The Canine Connection: A Training Guide for Owners who Love their Dogs

Military Working Dog Handler, Ryan Matthews, teaches Civilians how to train their Dogs in The Canine Connection

After four years as a military working dog handler, five years training canines in explosive and narcotic detection as well as owning two successful dog training businesses, Ryan Matthews shares his expertise in The Canine Connection. Matthews believes that owners willing to invest time in the training of their dogs will enjoy the highest levels of obedience as well as deep and valuable bonds with their pets.

The Canine Connection is a comprehensive manual covering every aspect of dog ownership, from considerations around picking out the right dog to health issues including end of life decisions. There isn’t a question about dogs I have had that this book doesn’t answer. The Canine Connection is broken into two parts, with the first section covering everything a dog owner should know (as per the title of that section) and the second serving as a quick reference for solving common behavior problems.

In the chapter titled, “From the Veterinarian’s Scope,” Matthews interviews a skilled veterinarian, Dr. Patricia Mahoney, who teaches important topics related to health such as vaccinations, food dogs should and shouldn’t eat, grooming and boarding considerations, along with her contribution to the spay and neuter debate. Another chapter is dedicated to giving dogs jobs including various skills and competitions you can participate in with your dog; along with teaching a few fun dog tricks.
Towards the end of Chapter 5, Common Obedience Commands, Matthews reveals his top ten training tips, whose value alone justifies buying the book. He also shares his trademarked Four Pillars of Training which are: Consistency, Repetition, Timing and Reward. Understanding and applying these elements can be the difference between failure and success in dog training.

The last chapter in Section One delves into the life of being a dog trainer. For those reading the book in order to learn Ryan’s wisdom and knowledge to enhance their own dog training businesses, this chapter gives great instruction as to how Matthews built a profitable and valuable dog training company. He holds nothing back, but gives his best tips and methods, citing that he doesn’t consider other dog trainers as competition and is happy to improve the lives of both dogs and trainers with his expertise.

Next to the simple and entertaining teaching style of Matthews, one of the best qualities of the book is the large pictures which clearly show what is being explained. There are also grey shaded boxes throughout where Matthews gives real-life stories related to the topics being discussed. These help to make The Canine Connection a fascinating read while occasionally evoking laughter.

The Canine Connection is so comprehensive in its content while holding your attention through the writing style and volume of pictures, it can easily be viewed as the only dog ownership and training manual you will ever need; although I am eagerly awaiting the eCourses Matthews refers to throughout the book, where he takes his instruction to the next level by demonstrating in film the concepts he teaches.