Highlighting the value of canine instincts, Partners will increase the reader’s understanding and love for a species that has been walking at our sides for 26,000 years. The book details the personal struggles of working teams – man and dog – as they learn to trust and communicate, while developing that all-important human/dog bond to accomplish together what cannot be done alone.
Partners celebrates the diversity of the canine contribution to our species, providing the reader with heart-warming stories of loyalty, perseverance and courage. Written by people who learned to trust their lives to the senses of a dog, and highlighting true examples of working dog behaviour, it enables all dog lovers to understand the inborn senses and instincts of their dog, which man can shape to his benefit.
Instincts tie these stories together: Bart finding a child lost on a mountain, Traveler pulling his blind partner from the path of a moving car, and Truman soothing the souls of abused children. With specific explanations of physiological attributes and innate characteristics – such as olfactory prowess, survival instincts, and intelligent disobedience – plus quotes from fifty canine professionals chronicling working dog behaviors, Partners demonstrates the similarities between the behaviour of a tender Cocker Spaniel who brought an abused child back to reality, and a tough law enforcement K9 who assured his handlers safety. This is the story Partners delivers – unity.
26 true stories from professional canine handlers
Stories from five working disciplines: Scent-detection specialists, Police, SAR, Guide, Therapy
Comparisons between disciplines based on work, not breed
Inborn senses that drive behaviours affecting both working/companion dogs
The struggle to trust your next step to a dog’s nose
The ‘love versus tool’ concept
The bond that has been present for millennia
Quotes from over 50 noted canine experts
Adaptability and versatility beyond reasonable explanation
