Bryan Bailey has written an excellent book that helps you understand the driving force within every dog (their wild side).

For me, as with many things, it is important to "start with why", and once you understand the why, you can more quickly determine the proper motivation in correcting or training (encouraging) behavior in your dog. I have owned dogs for 40 years and was ignorant to the why of my dogs' behavior.

This is not a how to... This is a journey into the Canis Lupus and its descendant - the Canis Lupus Familiaris. Also, the book is a tribute, and along the way, he tells an incredible story about his mentor.

I have owned large “aggressive” breeds of dog for most of my life, the ever ferocious and completely violent Rottweiler. My dogs have never bitten or attacked anyone, have lived their entire lives with cats and small children around, and have put up with nonsense from little dogs with scarcely a growl. Given my dog history, I was very interested in Bryan Bailey’s comparison of the dog with his wolf ancestors.

=== The Good Stuff ===

* I started the book and immediately began disagreeing with the author. Bailey begins the book by describing the dog as a modern-day wolf, prone to all the behaviors of wild wolves. A wolf will feel itself perfectly justified in attacking a small child who hovers over it, wraps his arms around the wolf’s neck and takes its favorite chew toy out of its mouth. That is the way of wild wolves, and as Bailey explains, the way of their dog descendants.
I remember thinking: “That may be the way the dog would like it to work, but I am master of this pack, and we live by my rules. Attacking children is just not allowed in this pack, I don’t care who your ancestors were”.
It turns out that by the time I finished the book, I realized Bailey and I mostly agreed. The wolf respects the alpha pair of the pack and their rules, and dogs follow the same pattern.

* Bailey is willing to tackle some sacred cows. He is a strong advocate of “negative feedback” whereby a pack member receives a punishment for violating pack rules. While that punishment may be violent in the wolf pack, for the domestic dog it need not be. A tug on the leash, a raised voice, a poke in the haunches all serve the same purpose and communicate with a dog in the way of his own pack. Bailey believes that most dog trainers today only use politically correct “positive feedback,” meaning that dogs are rewarded for good behavior. Wolf packs do not use that technique.

* Similarly, Bailey is willing to take on no-kill shelters. He points out that some dogs may simply not be adoptable, and no good can come of attempting to place them with families ill prepared to deal with them. While it offends our human sensibilities, in nature wolf packs would not tolerate these animals or their offspring.

* Interwoven with his thoughts on dogs, Bailey also discusses his childhood, and specifically his relation with a US Army survival instructor. There are plenty of stories about survival in the Alaska back country, and plenty of native American folklore and quotations mixed in with the narrative. Depending on your opinion, these are either enriching and add to the story, or annoying.

=== The Not-So-Good Stuff ===

* Bailey indicates up front that the book is not a training guide, and he means it. Unfortunately, he teases the reader with stories of how dog trainers are doing things wrong, but offers no advice on the correct way.

* Some of the author’s opinions can get a little bit “preachy”. Yes, there is a big business behind America and its pets, and not all of the people involved are especially knowledgeable or have a dog’s best interests at heart.

* I do not have Bailey’s experience, but I believe he underestimates the divergence of dogs from wolves. Yes, there is some wolf in every dog, and they have many of the same instincts and natural behaviors But dogs have lived with humans for thousands of years, and I believe they have adapted and actually changed. For example, there was a PBS show on recently that showed humans directing dogs and wolves to find food hidden underneath one of two cups. The dogs could understand human pointing, and even follow the human’s gaze, to the correct cup. Wolves did not have this ability.

=== Summary ===

I found the book to be a fascinating look at both dogs and wolves and how they interact with each other and nature. Bailey points out that dogs are descendants from wolves, and still have many of their natural instincts and behaviors, and that most dog behavioral problems can best be understood by looking at wolves. Much of what he said struck home, but even if you do not believe it, it is worth reading the book just to force you to understand why you disagree.

There were also a few fascinating facts that I had never considered. For example, in the wild, only the dominant pair of wolves are allowed to breed. But the pack is made up of a mix of dominant and submissive animals, meaning that two dominant wolves can sire submissive pups. That was not intuitive and has implications for domestic dog breeders.
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This author has obviously been working in the field of canine training for a long time and has developed opinions based on first hand experience. He held back no punches. As I read this insightful book it was clear that the author learned from years of experience that embracing the wolf in your dog begins with embracing the role of a wolf pack leader. Lead or be led.
His message for dog owners everywhere is to quit trying to remake your dog into a pseudo-baby and little person. Put some time into understanding what a wolf and dog have in common, and quit trying to level the playing field between you and your dog. Humans are humans and dogs are dogs.
The author's observations about raising children and living with dogs are right on. Coddle your child and coddle your dog and you will end up with a spoiled troubled uncontrollable teenager and dog.
I used to think that well behaved obedient dogs were born that way. They are not. Well behaved dogs have human owners willing to spend the time learning how to train and teach their dog obedience. You can't start with training the dog, training begins and ends with the human owner. Obedient dog = human willing to put in the energy and take on take the responsibilities that come with being an effective pack leader.
The stories the author shared about owners struggling with decisions having to do with their overly aggressive dogs were heart breaking. Were the author's comments about no-kill shelters and over zealous rescuers politically correct? No, they were not. Were his comments based on the reality of having worked through tough decisions with distraught aggressive dog owners? Yes they were. I agree with the author-- unfortunately the parallels between mentally unbalanced humans armed with guns and Overly aggressive dogs placed with unwitting families are all too clear when shelters and rescuers want to save all dogs whether aggressive or not.
This book was well worth the read and should be on the list of all current and future dog owners who want to have a healthy understanding of the "wild in their dog".

Embracing the Wild in your Dog makes a wonderful first impression with its cover illustration. It’s a beautiful representation of the content therein, which is written well and enhanced by exceptional storytelling.

The author draws upon his experience of growing up in Alaska with his mentor, an army survivalist. Their study of wolves provided unique insights into the wild behavior of the domestic dog’s related ancestors. Those insights form the basis of the author’s theories about dogs and their training. Flashbacks to his mentor’s teachings throughout this book make it both informative and interesting. He has enhanced his wild education with related formal education.

I can’t say I agree with every comparative conclusion in this book. I believe there’s a happy medium to be found between the theories presented here and a more domestic approach. Having said that, I don’t claim to be a dog trainer.

The author sums it up nicely with, “Solving dog problems requires a three-dimensional approach: the dog, the humans involved, AND the wolf.”

I did benefit from reading this book and I don’t hesitate to recommend it if you have pets and/or train them. Read it with an open mind and you will see your dog in a more natural light. That’s always a good thing.

Once you start Embracing the Wild in Your Dog, you will find it hard to put down! In his first book, Bryan Bailey skillfully intertwines stories about the real world knowledge he gained while working alongside his mentor in the Alaskan wilderness with informative material that helps dog owners understand what drives the behavior of the domestic dog.

As a life-long pet owner, I thought I had a pretty good understanding of dog behavior; however, Bailey’s thought-provoking book has made me see my dog in a completely different way. It’s hard to look at a my 7 pound yorkie-poo and see a wolf, and I admit that I have been swindled into thinking of him as a little person in a fur coat. Bailey’s book has helped me understand why the positive-only training approach hasn’t worked any better with my dog than it does with my teenage daughters. Now that I understand the wolf in my dog, I plan to accept and nurture this gift that nature has given me.