Jon Katz: Katz on Dogs

Training methods fail, I believe, if they don't take into account the owner's psyche as well as the dogs, and the particular environment in which both parties live. There's something almost sacred about the private space between a dog and its owner, something intimate. Dogs see us in our most unguarded moments. They see traits and actions we shield from other humans. It seems impossible to understand what a dog will need without knowing something of this relationship.

The person who trains his dog well isn't really seeking only to induce a creature to sit or lie down. Training isn't about power or control; it's a dialogue between two species. The dog lover is literally forging his relationship with the animal, showing his dog how to live in the world.

Jon Katz, Katz on Dogs, from the introduction xxii