Review by Lauren Cavagnolo
Have you ever wondered why your dog behaves the way he does? Some canine habits are easy to understand while others can be a little puzzling — or even leave you scratching your head and wondering what’s going on.
“Think Like A Dog” helps pet owners better understand the why behind their dog’s behavior, improving communication between owner and pet. What makes the book stand out among animal behavior books is that it relates these principles to human relationships, making it applicable across many areas of your life.
Written by Oklahoma dog trainer Beth Sharp in partnership with fellow Oklahoman and bestselling author Jim Stovall — known for his novel “The Ultimate Gift” — “Think Like a Dog” examines topics such as trust, communication, environment management, objective observation and more as they relate to the canine experience.
Sharp, who has more than 20 years of experience training dogs, makes no claims at solving behavioral issues, but rather provides owners with valuable perspectives on a dog’s point of view in a variety of scenarios, empowering owners to find their own solutions to their unique problems.
Before anyone can change a dog’s behavior, they must first understand why the behavior is happening. While we can’t know with absolute certainty what a dog is thinking or feeling, Sharp helps decode the cues our pups are giving us that we may be overlooking or misunderstanding.
Well-intentioned actions or poor environmental management may actually be causing undesirable behaviors in our pups that owners are trying to prevent. Meanwhile, your dog may be telling you exactly what he needs in order to change his behavior, but if you don’t speak his language, you may never know what he is trying to say.
Sharp’s insights help owners take a step back and look at the bigger picture, giving them the ability to identify the source of the problem instead of focusing on the symptoms or annoying behavior. Oftentimes, as readers will quickly discover, the problem doesn’t stem from the canine but rather the human.
The book is full of real-life, relatable examples pulled from both Sharp’s experiences as a dog trainer and foster for rescue dogs as well as Stovall’s own life experiences.
Short chapters and a quick pace make “Think Like A Dog” a fast read, perfect for any dog owner who is looking to cut to the chase and start improving their relationship with their pet right away.
Sharp is a certified professional dog trainer (CPDT-KA) and sees clients for training and behavior help through her business, Train Great Dogs. Sharp previously offered free training classes for those adopting from Tulsa Animal Welfare as a way to help reduce the return rate. She has also supported Tulsa rescue programs through a variety of volunteer activities.
Stovall is a bestselling author, athlete, investment broker and entrepreneur, all while overcoming the challenge of blindness. An advocate for the visually impaired, he was chosen as the International Humanitarian of the Year in 2000 for his work through Narrative Television Network.
