Rating: 
Summary: A Thin Book to Get Through Our Thick Heads
Review: A sniff is just a sniff - or is it? "Calming Signals" - also called "aggression cut off signals" - contain vital information for us. Get it. Read it. Turid is on the right track with the subtleties of canine communication. There's more...a shorter video showing the signals and a day-long seminar (from Canada) on video that is not to be missed if you are as fascinated as I am with this!
Rating: 
Summary: Good insights
Review: Although I have not witnessed all of the behaviors mentioned in this book (working at a doggie daycare, I see a lot!), it is nonethless full of useful cues to what your dog is saying with his/her most important form of communication: body language. Whether approaching dogs you don't know, or wanting a more comfortable relationship with the ones you do, get this slim guide to help you on your way!
Rating:
Summary: a diamond in the "ruff"
Review: As a publishing professional, this book truly is (as others have noted) very simple and unassuming--a bit rough around the edges, even. But the minute I started reading, I realized that the information presented in it is TERRIFIC. No fluff, no filler, no pompous Ivory Tower types to be found in these scant pages. Literally within the first three pages of chapter 1, I recognized my own dog's behaviors and knew that the rest of the book would prove invaluable over my dog's life. It's like finally having "x-ray vision" glasses into a dog's mind, and the secret decoder ring, too! I look forward to reading the rest of the book. I hope someday the book's sales warrant reissuing it with a little polishing-up to appeal to more people!
Rating:
Summary: Reactive dogs, NO --Foster,rescue,shelter, vets, YES!
Review: Dogs have shared my life for 15 years. My adopted GSD mix (male) dog and I have been training for the past 7 months. I had hoped this book might provide some insights. It did -- but please do not try to get the attention of a high prey/protection drive adolescent dog, with the 'calming signals' -- yawning, head turns, blinking and lip-licking -- suggested by Rugaas. Many of the author's examples of these 'calming signals' were descriptions of encounters that her DOGS had, calming other dogs. For human-dog communication with an older, or calm dog, this is a great book. Steer clear if you think it might help your training of a young, reactive dog. Thumbs up for rescue, shelter, foster and vets... all those who deal with many dogs over a period of time.
Rating:
Summary: Turid makes a really good point!
Review: Dogs speak dog...and because of us (humans)...they forget their native language. thats why you get dogs that don't know how to socialize. if you read this...you wont have to pay for a dog trainer or behavioralist. this is about showing your dog to have confidence....and what's great is that she has really great techniques to teach your dogs things. and she updates her website a lot, so you can even ask her questions there!
Rating:
Summary: Turid makes a really good point!
Review: Dogs speak dog...and because of us (humans)...they forget their native language. thats why you get dogs that don't know how to socialize. if you read this...you wont have to pay for a dog trainer or behavioralist. this is about showing your dog to have confidence....and what's great is that she has really great techniques to teach your dogs things. and she updates her website a lot, so you can even ask her questions there!
Rating:
Summary: Mercedes, Meet Amelia and Cinder
Review: During my five, post-retirement years as a shelter volunteer, I've accumulated over six shelf-feet of dog books, most relating to behavior and training. Many were skimmed and forgotten; others required several readings to achieve maximum effect; some I kept only as examples of what I have come to consider bad practice. In contrast, OTTWD produced an immediate "Ah ha!" reaction, and I reread it occasionally as much to renew the sense of inspiration as to glean more information from its scant pages. (As other reviewers have pointed out, there are other, far more exhaustive treatments of the vocabulary of dogs -- such as those by Roger Abrantes and Stanley Coren.) I had barely finished reading the author's first, rather sketchy, case-study (which describes the role of her dog, Vesla, in communicating with the client's dog -- a recurring theme throughout) when I started to think about a pair of Border Collie mixes, Amelia and Cinder, at our shelter. They are as close to feral as any dogs I've ever been around. We suspect they grew up from puppies as junkyard dogs. Among the dozens of our all-volunteer staff who have tried to befriend them, only three of the most empathetic, female volunteers have progressed to the point where they can leash them for a walk. Amelia and Cinder always responded to me by barking and retreating, even though I already knew to avoid assertive body posture, eye contact, use of my deep, male voice, etc. I eventually quit trying to connect with them. The possibility that Ms. Rugaas opened for me was to use another dog as an intermediary. I decided to enlist the services of Mercedes, a young, high-strung, female Pit Bull that I was already teaching basic obedience. She will do anything she can understand to earn a quarter-inch cube of doggie salami. After Mercedes had learned the "down" command, both by hand signal and verbally, we began practicing it closer and closer to Amelia and Cinder's run. At first they barked constantly whenever Mercedes and I were within sight. However, after daily repetitions over a few weeks, "the girls", as I call them, would stop barking and posturing within a second after Mercedes would lie down. After a few minutes of calm, sometimes the girls too would lie down -- often at a closer distance to me than they had ever approached when I was alone. I rewarded their calm by flipping tiny treats into their run. Within a few weeks I was able to approach the girls without Mercedes, enter their run and feed them by hand. Although they still approach me with great caution, I am now able to touch each of them around the muzzle. I don't know where my efforts will lead. I do know that what little progress I have made would not have been possible, were it not for the breakthrough I achieved with help from Mercedes -- and Turid Rugaas.
