from many of the stories I've heard about rehoming, it seems evident that training is a huge factor in whether a dog manages to stay in its home or not, and some of the successful new homes I've heard about also claim to owe their success with their otherwise problematic hound to a particular book they've read

which books do you have on dogs and how useful are they?

I have a book specifically about the breed I was intending to buy - so I'd know all about the breed characteristics and could tailor training to suit

I have a dog encyclopedia too - which I made good use of when selecting which breed would suit our lifestyle

I must get around to finding a good training book to read - now I seem to be up to my neck in training advice

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Over the years we've ended up with shelves full of dog books

The most used are Bullmastiff specific books, closely followed by The Doglopaedia - a complete guide to dog care by JM Evans and Kay White. This book is nice and easy to read, you don't have to do it all at once just pick out the relevant section at the time. The book is split into 5 parts - Dog management, behaviour and training, your dog in health and illness, taking care of your dog, signs and symptoms of illness - which includes 'what if my dog .... ' Also, by the same authours - The book of the bitch - this has the same format as the doglopaedia but is a complete guide to understanding and caring for bitches.

Why does my dog .. ? by John Fisher - John Fisher is a behaviour counsellor and has an insight into dogs' behaviour and instincts, again a book to read in bite size chunks - or as the question happens

Written in a humorous way - 101 questions your dog would ask its vet - if your dog could talk by Bruce Fogle. Bruce Fogle is a vet and specialist in animal behaviour and turned agony uncle to advise dogs about all aspects of their life. Some of the questions the dogs ask are 'Will neutering make me fat and boring?', or 'Why do I howl when I hear Beethoven?'

When Tippa came to us I bought Understanding the rescue dog by Carol Price. I still haven't made up my mind about this one Carol is a behaviourist, specialising in rescue dogs.

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I know its not quite the same thing but i am reading Marley and Me and that is really good. Its about a family in America who bought a cute little puppy and all the trials and tribulations they had with him.
Although it is strictly not a behaviour type book it made me feel better that its not only my dogs who have had problems.

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Hey! I've just finished reading that!

He sounds like he was just one of those dogs! (the kind that usually wind up in rescue - and he did come close )

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I think most dog owners can relate to Marley, as Strix says he's just one of those special dogs that come into your life at some time - hope you have a box of tissues at the ready for when you get to the last few pages

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Walking ollie is a fantastic read, its about a man who went to a rescue and adopted a saluki puppy. It had me laughng out loud and in tears, my other half thought i was mad. I would say to anyone that has a love of dogs to read this book.

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Thats the book i have racking my brains of to think what it was called, my other half thinks i have made the book up and it does not exist you wait till i tell him. Its a purply colour cover with the dog on the front isnt it????

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Training Books... lemme see...

My favourites are:
The Culture Clash - I'm part way through this and am LOVING it! She really does highlight why so many dog-human relationships don't work and why we so often misunderstand dogs. She also gives some fantastic comparisons of dog trainers and dog owners trying to train and its a great way to improve your training skills.
Dr Ian Dunbar is quoted to say: 'Simply the best dog book I've ever read'. If you can't take a recommendation from him, who can you take it from?!

The Other End of The Leash by Patricia McConnell is very good with plenty of personal experiences, humour, a genuine respect for dogs and understanding of how they learn.

If you're looking for more scientific dog behaviour books 'How Dogs Learn' is a great study and I found it very useful.

The Power of Positive Dog Training by Pat Miller is brilliant with some very useful training timetables in the back

Finally, Don't Shoot The Dog by Karen Pryor is good for quick reference...

I'd say don't bother with Jan Fennel's The Dog Listener, she has some lovely ideas but it's all based on studies of captive wolves and what relevance a different species kept in an unnatural environment has I don't quite see...

The Dog Whisperer is one to steer clear of, although I've not read it - Pat Miller is noted to have commented on how vague it is and having seen Cesar Millan himself do 'finger bites' 'alpha rolls' and leash jerks on nervous dogs I don't see the need to waste money on this book.

Hope that helps a bit!

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I have also read the other end of the leash as mentioned by Lottie a great book that is practical and easy to understand the most important bit is that we can understand and relate it to our lives and i could so it worked for me.