BarkSpot, another website for which I am a contributor, just published my listicle:

The Four Best Books for Every Dog Person

There are so many books written about how to have the perfect puppy, but what about how to be the perfect person for your dog? Here are THE four consummate books to help you become the perfect human for the dog you love.

Animals In Translation by Temple Grandin

The study of autism spectrum disorder is ongoing, as evidenced by new research in March 2023. Many dogs and other animals share similarities with autistic people.

Animal facilities worldwide are improved due to the work of Temple Grandin, who is a person with autism, in reforming the quality of life and humaneness of death for animals that Americans eat.

Grandin has redefined society's perception of what is possible for autistics and, by extension, for dogs. She argues that language is not a requirement for consciousness and that autism is a depot on the road from animals to humans.

She explains how dogs use emotions, even to predict the future.

Animals In Translation is so different from every other dog book ever written because of Grandin's unique perspective as a person with autism. She holds a Ph.D. in animal science from the University of Illinois and has dedicated her life to studying animals.

For anyone sharing their life with a dog, this is must-read material for understanding how animals learn and respond to teaching.

Before and After Getting Your Puppy, The Positive Approach to Raising a Happy, Healthy and Well-Behaved Dog by Dr. Ian Dunbar

If there were only one book for every dog owner to own, this is it. It's one of those volumes you return to time and again as a great reference source.

Every time a new dog is adopted into the family over the years, out comes Before and After Getting Your Puppy for a refresher on the best way to acclimate a new dog into your home.

Covering topics from error-free potty training (yes, it can be done), to crate training and socialization, this book hits all the must-have topics necessary when you adopt a new dog. Dr. Ian Dunbar is a foremost authority on puppy socialization and teaches how to create bite inhibition that saves dogs' lives.

Using all positive-based reward luring and teaching, this book describes in succinct and easy-to-follow detail how to teach your puppy or adult dog all the basic life skills necessary for a dog that shares their life with humans.

Chaser, Unlocking the Genius of the Dog Who Knows a Thousand Words by Dr. John W. Pilley, Jr.

Based on peer-reviewed scholarly research done by Dr. John Pilley and his border collie Chaser at Wofford College, this book revolutionizes how dogs learn new behaviors. Pilley's groundbreaking research in canine cognition gives us empirical confirmation that dogs are not only as smart as their owners have always believed them to be, but are capable of much more.

Pilley's dog teaching methods are based on play and positively rewarding your dog's training by playing games with your dog.

Chaser has the largest tested vocabulary of any animal in the world, but this book argues that all dogs can learn just as much with the right teaching methods. Chaser's research shows that dogs are much smarter than they have previously been given credit for by scientists.

In his book about Chaser the border collie, Pilley gives hope and healing for anyone suffering loss. He says, "The relatively short life spans of our pets cause us a lot of grief, but they also ground us in a natural life cycle of life and death, and, if we accept it, renewal. The spirit of our relationship with one pet lives on in and shapes the spirit of our relationship with another pet, even years later."

Chaser is an excellent resource on how to unlock the genius of your own dog.

This article's author's copy and Chaser's beloved "Blue" toy signed by Dr. Pilley

The Other End of The Leash, Why We Do What We Do Around Dogs by Patricia B. McConnell, Ph.D.

You are likely to never be the same again after reading this life-changing book. Insightful, fascinating, and captivating, this book connects you and your dog like never before.

This book teaches you how to teach your own dog in a way that your dog understands from their perspective.

McConnell tells you how to communicate less like the primate you are and more like a dog. This book is all about using teaching methods that uplift your relationship with your dog rather than harming it.

The Other End of The Leash describes that often intangible idea of why we love our dogs so much yet we often are at odds on the best way to teach them what we want them to know.

Adult primates (aka dog owners!) and dogs both love to play, but we express affection and intention in vastly different ways. Using easily understandable science-based research, McConnell offers a whole new angle on the human-dog connection.

Follow AnimalAccolades for more information about fun ways to learn from dogs. 

*Please note, in their version of this article some sentences were changed by BarkSpot's editors after I completed my writing and submitted it.*