Rating:
Summary: Mercedes, Meet Amelia and Cinder
Review: During my five, post-retirement years as a shelter volunteer, I've accumulated over six shelf-feet of dog books, most relating to behavior and training. Many were skimmed and forgotten; others required several readings to achieve maximum effect; some I kept only as examples of what I have come to consider bad practice. In contrast, OTTWD produced an immediate "Ah ha!" reaction, and I reread it occasionally as much to renew the sense of inspiration as to glean more information from its scant pages. (As other reviewers have pointed out, there are other, far more exhaustive treatments of the vocabulary of dogs -- such as those by Roger Abrantes and Stanley Coren.) I had barely finished reading the author's first, rather sketchy, case-study (which describes the role of her dog, Vesla, in communicating with the client's dog -- a recurring theme throughout) when I started to think about a pair of Border Collie mixes, Amelia and Cinder, at our shelter. They are as close to feral as any dogs I've ever been around. We suspect they grew up from puppies as junkyard dogs. Among the dozens of our all-volunteer staff who have tried to befriend them, only three of the most empathetic, female volunteers have progressed to the point where they can leash them for a walk. Amelia and Cinder always responded to me by barking and retreating, even though I already knew to avoid assertive body posture, eye contact, use of my deep, male voice, etc. I eventually quit trying to connect with them. The possibility that Ms. Rugaas opened for me was to use another dog as an intermediary. I decided to enlist the services of Mercedes, a young, high-strung, female Pit Bull that I was already teaching basic obedience. She will do anything she can understand to earn a quarter-inch cube of doggie salami. After Mercedes had learned the "down" command, both by hand signal and verbally, we began practicing it closer and closer to Amelia and Cinder's run. At first they barked constantly whenever Mercedes and I were within sight. However, after daily repetitions over a few weeks, "the girls", as I call them, would stop barking and posturing within a second after Mercedes would lie down. After a few minutes of calm, sometimes the girls too would lie down -- often at a closer distance to me than they had ever approached when I was alone. I rewarded their calm by flipping tiny treats into their run. Within a few weeks I was able to approach the girls without Mercedes, enter their run and feed them by hand. Although they still approach me with great caution, I am now able to touch each of them around the muzzle. I don't know where my efforts will lead. I do know that what little progress I have made would not have been possible, were it not for the breakthrough I achieved with help from Mercedes -- and Turid Rugaas.
Rating:
Summary: Oh, is that what you've been trying to tell me?
Review: For the first time, I am now able to understand my best friends, my dogs. Not only my dogs, but all dogs. This book should be read by all people not just by persons who love dogs. This book should be required reading in elementary or junior high schools. I am absolutely convinced that the number of dog bites in children and adults would be much lessened were we all to know what is within Turid Rugaas' Calming Signals. An example of my new wisdom: I walk my two dogs every day and every once in a while my one dog will stop and sniff at nothing. Now I don't mean she stops for a few seconds and sniffs at a bush or rock; she stops and refuses to move forward at all while she continues to sniff at an empty spot on the ground, all the while looking up at me. I would tug and pull on her leash, becoming more and more upset. Not realizing that when we had started the walk I was already tense and stressed, that I was hurrying and not paying attention to anything around me because I was concentrating on something disturbing. All this time she was telling me to calm down. Once I learned what she was saying, I forced myself to stop for a moment and take a few deep breaths and relax. Good for me, good for her and a much more enjoyable walk. Thank you Turid.
Rating:
Summary: On Talking Terms With Dogs: Calming Signals
Review: Having looked at other customer reviews for this book, I felt I had to write one of my own. I am a professional dog trainer, behaviorist, Delta Society licensed Evaluator, and Instructor, and I also train Service dogs.
I always insist my clients read this book. I always show the video to clients. For the people who rated this book low in their reviews, I suggest you read the book several times again, watch the video several times. After reading, and viewing, go to a dog park (bring the book with for reference) and watch dogs interacting with each other. Try to predict what the dogs will do next by looking at their body language, and use of Calming Signals. Calming signals work. I look for them and use them myself when evaluating dogs for training, & when doing Delta Society Evaluations. I use them when working with aggressive dogs. The reason I am writing this today, is because I came to Amazon to order more copies of the book. One to keep for myself, one to lend to others. I have to do this, because I lent my first copy to one person too many, and it didn't come back. My next copy just became too worn out.
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