# worst book I've ever read...



## Minnieski (Jan 27, 2009)

Hi!

So I've been reading a lot lately, and since my budget doesn't allow me to purchase every GSD book I come across, I've been going to the library. So yesterday I picked up this book:

The German Shepherd Dog, by Helmut Antesberger, C. 1985, originally published in West Germany.

Seeing immediately that it was dated, I decided to take it all in with a grain of salt, but some of this stuff was just AWEFUL. I'm so glad that thinking has changed since then! Here are some quotes from the book that scare the heck out of me, and I hope no one follows anymore:

"Buying a German shepherd pup from a well-run pet store is also good"

"Shipping a puppy is irresponsible and cruel to animals, to boot. The little creature is torn out of its familiar surroundings, stuffed into a dark box, and then loaded into a truck or railroad car like a piece of freight. The shock of such treatment has inflicted permanent psychic damage on many a young dog."

"If you have no prior experience with dogs, you should not consider getting an adult dog. Granted, if an adult dog has been well trained, you will be spared early rearing and training. That sounds good, but there is a catch. The very fact that an adults dog's physical and psychic devlopment is complete and cannot be significantly influenced once the imprinting phase is over makes it doubtful that the dog can forget its former master and give its allegiance to you."

and the kicker - 

"If all your precautions fail to prevent a mating with a dog of the wrong breed, let her have the puppies. You can have them put to sleep painlessly by the veterinarian right after birth, or if you cannot bring ourself to do that, raise them and later give them to people who will let them have a good life."

Holy cow have we come a long way in understanding dogs since 1985!!!!


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## shilohsmom (Jul 14, 2003)

thats awful!


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## flyinghayden (Oct 7, 2005)

I actually read this a long time ago, along with some other really bad books, made me actually almost reconsider getting into GSDs. Almost. I don't remember if it was in this book, or some of the others, but there were some other idiotic lines in there, like, pick your puppy up only when you are inspecting him, after that don't pick him up again, lest you spoil him...blah, blah blah. And then another good one was, " male dogs like their chest rubbed because it reminds them of mating". What!?! And many others, I don't remember, or blocked out is more like it.


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## CookieTN (Sep 14, 2008)

> Originally Posted By: MinnieskiHoly cow have we come a long way in understanding dogs since 1985!!!!










No kidding.
I've got several such older books with false info in them too. I just swallow the meat and spit out the bones. I can still learn a lot from the book even if I don't agree with everything in it.


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## Catu (Sep 6, 2007)

Worst book I've ever read...

"The Hidden Life of Dogs"

Based in the experience of the author with nordic breeds her "scientific approach" is that dogs are happier if leaved alone to play with other dogs and do not need humans at all.


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

> Originally Posted By: LicanAntaiWorst book I've ever read...
> 
> "The Hidden Life of Dogs"
> 
> Based in the experience of the author with nordic breeds her "scientific approach" is that dogs are happier if leaved alone to play with other dogs and do not need humans at all.


I've read it, and I aggree, very disturbing! What was the author, an Anthropologist? So she drew scientific conclusions by letting her pack of dogs intermingle and roam at will, and observing them. It was very disturbing to see that level of irresponsibility rationalized as "a natural approach". 

For Example, one of her dogs disappeared every night. One night she followed him to see what he did, across roads and highways, roaming to see other dogs, and to chase other dogs - she concluded that this is what dogs WANT to do, and allowed it. 

She allowed the higher ranking dogs in her pack to terrorize the lower ranking dogs, so that the lower ranking dogs were always trying to hide and avoid the alpha dogs.

She did not neuter the dogs, and allowed them to breed among themselves. 

She allowed her dogs to annoy and harrass workers that came to her house, and of course, when one of the workers accidently ran over one of her dogs because it was chasing the worker's car, it was the worker's fault, not hers for allowing her dogs to chase cars, and so on, and on, and on.


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## Minnieski (Jan 27, 2009)

Yikes. I mean, I knew some books were better than others, but I guess some are just terrible!


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## JerzeyGSD (Jun 26, 2008)

You know, I started to agree with this one:

"If you have no prior experience with dogs, you should not consider getting an adult dog. Granted, if an adult dog has been well trained, you will be spared early rearing and training. That sounds good, but there is a catch. The very fact that an adults dog's physical and psychic development is complete and cannot be significantly influenced once the imprinting phase is over makes it doubtful that the dog can forget its former master and give its allegiance to you."

At least about the part with its mental development having been finished and thus preferring a puppy because you can help to shape that development. Then I got to the last sentence and realized that this is WAY off base.


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## Minnieski (Jan 27, 2009)

That's how a felt about the whole book, like the statements would start out ok, but then warp into something screwy.


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## Barb E (Jun 6, 2004)

> Originally Posted By: flyinghayden pick your puppy up only when you are inspecting him, after that don't pick him up again, lest you spoil him...blah, blah blah.


When my mare was pregnant many many moons ago I had old cowboy after old cowboy tell me that if I handled the foal at birth my mare would reject it







The advice was: get in there and get the iodine on the umbillical cord and get out.

