Your Dog Is NOT a Primate

'Adopt, don't shop!' It is a bit of advice we dog lovers keep getting (and repeating) on a daily basis almost like a mantra. It is also one we try to live by, as over a million animals are euthanized in shelters across America on a yearly basis, cats and dogs that could have become someone's best friend if given half a chance, while others languish for years in the kennels of a no-kill shelter, waiting for a humane human that will never come, but at the same time there is no getting around the fact that adult dogs often bring their own set of challenges to the table when we take them in, and those can, and often do, catch inexperienced dog parents somewhat off guard.

That is only natural.

We may love each other, and our species may have been coevolving for thousands of years, but at the end of the day we are still fundamentally different creatures, and those differences matter. It is not a matter of love, it is a matter of biology, and if you want to understand where your dog is coming from, you must also try to understand how those anatomical differences shape the way in which we see the world. That is what this book, which is most definitely not a 'how to train your dog' book, tries to do. That, and to help you get a better perspective on how our own expectations can at times work against us, or put our dogs in an untenable position, plus a few other things you really have to keep in mind, bits of advice that are often overlooked, but that may help you in this journey.

Yes, there are few things more rewarding than seeing the change in an adult dog's demeanor as he or she blossoms in a loving home after a lifetime of neglect or abuse, but the thing is that by bringing that abused and neglected animal into your home you are also bringing them into what is for them an utterly alien world. It is a big adjustment, and the more you know, the lower the chances that you will both get into trouble. The difference? You know what is going on, your dog does not, so it is up to you to help them learn to navigate their new environment.