Has anyone read "Merle's Door" yet? I just bought it today; I was browsing a bookstore by my office and it looked really good. Here's some info on it:
http://www.harcourtbooks.com/MerlesDoor/interview.asp

I skimmed this book on SAturday night and thought of getting it,,,but saw where he talked about you being the alpha dog and I was thinking, oh no, I am not ready to hear I am doing this the wrong way with KaeJae, so I put it back. Let me know if you think it is worth a read and I may pick it up.

No, he's completely against all that alpha crap! Check out the link I posted, he talks about how humans and dogs work better as partners and how the whole domination shtick is harmful to both.

It's not a training book at all, it's an account of his life with this dog that he found as a puppy, or rather of the life of the dog, who spent 13 years with him.

I'm about half way through the book and thoroughly enjoying it. He combines narratives about their lives with reflections and education on the dog-human bond. His philosophy on leadership is much more like Jan Fennell's "The Dog Listener" than it is Milan's - a dog needs to know its human has things under control, but also has the right to have its needs heard and respected and to be treated with dignity.
I highly recommend the book.

Well, I dunno about the domination schtick, but I know that if I let up for a moment on making sure KaeJae knows I am in charge, things go wrong fast.....perfect example, I had eased up on him sitting and waiting at the door while I attach his collar to go out and making him sit for his food....before we knew it, he was doing the jump on our chests at night thing, nipping at us when we would want him to move, etc......if I ever stopped being the Alpha dog, I would have a real big problem with my little dog. I did read the reviews and while I am not Cesar Milan fan, I just can't imagine living on the same level as KaeJae. KaeJae totally doesn't get the concept that we are partners in life, everyday he challenges me because he wants to be the boss.

Maybe KaeJae should read the book!

He CAN read, can't he? I'm betting he can.

You know, that's not a bad idea.....I could get a book on tape and play it for him that way he would have something to do while he is in his crate all day? See Connie, you are just brilliant! I swear if this dog could talk, it would be high pitched and non stop and drive you up a wall....but I love him so much despite himself!

For all of those in Los Angeles. I checked and found out the LA Public Library has it. I've placed a hold on a copy. It gets expensive constantly buying books, not to mention the space they take up on the shelf. I get rolly eyes unpacking books. Just don't tell him I ordered WDJ yesterday:)

I haven't read the book (unfortunately my pile of waiting to be read books is about 20 books high!) but I just wanted to say.... Robin, what you say about KaeJae just cracks me up.

Yeah, try it -- you will come in to find the tape playing and KaeJae covering his paws with his ears and going 'la la la la la I don't hear you!'

I finished the book last week and it is definitely one of the best dog books I've ever read. The author and the dog both came through so clearly, and I know I would love to know them personally.

Robin, the alpha mentions you saw were only a passing review of the training methods that are out there; Kerasote uses each chapter to tell Merle's story and then to examine things like how dogs learn, how humans lead, etc. He is really not pro-anything or con-anything, and his 13 years with Merle show that. The book is pretty much a memoir, with musings.

I can't recommend this book highly enough. Merle was a fantastic dog and Kerasote is an excellent writer. I actually e-mailed the author, when I finished it, and I've never done that before!

Thanks Connie, I think I may pick it up then.

I'm going to read some of his other books, although they're not about dogs -- he's an outdoors writer and a very good one.

Just an update to say I finally did get the book and am nearly half way in it. It's a good read, interesting. I'd recommend it!

I saw in the bookstore yesterday that it's out in paperback now.

I just finished reading this book and I thought it was a wonderful book.

Audible has this book in their "paperback sale" for ~ $5, so I downloaded a copy. I'm looking forward to listening to it after all these glowing reviews!

Just a note about the author -- I sent him a copy of Sander's Book a while ago, after I finished Merle's Door, and recently I got a very nice thank-you note from him in the mail! I was impressed. Dog people really are special folk.

I just got a notice that Merle's Door is on its way to me via paperbackswap.com I can't wait.