Luckily for all of us I ignored them and listened to my gut and a few "youngsters who didn't know







" who thought imprinting with an animal as large as a horse was very important!!


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## AbbyK9 (Oct 11, 2005)

Heh. Some of the old dog books I have include fun information such as rabies shots being "a Japanese invention and dangerous to the dog" and how to neuter at home ....


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## Barb E (Jun 6, 2004)

> Originally Posted By: Historian....how to neuter at home ....


Each time my mare foaled I crossed my fingers for a filly, I didn't even want to go down the geld path - 3 fillies


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## JerzeyGSD (Jun 26, 2008)

> Originally Posted By: Historianhow to neuter at home ....


UGGGHHH! No, no, no!


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## Crabtree (Jan 6, 2006)

> Originally Posted By: Historian...how to neuter at home ....


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## AbbyK9 (Oct 11, 2005)

The home neuter surgery is from the chapter on "Minor Operations and Home Surgery" in Whitney's "The Complete Book of Dog Care", 1953.

Even that book has some good things to say, though. For example,



> Quote:"The obligations of dog owning are few, but you must fulfill them. All the animal asks of you is food, water, comfort, exercise, health and protection. If you can't fulfill these simple requirements, it would be better for you not to have a dog, for he will only be a burden.
> 
> (...)
> 
> Too often the prospective dog owner overlooks his own desires and tendencies when selecting a pet. A man who is of a sedentary and studious disposition not infrequently makes the mistake of selecting a dog which requires more exercise than he is willing to give. Let us say he has a Dalmatian. Everyday he takes it for a walk around the block - thereby satisfying his own conscience but providing practically no exercise for the dog."


It also talks at length about not allowing your dog to run loose!


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## JerzeyGSD (Jun 26, 2008)

> Originally Posted By: HistorianThe home neuter surgery is from the chapter on "Minor Operations and Home Surgery" in Whitney's "The Complete Book of Dog Care", 1953.
> 
> Even that book has some good things to say, though. For example,
> 
> ...


Too bad these ideas have yet to really permeate society.


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## AbbyK9 (Oct 11, 2005)

No kidding. You'd think a 55 year old idea of not running dogs loose for their safety (and to prevent them from mating and killing livestock) would catch on. It's not rocket science.


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## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

> Originally Posted By: LicanAntaiWorst book I've ever read...
> 
> "The Hidden Life of Dogs"
> 
> Based in the experience of the author with nordic breeds her "scientific approach" is that dogs are happier if leaved alone to play with other dogs and do not need humans at all.


I was LIVID after reading that book. Dumb, stupid owner endangering her dogs for the sake of 'scientific research'! I believe it was a best seller when it first came out!

The worst part of the whole book - when a beta female was allowed to have her litter on the authors bed and then the alpha female came in and killed the pups.

I wanted to wring the authors neck!!


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## pupresq (Dec 2, 2005)

I could not agree more! I HATE The Hidden Life of Dogs. I hate it on every possible level. I hate it as a scientist (it's total crap!), I hate it as a rescuer, I hate it as a responsible pet owner. I could not believe how sanctimonious she was about her neighbor's dog "raping" her dog when she let her unaltered Malamute or whatever it was roam the streets for months. Ugh, just THINKING about that book makes me mad!









And the worst part was that when it came out people kept giving me copies of it! I guess thinking "Hannah = dog person and scientist, she'll love this!" 

I should have had a bonfire.


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## Catu (Sep 6, 2007)

> Originally Posted By: Minnieski
> Holy cow have we come a long way in understanding dogs since 1985!!!!


Your post made me remember my fist dog book, and the first book I ever bought with my own money







It is "The German Shepherd" by Alfred Hacker, first published in 1983. I give a look at it today expecting to find something like what is said in yours (had not looked at it in years) but not. All common sense, nothing that couldn't be seen in this same forum and even a defender of RAW diet. The only outdated part was the training, but nothing worst of what you can find in The Monks of New Skete books. Lots of collar correction and stuff, but always mindful of the corrections being in tune with the sensitivity of the dog. I guess it was a good first book after all.


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## JerzeyGSD (Jun 26, 2008)

> Originally Posted By: Lauri & The Gang
> 
> 
> > Originally Posted By: LicanAntaiWorst book I've ever read...
> ...


Why didn't she just observe wolves? I feel as though that would have better fit her research rather than forcing dogs to revert back to that lifestyle since they aren't entirely suited for it anymore.


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## SouthernThistle (Nov 16, 2005)

> Originally Posted By: Minnieski
> "The shock of such treatment has inflicted permanent psychic damage on many a young dog."


I think my puppy's broken: he's not psychic.


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## mjbgsd (Jun 29, 2004)

Whoa! 0_0


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## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

I'm wondering if anyone has read the book "My Dog Tulip" (about a German Shepherd.) I read that one when I was a kid and even I knew better than that guy about how to care for dogs!


I recently bought two older books on the German Shepherd at a book sale. One was published in the 1960s the other I think was from the 70s. I mainly bought them for the dog photographs but so far what I've read didn't seem too bad. I'm hoping I can get my scanner working so I can put some of the photos on the forum.


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