pet connection

A little book came in for review yesterday, and I flipped through it last night. The book is Carol Lea Benjamin’s See Spot Sit (Skyhorse Publishing, $10.95), and it’s subtitled “101 Illustrated Tips for Training the Dog You Love.” It should probably be instead subtitled, “101 really sneaky ways to get people to train their dogs without realizing it.”

“Wow,” I thought as I read, “I bet [name redacted to protect the guilty] wouldn’t even know I was sending her a dog training book if I gave her this, and it might finally make her get why her dogs have so many behavior problems.”

And then it struck me. Everyone should read this little book of dog cartoons, because it slips its sensible, humane, effective message in with such gentle humor that before they know it, they’ll find themselves nodding and smiling and reaching for a dog cookie to see if their dog, too, will do that.

It’s funny, it’s cheerful, it’s neither rooted in outdated training concepts nor so firmly allied with any single school of training that it will get anyone’s resistance up or lead owners astray (no choke chains, no “alpha rolls,” but also, no clickers), just a subtle enticement down the path of teaching you how to communicate with your dog so that the two of you don’t get into trouble.

And all wrapped up in a little stacked-by-the-cash-register paperback package that means anyone you give it to will just think it’s a witty little book of dog doodles. That’s so devious smart!