I wanted to share a new book which could be described as a Pet- Self Help Book. This book is called Tender Paws: How Science-Based Parenting Can Transform Our Relationship with Dogs written by Wendy Lyons Sunshine (Author, Narrator), Recorded Books (Publisher) with you. Inside this post is my affiliate links. If you click on the links and make a purchase I will make a small percentage off the products you purchase. Before you read my review you might want to check out there Press Release.
As much as I hate to admit it Charlie’s dog Bear has separation and anxiety issues. When Charlie goes outside for any reason Bear will sit at the front door and whine. At night if Charlie shuts his bedroom door Bear links on me until I take him upstairs and let him in Charlie’s room.
This drives me up the wall at times but he is protecting Charlie and that is all the matters. Isn’t it? I would like to thank the LORD for giving us Bear and also thank the LORD Bear doesn’t tear things up when he gets upset. The bad part is if we open the front door for any reason Bear will sneak out and run off. This has caused us to leave him outside at times.
Charlie is supposed to be leaving for a week. While Charlie is gone he is going to leave Bear with David and I to watch. While David is at work bear will be with me. I’ wasn’t ‘m not sure I can handles Bear by myself.
I knew I didn’t want to be locked inside from the time David leaves for work until the time he gets home. I knew it was time to train Bear to not escape and to whine at the door for Bear. I also needed to get bear leash trained so I can take him outside.
I didn’t want to lock Bear up in Charlie’s room while David is working. Now, I don’t have to worry about these things thanks to Tender Paws: How Science-Based Parenting Can Transform Our Relationship with Dogs I’ve learned new techniques to use with Bear. Now Bear isn’t bolting out the door as much and I’m not afraid to be left at home with her now. Thank the LORD.
I know one day God willing with the information from Tender Paws: How Science-Based Parenting Can Transform Our Relationship with DogsI will be able to walk Bear. I will not have to worry Bear will slip out of her leash and take off. I even feel safer taking Bear for a ride in the car because now she knows she belongs in the back seat and doesn’t try to climb out of the car windows. Or into David’s lap when he is driving.
Charlie and my favorite part of Tender Paws: How Science-Based Parenting Can Transform Our Relationship with Dogs was reading the three case studies the Author included in the book and Charlie and I love how the Author included illustrations which kept Charlie interested in the story. and even had David flipping through the pages.
About the Book:
Tender Paws takes a deep dive into the practical benefits of applying therapeutic parenting best practices to dogs in our care.
When Wendy Lyons Sunshine got her first puppy—abandoned behind a gas station, struggling with worms and anemia—she was in over her head. As puppy training guides failed to help her with the out-of-control, traumatized bundle of teeth and claws rescue pup, she turned to her work helping world-class child development experts. Could strategies for raising happy, well-adjusted kids transfer to a puppy?
As it turns out, yes, they can! From the first try, parenting wisdom transformed Sunshine’s relationship with her challenging little one. Soon enough, Sunshine’s view of her puppy shifted from one of adversity to one of compassion and understanding, and she was able to bring patience and therapeutic concepts to meet her dog’s needs.
When Sunshine reached out to experts, they affirmed that science-based principles used with at-risk children align well with best practices of holistic, positive, and progressive dog handling. Exploring parallels between human and canine research, attachment styles, history of trauma, parenting styles, and her own “inner child” proved a mindful path for pet parenting.
Far from a standard dog training manual, Tender Paws explicitly applies parenting wisdom and best practices used with special needs kids to a cross-section of scenarios, from recognizing developmental trauma and unmet core needs, to making decisions about appropriate equipment, to responding to difficult behavior, to understanding the parenting style from which we approach our dogs.
Sunshine empowers you and your dog by offering:
A synthesis of the fields of child development, attachment, trauma, sensory integration, neurobiology, learning, animal behavior, and ethology.
A problem-solving framework that makes dog training decisions clearer and behavior frustrations easier to resolve.
Parenting wisdom to help your dog move beyond trauma and into wellness.
Borrowing the principles of parenting for dogs feels obvious to some people: instinctive and ordinary and inevitable. But that’s not true for everyone, especially those of us who had a less than ideal childhood and bear the scars of early harm, loss, trauma, or deprivation. Tender Paws provides an interdisciplinary, comprehensive, evidence-based guide for listeners who want to honor the needs of—and improve outcomes for—puppies and dogs they care about.
©2024 Allison Wendy Lyons Sunshine (P)2024 Recorded Books
