The story of dog obedience

I have been trying to get an inexpensive copy of this book for like a year. Unfortunately I did not find it that enjoyable so that is why I am giving it 3 stars. For people really into obedience they may find it much more interesting, but for me, the history details, names of people, names of dogs, facts and figures, were not that exciting.

That back of the books says 'THE HISTORY OF DOG OBEDIENCE - the exciting, fascinating story of the growth of dog training in America - has here been told by the one best qualified to tell it. Blanche Saunders, together with Mrs. Whitehouse Walker, pioneered the development of Obedience in this country.

Before I got this book, I did get a half dozen of the training books by Blanche Sanders, but other show more than leafing through them a little, haven't read them. I keep thinking maybe some day I will take one aspect of dog training, and research it in different books, and then it would be fun to have what are some of the earliest dog training books to compare.

The start was inspired by Mrs. Whitehouse Walker who was breeding standard poodles. 'But it nettled her that friends often badgered her with statements such as "Poodles are sissy dogs." She decided that the best way to convince everyone that the Poodle, despite its fancy haircut, was as intelligent as another other breed, was to have them perform in a series of obedience exercises.'

I was hoping for more insights and antidotes. There were a few, but not enough. They did a coast to coast tour in pulling a trailer with 3 dogs to promote obedience. Love seeing the picture of their car and trailer.

'And now that we were home, we could look back with tolerant appreciation of such times as when a little boy in Texas, watching his first demonstration of scent discrimination, shook his head and muttered, "Golly, that lady sure must stink." Or the courtly sheriff in Louisiana who looked at us in amazement when he heard that we had no men folk with us, and in five minutes - with true Southern hospitality - had every man on the place busying setting up camp for us. And the inevitable Poodle question we were always being asked, "Lady, does their hair grow that way?"

I did enjoy the many pictures in the book. Love seeing the fashions from the 30's and 40's. Love seeing the dogs, often in pictures with them in mid-air making a jump. The pictures make the book worthy of picking up and thumbing through. As far as the book being interesting to read, not so much unless as I said you really are a fan of obedience. show less

I have been trying to get an inexpensive copy of this book for like a year. Unfortunately I did not find it that enjoyable so that is why I am giving it 3 stars. For people really into obedience they may find it much more interesting, but for me, the history details, names of people, names of dogs, facts and figures, were not that exciting.

That back of the books says 'THE HISTORY OF DOG OBEDIENCE - the exciting, fascinating story of the growth of dog training in America - has here been told by the one best qualified to tell it. Blanche Saunders, together with Mrs. Whitehouse Walker, pioneered the development of Obedience in this country.

Before I got this book, I did get a half dozen of the training books by Blanche Sanders, but other show more than leafing through them a little, haven't read them. I keep thinking maybe some day I will take one aspect of dog training, and research it in different books, and then it would be fun to have what are some of the earliest dog training books to compare.

The start was inspired by Mrs. Whitehouse Walker who was breeding standard poodles. 'But it nettled her that friends often badgered her with statements such as "Poodles are sissy dogs." She decided that the best way to convince everyone that the Poodle, despite its fancy haircut, was as intelligent as another other breed, was to have them perform in a series of obedience exercises.'

I was hoping for more insights and antidotes. There were a few, but not enough. They did a coast to coast tour in pulling a trailer with 3 dogs to promote obedience. Love seeing the picture of their car and trailer.

'And now that we were home, we could look back with tolerant appreciation of such times as when a little boy in Texas, watching his first demonstration of scent discrimination, shook his head and muttered, "Golly, that lady sure must stink." Or the courtly sheriff in Louisiana who looked at us in amazement when he heard that we had no men folk with us, and in five minutes - with true Southern hospitality - had every man on the place busying setting up camp for us. And the inevitable Poodle question we were always being asked, "Lady, does their hair grow that way?"

I did enjoy the many pictures in the book. Love seeing the fashions from the 30's and 40's. Love seeing the dogs, often in pictures with them in mid-air making a jump. The pictures make the book worthy of picking up and thumbing through. As far as the book being interesting to read, not so much unless as I said you really are a fan of obedience. show less