Denise Mange’s new book is a breath of fresh air amongst titles that are capitalizing are the increasingly grim, aesthetical atmosphere. Upbeat but profound, simple but effective and pretty tantalizing, Translating Your Pet’s Behavior: Learn What Their Behavior Says About You To Train Smarter, Not Harder is probably one of the best how-to guides when it comes to man’s best friend I’ve read in years.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: https://www.instagram.com/petprana/
Of course, I think the ship for me has sailed with my own breed, a standard black poodle with a serious attitude problem. In many ways, this book would have proved an elixir to some of the glory days – particularly when she was off-leash. But I digress. “…what does it mean to train smarter, not harder?” Mange writes, at the beginning of the book. “Many pet parents keep pushing the same training routine, spending hours practicing commands and trying the same techniques over and over. They are hoping to shift their animal companion’s actions and responses but are not addressing a key component: the energetic dynamic motivating the behavior.”
“…Taking a mindful approach to training and connecting with our dogs will make all the difference. It allows us to train more effectively while seeing greater shifts and results,” she continues. “However, this notion of combining traditional training with the energetic aspects of pet guardianship is new. Most pet training resources still view our animal companions’ behavior as separate from ours. They recommend cookie-cutter methods that don’t address the energy at the core of our pets’ behavior. On the other end of the spectrum are conceptual, exoteric resources on the energetic roles pets play in our lives, but lack practical guidance. No one has brought the two together until now. I am excited to offer the first philosophy to combine traditional dog training techniques with the energetic considerations of pet guardianship in a tangible and practical way, rooted in shared motivation and the seven major chakras.
I like to refer to this approach as self-help for pet’s sake because when we connect mindfully with our animal companions, we vibe higher, and so do our pets. And when we are leading more empowered and fulfilling lives, our pets’ behavior reflects it.”
AMAZON: https://www.amazon.com/Translating-Your-Pets-Behavior-Approach/dp/B0CZRWPM4D
A few years ago, I would have dismissed this as claptrap. But I have been proven wrong, and Mange is extremely generous with respect to any lingering skeptics. She lays out her philosophy and implementations with bell-clear, eloquent language, clear presentational quality, and something that leaves no stone unturned yet feels concise, quick, and fully reliant on basic principles while exploring decidedly holistic terrain. This reliance makes the more spiritualistic side of the philosophy palatable for the uninitiated.
Mange feels reliable, even before you decide you’re for or against her arguments and statements. That’s immediately a good sign. A capable communicator is half the battle, the arguments themselves having merit for you being the other fifty percent. I suspect once you finish the book you will feel, much as I did, like you missed the boat. And then look forward to if, or when you become a pet parent again. Because with this mentality in mind, there will be so much to look forward to…
Garth Thomas