Our own publications - Wolf and dog behaviour

What these publications are:

By the author, Phil Watson

These publications are unique in their approach and in many contexts, unique in their content too.

As a person who has raised and worked with wolves for many years and lived with and trained dogs for many more years than that, I can't help noticing how few popular dog-authors have actually got any genuine experience with wolves. And yet most dog-authors (and dog-trainers) frequently like to reason about how we should live with and train dogs by comparing them with their ancestor, the wolf.

The interesting part is that the comparison bit is about all most of them have got in common; Having compared, they go their separate ways and split into their ideological camps. On one hand, one has the "dogs are nothing like wolves" theorists and on the other, the "dominate your dog and be its pack leader" faction.

So, who is right ?

The answer is that this is the wrong question. What matters is understanding the subject and the subject is a lot more subtle and fascinating than simply asking the question "should you treat your dog as a wolf?"

These documents are our own original publications; you will not find them anywhere else. All of them were written by me. My principal concern in producing them was to give the unfiltered and accurate facts about practical dog and wolf behaviour and about dog-training. The subjects are approached from the point of view of giving the reader a real-world, practical understanding of the subject.

What they aren't:

These are not academic behaviour-science texts and there is a minimum of jargon. In fact, academic-style animal behaviour texts are about as much use to the average dog owner and trainer as a book full of engine equations would be to the average car driver. There is little or no ecology or biology information in these publications - accurate information of that kind is easily available in any public library. These publications do not give anyone enough information to "keep wolves". Although quite a few practical examples of training are given, these are not designed to be practical dog-training manuals for the simple reason that the written word is not the right medium for practical training information, video and the hands-on workshop are better for that.

Target audience:

Anyone researching dog and wolf behaviour, dog trainers, the interested dog-owner. If you have ever wondered whether it really is necessary to treat your dog as a wolf or whether you can ignore the connection then these publications are for you. If you'd rather research and make your own mind up than buy popular authors' bottled opinions off the shelf then these publications are for you.

The "Dogs & Wolves" series:

"1 Domestication" (easy read) takes a look at why it is dogs we live with, not wolves. It contains a wealth of information on wolf behaviour, anecdotes and stories about our wolves and the similarities and differences between what wolves do and what dogs do. A4. Approx. (32,000 words, 61 pages, 12 colour pictures) Quick preview

"2 Instincts & Behaviours" (less easy) looks under the hood to see what makes canines tick. Again, there is plenty of information on what wolves do. A4. Approx. (28,000 words, 74 pages, several diagrams, 1 colour picture) Quick preview

"3 Packs & Families" (easy read) looks at the process of living with a dog and takes a new, practical, factual look at how far we can think of dogs as wolves and whether we need to. A4. Approx. (46,000 words, 102 pages, various diagrams and tables, 4 colour pictures) Quick preview

"4 How they Learn" (less easy) is all about the processes by which both dogs and wolves learn and is mostly concerned with understanding how to get dogs to do things - or stop doing them. A4. Approx. (53,000 words, 116 pages, various diagrams, 1 colour picture) Quick preview

(Please note that the above details may vary from time to time. )

Whether or not dogs or wolves are designed to live in packs, these publications are designed to live together and be approached in order 1..4. Each to some extent builds upon topics presented in previous ones.

You can buy these publications in our online store or in our shop when you visit us. They are supplied  UNBOUND (Ie. loose leaf).