy-cat dog like Sophie. Thankfully, Bear, her older, wiser brother, is there to help.

Join Sophie on her big adventure! What does Sophie find? Why is she scared? Does Bear come to Sophie's rescue? What does Sophie learn?

Sophie's adventure is not only exciting but includes a big surprise at the end! Can you guess what it is?
Both children and adults will enjoy this heart-warming tale of two cute and loveable sausage dogs who are having quite a memorable day.


Paperback, 32 pages
Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd., 24th May 2024
For Ages: 3 - 5 years old


RRP: $15.94 at www.booktopia.com.au

JAKE THE SLED DOG
by Keely Walker, J. C. Perry (Illustrator)

Jake is a Collie who spends his days herding sheep across the lush green hills of Yorkshire, England. 

But Jake's world is turned upside down when his farmer moves to Anchorage, Alaska. Of course, things are a bit different in Alaska. 

When Jake discovers that his new school does not have a sheep-herding team, he tries out for the dog sledding team instead. 

Jake learns that picking up a new sport isn't always easy. Will Jake give up, or will he make the team?

Paperback, 36 pages
Publisher: Tamarack Gold Books, 18th May 2024
For Ages: 3 - 8 years old


Price: $30.89 from www.amazon.com.au

BLUEY, THE DOCTOR
by Bluey

Based on the hit ABC KIDS TV show!

Honey is waiting to see Doctor Bingo, but Receptionist Bluey tells her to be patient. Some of the other cases the doctor needs to attend to are a real pickle! Will Honey ever get a turn?


A gorgeous book about imaginative play for kids of all ages.

Bluey is an award-winning preschool show about Bluey, a blue heeler pup, and her family. Airing on ABC KIDS, the show has amassed legions of dedicated fans and hugely popular ranges of books, toys, clothes, games and more.



Board Book, 24 pages
Publisher: Penguin Books Australia, Imprint: Puffin, 11 June 2024
For Ages: 3-5 years old


RRP: $10.00 on pre-orders at www.amazon.com.au
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