ethology – arquerociego

This book is a brief guide to dog training and behaviour.

Thus, this book can be classified within the didactic genre in the form of a guide or practical essay and subclassified among those in the field of Ethology.

This is a single edition self-published by the author himself and sold independently on his website https://hablaconellos.com in digital format. This book has not been translated into English. This book is not available in English.

Publication date: 2019
Country: Spain
Pages: 127
Reading date: March 2022
Rating: 5/5

Rafael Cal Estrela is the author of this brief guide to dog behaviour and training. He works as a dog trainer with an emotional and relational approach to animal behaviour and also acts as an ethical educator on dog training and human-dog coexistence on social media. In addition, he teaches several courses on his website. His vocation began with his own personal experience with his dog ‘Oso’, who had emotional problems.

During part of the time I lived in Zaragoza (2021-2024), my partner decided to take a dog training course, as she has always been passionate about animals, especially dogs. The course included both theory and practical sessions, and when she came home, she would talk to me about all kinds of issues related to dog behaviour and training. I had always been interested in Biology and Psychology, but I had never really looked into dogs specifically. She recommended that I follow Rafael Cal, the author of this book and a professional dog trainer, on social media. After seeing his content, I was curious to read the book he was selling on his website, so I bought it and decided to read it at that time.

«Is there any wild animal on the planet that gets its food in a bowl, ready to eat, without having to make any effort to obtain it? No, there isn’t. These facilities for obtaining food only exist in the case of domestic animals. But if these animals were loose in the wild, no one would put food on a plate for them, which would give them a continuous motivation to obtain it«.
Rafael Cal Estrela

Although the book deals with concepts of ethology or animal behaviour, it is not an academic book in terms of how it is written. Rather, it aims to reach a wide audience with formal language that lends seriousness to the subject matter, but is simple and accessible, using practical examples to better understand certain concepts.

«Anger is meant to AFFECT the dog. Just like with people. I don’t want to scare a loved one when I’m angry with them; I want them to understand my anger and be affected by it. We need to be clear about what we want to achieve when we get angry. We should not get angry with our dog with the intention of scaring them. Fear is a negative emotion that causes insecurity and weakens the bond. No one wants to be with someone they fear, and if they do, we have a problem in the relationship. We have to get angry with our dog with the intention of affecting them, of making them understand that we do not like it and that it causes social discomfort in our bond».
Rafael Cal Estrela

The approach is emotional and based on the human-animal bond. It covers various topics ranging from the bond itself, affection, boundaries, behaviour modification, the needs of dogs when out walking, the development of their senses, to the topic of environmental enrichment. It also includes a section explaining dog training commands.

«Let’s put aside thoughts like, ‘I’m spoiling him too much’ or ‘Don’t give him so much attention.’ Nobody thinks that way about their partner; you try to give your all in a relationship. It’s the same with dogs. Don’t think about whether you’re spoiling him too much or not, just love him, love him a lot. If you want to play a game with him that you both enjoy, do it for as long as you want».
Rafael Cal Estrela

What I found most satisfying about the book is that it is very visual, which makes it easy to read, along with language which is easy to understand even if you have never explored these topics in depth. It is overflowing with respect and affection for these animals, which shows how passionate he is about his work, something which I think also enriches the reading experience.

In conclusion, this guide is highly recommended whether you are simply interested in this topic, have just begun studying dog training, want to better understand your dog, or are thinking about getting one.