Off-Leash Dog Play: A Complete Guide to Safety & Fun

This is a really great book which suggests ways of managing off leash play, including assessing dogs, and when play is "green", "red" or "yellow"... The big problem is that canine body language is not always blatant and often occurs in subtle sequences within varying contexts... The book offers pictures and explanations of behaviors, but I don't think small B&W photos suffice to get the point across in demonstrating the behaviors so well to the uninitiated -- you can't really freeze frame most dog behaviors... I think you really need good videographer as well as many breed examples to really train a person about the behaviors... For this reason, I think the book is very good for people who work and deal with dogs all the time and are already familiar with the signals, and are looking for a system to manage and assess situations... but if your goal is to learn how to read a dog's body language and you're very new at it, the book probably wouldn't be my first choice. - - In contrast, I'd suggested viewing Sarah Kalnajs "Language of Dogs" and "Am I Safe" DVD first, videos for those seriously fascinated with the topic - - but not for individuals who don't want to sit through a formal lecture on the subject.All in all... I think this book offers a GREAT outline of the subject, but I really hope it might be expanded into an instructional video one day. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think there are any DVDs out yet that capture and analyze dog/dog and human/dog interaction at a dog park and go into analyzing situations. If there was, I'd get it in an instant! (Please give me credit if you decide to make one of course!)

I am the Senior Manager for a Doggie Daycare and I thought this book was was great! Several things I like about it:*A quick read. It only took me about 2 hours to get through it. Granted, I read very fast, but it is something that people can read entirely in a short amount of time.*Plenty of pictures to illustrate what you are talking about.*Covering not only what to look for in the dogs, but what to look for in yourself. LOVE the chapter about being a good leader, ESPECIALLY the section "Your leadership skills need improving if you..."*What I like the most, and what I was the most concerned about prior to reading it, is the fact that what is stated in the book does not say "This is the way you should do things" so it complements the training program I already have for my staff instead of ever contradicting it. I suppose with daycares that are less focused on improving the quality of experience for their dog and human clients might disagree, but I think this will be a great addition to our training program. It's like it is a nice overview of how things should work in an ideal situation, and then I get to fill in the gaps and give the finer details of what to actually do to make it all come together.It is completely synced up with what we do in our daycare that it easily could have been written specifically for my business. I found myself nodding along with what I was reading a number of times.I intend to make this required reading for my staff. Thank you so much for getting this out there! It is really going to be an asset to the doggie daycare world!

Awesome! Helped me see things which were right before my very eyes, and I now know what much of it means. I have a much better understanding of what is happening with the dogs in a day care situation when they go out to play. I feel much more confident that I will know when to stop certain behaviors before it escalates into a fight, and I also know when they are just playing, so I can allow the dogs to go on and have their fun. This book has the answers I had been looking for in numerous previously read books. I am now a much better leader of the pack, and have confidence that with time I will get better and better. I've even shared this book with the seasoned workers and they all were able to learn a few things from it. It was so fun sharing this information. I can't wait to meet the authors at the Kennel Expo!

Fantastic title. I used this boom to enhance my knowledge on the job at a kennel, and it helped me structure safe play for the dogs. It's an easy read, and I highly recommend it to anyone who shares their life with dogs, whether professionally or just as beloved companions.

I just attended a 2 day Doggie Day Care seminar presented by Robin and Susan - the authors of this book. It was the best seminar I have ever attended on any subject - hands down. Much of the material we discussed is covered in this book. They both operate from the premise that we should be looking not only at the safety of our dogs but also their emotional well-being. While geared for people who work with dogs off lease in playgroups/daycare, the information is invaluable to any dog owner. I thought a yawn meant I'm tired or I'm bored. Did you know that a yawn "is often the first signal that a dog is uneasy" (pg 30) I didn't! Filled with hundreds of photos indictating GREEN/YELLOW/RED light behaviors, these ladies have written a GREAT book, and done a service for all dogs. I'll never look at a yawn, stretch, shake shake, etc in the same way again. Thank you Robin and Susan, and I'm sure a HUGE shout-out to you from dogs everywhere!

If you know dog play then this is an incredible book!!! I love reaching to this book for knowledge, a refresher or a reset. You will NOT be disappointed with this tool! I could happily spend hours rehashing scenarios in my head with this book, but the most enjoyable is actually utilizing the information with the hands on experience.Thank you to the authors for this book! Safety then fun!

I work for an Animal Hospital where we do daily playtimes with small/big dogs. Some of them can be out of control and so I needed some extra information so that I could do my job better. It has helped me a lot and taught me many things but, most of all, it has shown me to pay more attention to all the small details that we forget to look at sometimes. I wasn't able to find another book like one and so I was really excited when I did. Everyone working with dogs should read this.

Useful.

great book

A very good book indeed. A must-have for those who run dog day cares and very helpful for those who visit off-leash parks regularly.

Really good book. Received quickly and in good condition. Thank you