Dog Behavior Book Recommendation Appreciated
In a separate post I asked for a recommendation of a trainer for Baby Girl and a behaviorist was mentioned. Since there are many books available on the subject, your recommendation is appreciated.
Forum Discussion
campn4walleye wrote:
Victoria Stilwell is amazing. She used to have a program called "Me or the Dog". She understands behavior (she's a behaviorist)and uses common sense techniques without force.
Not to be nitpicky (because I do like Stilwell), but she's certainly not a behaviorist in the sense that Dunbar and McConnell are. And on her website she avoids describing herself as a behaviorist.
Stilwell, like Cesar Milan, is basically a TV personality. According to Wikipedia, her degree is in theatre (I use the English spelling because her degree is from an English university). The only "certifications" she has are from the American Pet Dog Trainers and Animal Behavior and Training Associates. They're both essentially pay-to-join organizations with no credentials required. And according to what Google is telling me, Animal Behavior and Training Associates appears to now be a defunct organization.
Dunbar is a licensed veterinarian with a specialty in canine behavior. McConnell is a certified applied animal behaviorist with a Ph.D. in zoology. They have the education and legitimate credentialing to call themselves behaviorists.
