Mental Exercises for Dogs: Unlocking Behavior Solutions! From Misunderstood Active Dogs to Harmonious Bonds: Dive into Professional Training, Master the Basics, and Unlock the Secrets of Agility by Susan Swanson

This review first appeared on Reader Views. Read the Reader Views version here.

Perfectly targeted for readers with active dogs, Mental Exercises for Dogs is a welcome, highly readable, and highly referenceable volume for dog training. Susan Swanson begins by expertly laying out the benefits and impacts of training, quickly followed by how to get to know and read dogs’ styles of communication. Next, Swanson delves into common problems dogs can have, such as jumping and separation anxiety. Mental Exercises for Dogs” then goes into training from getting set up, to basic commands, and even to some advanced techniques. A clear set of resources and a glossary of key terms round out this volume.

This straightforward structure helps the book be one that readers can return to again and again when they need to understand, engage, and train their pups. A quick look at the detailed table of contents will allow a reader to efficiently find the tips and tricks they need.

Clarity is not only present in the structure of Mental Exercises for Dogs, but throughout its execution. Swanson writes with practiced brevity and skillful arrangement carefully laying out immensely helpful information in a way that can be easily absorbed. Swanson accomplishes this with a mix of listed steps, bullet points, and precise paragraphs.

Colorful photographs decorate this volume. These help not only keep readers engaged and relating to the content but also help illustrate some training techniques. However, there were times when even more photographs would have been welcome, such as in conveying various dog body language signals.

While overall Mental Exercises for Dogs is a great resource for readers looking to dip their toes or advance their training chops, there are some ways this book could be improved. Although it’s important to keep the directness of Mental Exercises for Dogs so it can be the wonderful reference it is, a little more information about the author throughout could have improved this book. More insight into Swanson could provide the reader with more reassurance that she not only has the expertise and experience to write about these topics but also understands readers who have had a difficult time with training or understanding their dogs.

That said, Susan Swanson’s Mental Exercises for Dogs will teach readers quite a bit on a first read and even more on additional look-throughs as readers continue their training journey with their most beloved canine companion.

Mental Exercises for Dogs: Unlocking Behavior Solutions! From Misunderstood Active Dogs to Harmonious Bonds: Dive into Professional Training, Master the Basics, and Unlock the Secrets of Agility by Susan Swanson, Independently Published