I listened to this recently (Audible had it on sale for about $5, how could I resist?). What a remarkable relationship they had. While I don't necessarily agree with all of his opinions, I certainly can't argue with the results he had. It was a really moving book.

Connie, I think it's really cool that he sent you a note!

I just picked this up at the bookstore - was going to look for it at the library but couldn't resist. Can't wait to get it started!

My dad got this book for me. It was a pleasant enough read I guess, but I can't say I'm a fan.
I really wonder who was supplying the author with his quotes. I felt like everything he quoted by Karen Pryor and Jean Donaldson was so out of context and twisted that it just made no sense. I find it hard to believe he could have read any of their books in their entirety. For someone who is supposed to be a scientist, his take on dog behavior was interesting.
I'm not sure which made me cringe harder the anthropomorphism and susperstitious dog training or the less the stellar use of a shock collar and choke chain.
I really felt seriously sad for Merle towards the end of his life and mad at the author, although it's pretty clear he really, really loved his dog.

That is exactly how I felt.

Well, I haven't gotten very far. I keep falling asleep every time I read it. I did just finish the part where he gets him to stop chasing cows by using a choke chain

I didn't find any of that stuff pleasant, or acceptable, but I give the author credit for showing how he learned about dog ownership and training -- and I think he did learn.

The methods he used are not methods I would use or want someone I know to use. But honestly? The methods I used 18 years ago are no longer methods I would use or want someone I know to use. The beauty of education is that it facilitates evolution.

No, I wouldn't ever recommend this book as a training manual, nor would I endorse every single thing in it. I liked it because the love between Ted and Merle was enormous and transformative, and because Ted always gave Merle room to be his own dog, and didn't treat him as an appendage of a human.

JMO.

Oh heck ya Connie. It's not so much that he used a choke chain or a shock collar that bugged my it's that he quoted / misquoted some incredible people but really didn't seem to understand what they were about. That part was odd to me. He's an interesting guy for sure. Reading that book made me want to move to Montana or Wyoming and live in a cabin with my dogs.

I was re-reading this thread and thought it was only fair to my little Monster to say that he is getting the fact that he is my buddy, not my boss and that we can go for days at a time where he isn't the bossy one. Our bond really changed over the last 4-5 months and he is very eager to please much of the time and realizes that we aren't in competition anymore. He does still often go into "I own HER" mode when I am holding him and other dogs or the cat comes by, but he's much improved. I love my life with my Jack Russell Monster more than you can know...it's not the life I had with Bandit, but it's a very good and very different one. He keeps me warm at night by staying glued to my back or my tummy and he keeps guard when I get up 25 hundred million times a night to potty and his favorite job is making me laugh with all of his crazy antics. We aren't Merle's Door, maybe we are KaeJae's Party House instead? ha!

[quote]The beauty of education is that it facilitates evolution. smile[quote]

This is something I adore about training. I'm so thankful I had dogs before children and learned positive training techniques (some of you know how VERY grateful I am!). And still I'm learning - the little dog I'm running/training now teaches me something every day. Every rescue I get teaches me something significant.

One of my favorite herding trainers says, "Every dog will teach you if you are willing to learn, and if you listen to the dogs, they'll teach you how to teach them."

I'm getting a dog I placed recently back today (a dog I haven't mentioned anything about because I wanted to respect the privacy of some of the people involved). Robin, I could just kiss you for your dedication to your dog who turned out little like the dog you had previous experience with. I'm finding more and more that people are unwilling to deal with challenges, take responsibility, and want to lay blame all over the place rather than accept that sometimes "stuff happens."

Well, I'll talk about all that later. I'm too grumpy now obviously.

Want to know what bothered me the most -- it was every time he mentioned Merle's food and vet visits for shots and the like. And at the end, when his friend's dog gets that cancer in the jaw, I'm thinking 'no, no, don't DO THAT' when he describes the chemo and the surgery ... That was the real reason I sent him a copy of Sander's Book: I hoped that he would read it and be curious about non-traditional diets and veterinary care for his next dog.

So yeah, I had an agenda.

And yeah, I understand your issues with the book.