I hope this does not come across as self indulgent, that is certainly not my intent. I am simply publishing this content as an extension of Chad’s Bio because people often ask questions like, “How did you become a dog trainer” or “How do you know all this stuff?” or “Where do you come up with these ideas?” I am not always sure if they are impressed or if they are wondering if I’m full of it or what but I usually say something like, “Well, you know, I did a certification program, read some books, trained with other trainers and a lot of it just comes from experience.” That’s the short answer and most people are satisfied with it.
However, for those who are interested in a more detailed answer, be they critical or curious, below is a list of the books, videos, research papers, seminars and classes that I’ve read, watched or attended over the years. Obviously, I can’t recall the thousands of internet searches, blogs, articles, videos, conversations, observations, etc. that I have encountered over the years but I have done my best to include all that I can remember.
Important Note: I am not necessarily endorsing anything referenced below. In fact, there are a lot of them that I strongly disagree with. This is nothing more than a list of things that have gone through my brain at some point.
Dog Related Books
AKC
- The Complete Dog Book
Abrantes, Roger
- Dog Language
Aloff, Brenda
- Canine Body Language
Becker, Dr. Karen
- Real Food for Healthy Dogs and Cats
Billinghurst, Ian
- BARF Diet
- Grow Your Pup With Bones
Bradshaw, John
- Dog Sense
Brown, Steve
- See Spot Live Longer
Campbell, William
- Behavior Problems in Dogs
Coppinger, Raymond
- What Is a Dog?
Coren, Stanley
- How Dogs Think
Delta Society
- Student Manual
Donaldson, Jean
- Culture Clash
Dunbar, Ian
- Before and After Getting Your Puppy
Fennell, Janet
- The Dog Listener
Fogle, Bruce
- The Dog’s Mind
Fox, Michael W.
- Behavior of Wolves, Dogs and Related Canids (sort of skipped around, didn’t read it start to finish)
Goldstein, Martin
- The Nature of Animal Healing
Grandin, Temple
- Animals in Translation
Hansen, Harold R.
- A Dog Trainer’s Guide for Parenting
Horowitz, Alexandra
- Inside of a Dog
King, Trish
- Dog Sense
Koehler, William
- The Koehler Method of Dog Training
Krohn, Larry
- Everything You Need To Know: E-collar Training
Lindsay, Steven R.
- Handbook of Applied Dog Behavior and Training Part 1
- Handbook of Applied Dog Behavior and Training Part 2
Lonsdale, Tom
- Raw Meaty Bones: Promote Health
McConnell, Patricia
- The Other End of the Leash
- For the Love of a Dog
- I’ll Be Home Soon
- The Cautious Canine
- Leader of the Pack
- Feeling Outnumbered
Mech, David
- The Wolf (didn’t read start to finish but read a majority of it, mostly focused on dominance/alpha/hierarchy/pack structure related sections)
Millan, Cesar
- Cesar’s Way
- Cesar’s Rules
- A Member of the Family
- Be the Pack Leader
- How to Raise the Perfect Dog
Monks of New Skete
- How To Be Your Dog’s Best Friend (original and revised editions)
- The Art of Raising a Puppy (revised edition)
- Let Dogs Be Dogs: Understanding Canine Nature and Mastering the Art of Living with Your Dog
- The Art of Training Your Dog: How to Gently Teach Good Behavior Using an E-collar
Most, Colonel Konrad
- Training Dogs
Palika, Liz
- The Ultimate Dog Food Guide
Pryor, Karen
- Don’t Shoot the Dog
Reid, Pamela
- Excel-Erated Learning
Rugas, Turid
- On Talking Terms With Dogs
Salem, Kevin
- Hidden Secrets Behind Dog Training
Scott and Fuller
- Genetics and the Social Behavior of the Dog (skipped around, didn’t read start to finish)
Sholz, Martina
- Stress in Dogs
Volhard, Jack
- Dog Training for Dummies
Weiskopf, Joan
- Pet Food Nation
Whitney, Leon
- Dog Psychology
Yin, Sophia
- Perfect Puppy in 7 Days
Scientific Studies/Research Papers:
Age-Graded Dominance Hierarchies and Social Tolerance in Packs of Free-Ranging Dogs – Behavioral Ecology
Canine Dominance-Associated Aggression: concepts, incidence, and treatment in a private behavior practice – D.B. Cameron
Comparison of Stress and Learning Effects of Three Different Training Methods in Dogs (Ecollar, Prong, Quitting Signal) – E. Schalke, Y. Salgirli, I. Böhm, S. Ott, H. Hackbarth
Dominance in Domestic Dogs—useful construct or bad habit? – Journal of Veterinary Behavior
Dominance Relationships in a Group of Domestic Dogs – Rebecca K. Trisko and Barbara B. Smuts
David L. Mech
- Alpha Status, Dominance, and Division of Labor in Wolf Packs
- Leadership Behavior in Relation to Dominance and Reproductive Status in Gray Wolves, Canis lupus
- Prolonged Intensive Dominance Behavior Between Gray Wolves,
Expression Studies On Wolves – Rudolph Schenkel
Factors Associated With Bites to a Child From a Dog Living in the Same Home: A Bi-National Comparison
Human Analogue Safe Haven Effect of the Owner: Behavioural and Heart Rate Response to Stressful Social Stimuli in Dogs – Márta Gácsi, Katalin Maros, Sofie Sernkvist, Tamás Faragó, Ádám Miklósi
Leadership and Path Characteristics during Walks Are Linked to Dominance Order and Individual Traits in Dogs
Misbehavior of Organisms – Keller and Marian Breland
Neurophysiological Correlates of Affiliative Behaviour between Humans and Dogs
Survey of the Use and Outcome of Confrontational and Non-Confrontational Training Methods in Client-Owned Dogs Showing Undesired Behaviors – Applied Animal Behaviour Science
The Effects of Using Aversive Training Methods in Dog–A review – Gal Ziv
Training Dogs with the Help of the Shock Collar: short and long term behavioral effects – Matthijs B.H. Schilder, Joanne A.M. van der Borg
Training Pair-Housed Rhesus Macaques (Macaca mulatta) Using a Combination of Negative and Positive Reinforcement – Eva-Marie Wergårda,b,∗, Hans Temrinb, Björn Forkmanc, Mats Spångberga, Hélène Fredlunda, Karolina Westlunda
Dog Training DVDs/Videos/TV/Podcasts, etc:
Important Note: Just because I have followed these trainers at some point in time, it doesn’t necessarily mean that I like them or agree with them, it may have only been for research purposes. Plus, even a broken clock is right twice a day, so there is always the chance that there will be something useful to learn from anyone.
