I am not usually given to writing reviews, but this time I simply had to. Having lived with at least one dog for the last 30+ years and having worked as a professional dog trainer in the past, I have come across lots of dog behavior/training books. LOTS of them. They have mostly been interesting, often helpful, brushing up my knowledge and adding some new aspects. After a while, I got the impression that I had read/heard it all. There were no "aha-experiences" any more.
"Dogs Can Sign, Too" changed all that. It came as a complete surprise. In this book, the author describes a revolutionary, experimental and ambitious approach to educating and communicating with your dog.
Although recent scientific publications tend to acknowledge that dogs' cognitive capabilities in some ways resemble those of young (2-3 yrs of age) human children, these books generally focus on basic problem solving skills. They don't venture into this seemingly exclusive, distinctively human domain of acquired language skills (beyond body language and species-specific vocalizations). The language barrier between our species (human and canine) still remains largely intact. We are left to wonder what our canine companions are thinking, feeling, how they perceive the world. We try to glean information about their inner state by observing their gestures and categorizing different types of barks (fearful, aggressive, ...). While observing dogs can give us some rough ideas (e.g. telling us that the dog noticed somebody at the door), it doesn't provide the details (e.g. who is at the door - a stranger, aunt Mary, the neighbor's dog, ...).
Sean Senechal refuses to accept this barrier as impenetrable and insurmountable. She created an animal-friendly language, AnimalSign (K9Sign for dogs) to teach animals. I really appreciate her approach of giving the dog - and other, non-human and non-primate species - the benefit of the doubt. Until proven wrong with evidence, we have to assume that our canine pupils can learn to actively expressively communicate with us, using learned signs (e.g. special paw or head movements), maybe even making up new signs after having learned the rules of the AnimalSign Language (presented in her book). In order to find out if dogs can do this, we have to do our best to teach them, adjusting our teaching methods to their needs.
This is another point that really caught my attention and changed the way I am interacting with my dogs: The book emphasizes teaching as opposed to training. It offers a more comprehensive approach than traditional dog training, allowing the learner to develop his/her own thoughts. While traditional training methods like classical and operant conditioning are effective and can also be used for teaching signs, Sean Senechal offers additional teaching techniques she came to value through her experience as a teacher of human students. This makes sure that learning success isn't stinted by limited methods.
The second half of the book applies the various techniques to hands-on instructions for teaching canine sign language to your dog. It introduces a number of signs that can be used in everyday life, like a general sign for "toy", special signs for particular toys ("ball", "Frisbee"), a general sign for "food", special signs for different types of food, etc. Each sign is described in detail over several pages, with lots of advice for teaching, practicing and testing. Even if you are not interested in the general concept of teaching a sign language to dogs, you can use this part as a guide for trick training. But you will gain much more from it if you keep an open mind regarding the possibility that dogs might learn and use these "tricks" as building blocks of a real language. This way the book has the potential to open a window into your dog's mind, granting you the chance for new insights and a real understanding of his/her needs and perceptions.
I especially like the idea that humans might regard dogs and other animals with more respect if they discover that there are active minds inside those cute, furry heads. Being able to communicate through a language that we can understand could help dogs to teach us about their intelligence, thus redefining the way we think about them and making our relationships much more satisfying for both sides. True love and respect go hand in hand.
This is not your typical dog training book. Nor does it replace basic obedience training. If you are new to dog training, you will need other books ("Dogs Can Sign, Too" actually contains some suitable literature recommendations) and/or dog training classes to learn the basics. But you can use this book in parallel, whether you have a puppy or an adult dog. At the very least it provides you and your dog with lots of fun exercises - and it has the potential to greatly enhance your mutual understanding and enrich your relationship. There is nothing to lose (except maybe some old prejudices about "dumb beasts") and a lot to gain!
