Mr. and Mrs. Dog

February 11, 2013
Sheepdog trainer and novelist, poet, and essayist McCaig (Eminent Dogs) takes more than a few detours en route to describing his experiences in the World Trial, the “only truly international” competition for sheepdogs, and he may well lose readers along the way. McCaig has a penchant for making provocative statements that some will find frustrating, such as in an early reference to animal sadism, or when referring to speculation by a neurobiologist that “thin skinned humans” outlasted the Neanderthals because of the domestication of the dog. Most sections not dealing directly with preparations for the World Trial analyze, with a critical eye, various approaches to dog training from his vantage point as a “crude American pragmatist.” The humor is uneven (the remark that “I’m probably too old to be a serial killer, which, like lyric poetry, is a young man’s game,” won’t tickle everyone’s funny bone). The end result is a rambling narrative, with the tension inherent in describing a competitive event vitiated by the side topics.

February 15, 2013
Novelist and essayist McCaig (The Dog Wars: How the Border Collie Battled the American Kennel Club, 2007, etc.) chronicles his experiences training sheepdogs for companionship and competition. The author took his two dogs, June and Luke, to Wales to compete in sheepdog trials, where they won. Most of the book, however, is a detailed account of dog psychology and the sheepdog way of life. McCaig discusses his conversations with various trainers and dog psychologists who had different theories about effective methods for training dogs. One trainer advocated the use of the e-collar, which shocks dogs when they misbehave. Another used "behaviorism," a combination of positive and negative reinforcement of different behaviors, and one even believed in positive reinforcement only. One of the more interesting training methods involved an evaluation of dogs based on their personality, giving dog owners a series of questions that determined whether "prey" drive or "pack" drive was more dominant in each dog. The trainer then recommends a series of exercises to make the pack drive the predominant one. Almost all of the trainers emphasized reading the dog's behavior over blind practices. McCaig talks about his dogs in an amusing and affectionate way. While the author mentions that Luke is not the best sheepdog, his other attributes, such as being a good companion, make up for his lack of skills. The author provides plenty of information about dog habits and breeds, sheepdog competitions and coaching for them, as well as tidbits regarding the joys of having a dog (or multiple). A straightforward but unremarkable book for dog lovers or those considering a dog.

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