Dog training books can be far more helpful than just teaching you how to work with your dog during training sessions together. Using dog training books as reference material in the future is a great way to keep yourself refreshed with techniques when your dog’s behavior begins to slip back into old habits.

While using these books can show you how to encourage your dog to want to obey your commands happily, many of them also contain great explanations about dog psychology that can help you understand far more about your dog than you knew before.

Many people assume dogs think the same way we do. While they do feel love, joy, happiness, pain, loneliness, boredom, fear, and many of the same emotions we feel, they don’t necessarily feel them for the same reasons as we do. Many of the better dog training books highlight what drives your dog’s behaviors and impulses and why they do the things they do.

The basis of dog psychology is to realize that your furry baby is not really giving you those puppy-dog eyes at the dinner table because he feels left out or feels as though you’re ignoring him. Those pleading eyes are his way of testing your role within the family ‘pack’. After all, the alpha dogs always eat first and the lesser dogs are thrown the scraps after everyone else is done. Dog training books can show you how asserting and maintaining your status as an alpha dog can mean a more harmonious family ‘pack’.

Look for dog training books that contain positive reinforcement methods of training, but that also include at least some levels of understanding dog psychology. A good example of making this kind of information work for you is the story of a dog that feared thunderstorms. He would run to his owner in fear of the thunder and lightning and his owner would hug him and reassure him that it would be okay.

Good quality dog training books will tell you that by giving so much positive attention you’re rewarding him for feeling fear, so he now believes this is the correct behavior to display every time a storm approaches.

Dog training books that deal with correcting bad behavior patterns that have already been established can often be more helpful than other training aids. They will teach you that dogs understand body language instead of words. For example, did you know that running to your dog and yelling at it after it’s done something bad isn’t always seen as punishment in dog language? Your dog interprets your instant attention as a way to get you to focus on him, so he repeats this behavior. The worst possible penalty a dog can receive is for you to turn your back on him, fold your arms, and look away. Your dog sees this body language as rejection and he will instantly try to modify what he’s doing to get your attention back.

It’s possible to train any dog at any age to become a well-behaved, disciplined, happy member of the family. The key is learning a little bit about your dog’s psychology through dog training books and then using that information to find the best ways to relate to your pet. There are all types of dog training books available, so search for one that suits your needs.