Dog Listener

While browsing at the library, I came across this book called The Dog Listener. It's inspired by Monty Roberts who is called the Horse Whisperer though it doesn't really use the specific Horse Whisperer techniques (not that I know what they are). One day I'll have to watch the movie. (The movie I see now is modeled after other Horse Whipererers especially Buck Brannaman, not Monte Roberts.)

The author is Jan Fennell and she calls her technique Amichien Bonding. It's based on the view that the dog is a pack animal and doesn't use forceful techniques.

Here's a less than positive review of the book by Kate Connick. Frankly, the reviewer comes across as a jerk to me (just based on how she wrote the review). Maybe she was just in a bad mood. Or that this "amateur" methodology was an affront to her professional expertise (like Dodman against Millan). Because her website (other than this review) seems much more positive [just the name of site seems positive - Courteous Canines]. Hey, if it works, it works. [2/5/09 - I see now that she has reviews of quite a number of books on her site. So I suppose she must be knowledgeable. Perusing some of her reviews, she sounds like a right-wing Republican. NTTAWWT.]

More positive reviews are at Amazon. Out of 89 reviews, 68 are five star and 4 are one star. None particularly say her techniques don't work, but take issue with the theory behind why they work.

[1/15, posted 1/24]


[1/26 a.m.] Fennell also has a book called Tales from the Dog Listener (found from an ebay search) which is a book of stories. (The sitstay link on the right came from a google search on this book.)