"The Trouble With Dogs" Said Dad is story by Bob Graham about acceptance and understanding. Dave is a rowdy dog that needs proper training and discipline. The family calls in a dog trainer who yells and forces Dave to behave. However, Dave loses his spark; causing the family to cancel the training and accept Dave as he is. This story shows that sometimes behaviors people deem undesirable are what makes a being unique and special. So instead of forcing those behaviors out, learning to adapt and accept them is the better approach. This is a well written story, with a unique and interesting moral. ( )

This is a heartwarming book about a pup named Dave but as a dog lover, I think this book applies to all dogs. The trouble with dogs is there is no trouble! There is a quote at the beginning of the book that states "All dogs, good dogs."-Jack Biggs, a dog owner. The Mom and dad in the story started off saying that dogs take over your life and run the show but their daughter Kate is confused by this comment and wonder what show? Dave gets into plenty of mischief and Kate soon sees this. The family decides to get Dave some puppy training only to realize that the training is taking the spark out of this little fella. What did the family and even the trainer realize? Well, Dave is fine just the way he is! ( )

This book is just ok for me. While it attempts to be meaningful, I think it would be more helpful to children who read this story for them to compromise with the Brigadier. Having the family cancel the service because the puppy trainer was too strict doesn't seem realistic for any family. It would have been more helpful to have a meaningful discussion that to just give up. ( )

The Trouble with Dogs Said Dad, is the sequel to Let's Get a Pup. My son Max loves animals and he was delighted to read more about Dave, Rosy, and their owner Kate. Dave the spunky pup is a bit too much to handle so Kate's parents call a dog trainer to come and help them manage Dave. The family soon regrets their decision when they see Dave has lost all of his "crackle and fizz." My son said that the dog trainer made them sad and they missed the "old Dave." I agree that this is an adorable story about loving our pets the way they are even if they have some extra fizz. Graham's sing song style of text stay's true in this book and I love the way it reads. ( )

Sorry, I just can't accept that, just because The Brigadier was too strict (mean?) to be the trainer this family would choose, they think it's ok to do no training at all. Dave can sleep in a basket - let Dad have the armchair. And *do not* let Dave jump on visitors. :sigh:

ETA - reading [b:Animals in Translation: Using the Mysteries of Autism to Decode Animal Behavior|7366|Animals in Translation Using the Mysteries of Autism to Decode Animal Behavior|Temple Grandin|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1408254675s/7366.jpg|10490] (and thoroughly enjoying it) clarifies some of the reasoning behind my condemnation of the family here for not training their dog. I strongly recommend you read Grandin's book, but meanwhile, do know that:

1. dogs are hard-wired to be predators, and all their wonderful social skills are higher functions layered on top of that 'instinct,' so the humans in the family need to be 'alpha.' And: 2. a dog who knows its place in the family is a content dog - one who doesn't could easily become neurotic, or at least unable to cope with any change in the structure of the 'pack' that is its family. At least Graham's characters are doing one thing that will probably minimize occurrence of major problems - they have two dogs, and so there is some influence each can have on the other's animal behavior. ( )