From Publishers Weekly
Clearly an animal lover, Clothier opens this training manual by recalling her childhood, when she pretended she was a dog. Rather than simply trying to “train” animals to behave in a certain way, Clothier focuses on improving the existing relationship between pet and owner. To help readers gain some insights into more effective training, Clothier offers anecdotes about her clients. Particularly important is the dog’s connection to the owner and the ability of the two to communicate effectively: “In each moment that you are with the dog, you must be aware, gently and persistently shifting the balance toward one of mutual agreement and cooperation. This is not easy, and it requires some thought. Most of all, it requires a desire to create-over and over again-the event of quality, which in turn creates a heartfelt commitment to truly being with the dog.” Usually Clothier begins by observing her clients interact with their pets: after one owner complained about her dog being disruptive and overly playful, Clothier concluded that the owner’s way of physically stopping her dog was in fact causing the dog to be more playful. Clothier is a capable writer, and her descriptive style livens up the subject matter.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Product Description
For anyone who has ever dreamed of being able to really talk to their dogs–and ‘hear’ what they have to say
BONES WOULD RAIN FROM THE SKY
Akin to Monty Roberts’s The Man Who Listens to Horses and going light-years beyond The Hidden Life of Dogs or any training manual, Suzanne Clothier takes a radical new direction in understanding our life with dogs…and our mutual love. Drawing on a lifetime of experience with dogs, this nationally renowned dog trainer brings us astonishing new lessons about our animals–and ourselves.
Gently, with intelligence, humor, and unfailing patience, Suzanne Clothier guides us to truly comprehend another creature’s mind and heart.
You will discover how our dogs see the world from their uniquely canine perspective, how we can meet their deep need for leadership without using force or coercion, and how the “laws” of canine culture often put our dogs at odds with us and our very human world. Clothier’s unparalleled insights into aggression in dogs can help prevent a tragedy, including the unnecessary destruction of a pet.
In these pages, you will meet unforgettable dogs who will capture, and perhaps break, your heart. There is Badger–handsome, curious, and perhaps dangerous. Can his threatening behavior be changed? Though doomed by a congenital heart murmur, the winsome pup McKinley offers an unforgettable lesson in living. Then aging Vali brings us to the moment that all dog owners must someday face: the loss of a devoted companion. But what this old dog teaches us in her last days may change you forever.
As in no other “dog book” or training manual, in BONES WOULD RAIN FROM THE SKY an extraordinary woman shows us how to find a deep connection with another being and to receive an incomparable gift: a profound, lifelong relationship with the dog you love.

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