Animal Behavior College
- Problem Solving CD set
Beckmans’s Dog Training
- YouTube
Bailey, Bob
- The Fundamentals of Animal Training DVD
Balabanov, Ivan
- Train Per View website videos
- Training Without Conflict Podcast
- YouTube
Benal, Jolanta
- The Dog Trainer’s Quick and Dirty Tips Podcast
Buck – horseman documentary
Cabral, Robert
- YouTube Channel
Canine Paradigm Podcast
Dikeman, David
- Command Performance DVD
Donaldson, Jean
- Perfect Paws in 5 Days DVD
- YouTube
Dunbar, Ian
- Sirius Puppy DVD,
- Science-Based Dog Training (with feeling) DVD – 18 hours
- iWoofs Podcast
- Dog Star Daily: Blog/Articles/Videos
- YouTube
- Dog-Dog Reactivity Webinar
E-collar Technologies
- E-collar 101 videos and written material
Ellis, Michael
- Power of Training with Food DVD
- Power of Playing Tug DVD
- Focused Heeling DVD
- Advanced Concepts in Motivation DVD
- The Electric Collar part 1 and 2 DVD
- Training the Recall DVD
- Training the Retrieve DVD
- YouTube
Gelman, Jeff
- Podcast
- YouTube
George, Zak
- YouTube
Jack, Jay
- Dog Training Conversations Podcast
- GRC podcast
- YouTube
K9-1
- Articles
- YouTube
Kikopup
- YouTube
Krohn, Larry
- YouTube
Leverette, Jas
- Canine Intervention: complete series
Leerburg.com
- Also see: Michael Ellis, that’s where I got his DVDs
- Dealing with Dominant and Aggressive Dogs DVD
- Basic Obedience DVD
- Companion B DVD
- Articles
- Podcast
- YouTube
Lucas, Cheri
- YouTube
Mackin, Chad
- Dog Training Conversations podcast
- Something To Bark About Podcast
- YouTube
Millan, Cesar
- People Training for Dogs DVD
- Training Cesar’s Way DVD
- Dog Whisperer: TV show, every episode
- Cesar 911: TV show, every episode
- YouTube
- Newer TV shows, random episodes
Monks of New Skete
- Dog Training DVD
- Divine Canine: TV show, every episode
Muto, Tyler
- Consider the Dog podcast
- YouTube
O’shea, Sean
- The Good Dog Podcast
- YouTube
Rugas, Turid
- Calming Signals DVD
Russell, Dick
- Dogman documentary
Stilwell, Victoria
- It’s Me or the Dog – TV series
- Positively Podcast
- Blog
Sullivan, Don
- Secrets to Training the Perfect Dog DVD collection
White, Steve
- How Police K9 Techniques Can Transform Everyday Training DVD
Woodhouse, Barbara
- Training Dogs The Woodhouse Way (TV series 1980)
- Barbara’s Problem Dogs: video
Live Seminars, Clinics, Workshops
Cesar Millan
- Instincts: Live Show, 2007
- Personal meeting/job interview at DPC, 2013
Jean Donaldson: Dogs Demystified seminar, 2007
Lance Stackhouse: K9 Clinic: 1 day Aggression Workshop, 2008
Dog Trainers 4 Day Boot Camp, 2009: I can’t remember the name of the outfit
Animal Communicator Workshop, 2014
Pet First Aid and CPR Certification Course, 2015
Mark McCabe: Training Between The Ears: 3 day workshop (twice), 2018 and 2019
Ivan Balabanov: 3 day workshop, 2024
Pet First Aid and CPR Certification Course, 2024
Certifications
Animal Behavior College
Global College of Natural Medicine (animal nutrition)
4 Day Boot Camp for Professional Dog Trainers – can’t remember the name
Reiki levels 1,2, 3 and Master: The Zen Room
Pet First Aid & CPR
Group Classes and Internships
Animal Behavior College: Puppy, Basic Manners, Intermediate – 6 weeks shadow, 6 weeks participation, 6 weeks assisting. Extra credit: shadowed on private lessons, assisted with booths at dog events.
Petco: Shadowed, assisted and then led classes for about a year.
K9 Clinic: Trained there every Sat for at least 1 year
Kate Davern: Puppy, Beginner and Intermediate classes – 8 weeks each
Dogs n Suds: Hundreds of puppy, basic obedience and agility classes with their various trainers: shadowed, assisted and then led classes at multiple Bay Area locations for several years.
Da, da, da, dats all folks!
I’m sure I forgot a few things but that’s basically a list of my self-guided education on dog training. Other than that, my education has been directly from hands-on experience working with thousands of dogs and their humans.
Cheers!
Chad Culp – Certified Dog Trainer, Canine Behavior Consultant, Owner of Thriving Canine.
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