Book Review and Giveaway: Follow My Lead by Carol Quinn
A dog teaches a boy fidelity, perseverance, and to turn around three times before lying down — very important traits in times like these.
(Robert Benchley, Your Boy and His Dog)
Any experienced dog trainer — especially the ones who teach the beginner and puppy classes — will tell you that the real secret of teaching dog obedience classes lies in training the owners.
Although this concept lies at the heart of Carol Quinn’s Follow My Lead, don’t think for a minute that the book is just about that. The simple-sounding premise (woman at a crossroads in her personal life takes up training her dogs and learns some valuable lessons in the process) unfolds into a love letter to the human/animal bond that’s multi-layered, funny, sad, and philosophical. Along the way, Quinn learns many truths — not always the ones she’d hoped for — about human nature and human frailty. Under the mentorship of a tough cypher of an instructor and with her Rhodesian Ridgebacks to guide her, Quinn manages to parlay the lessons learned on the agility course into useful wisdom for other aspects of her life, too. She learns courage. She learns to ask more from life, and she learns not to settle for what doesn’t work.
Show of hands: Who here has read Karen Pryor’s Don’t Shoot the Dog and then immediately went out and tried to use those same techniques on your family? How many of you ended up confused or frustrated when your family members didn’t respond exactly as the book predicted? Yeah, me too. So did Quinn. She tried it on a longtime lover who had a black hole where his heart should have been, and the experience taught her volumes about things you can fix, things you can’t, and that relationships involve teamwork, too.
As Quinn learns more from her mentor about how to work with her dogs, she discovers that all her relationships evolve — including the one with her instructor and mentor.
You’ll find plenty of situations in Follow My Lead that parallel training tricks you’ve tried or experiences you’ve had, and probably some that lead you to wonder, “Why did she do THAT? I’d have done this…”. That, too, is a lot like life. Whether or not your own experiences track all that closely with Quinn’s, her dog-training-as-metaphor-for-life narrative will lead you to ask questions about yourself, your dogs, and your own life’s journey.
Want to Read It?
We’re giving away a copy of Follow My Lead to one lucky winnah! All you have to do is to follow these Wicked Simple rules…
- Go visit the Follow My Lead Facebook page and Like it: http://www.facebook.com/FollowMyLeadBook
- Leave a comment on my blog that answers this question: What is the most important lesson that your dog has taught you?
- Make sure you leave the comment on the Shaggy Dog Stories blog. Comments on Facebook are always fun and appreciated, but they don’t count.
- Entries close on Wednesday, September 28.
The winnah will be chosen at random by comment number, by someone who doesn’t even read the blog (and thus has nothing at stake).
What’s Next?
Carol Quinn is still continuing her journey with her dogs. You can read about her adventures on her blog. In a little while, we hope to bring you an interview with Quinn, asking her about what she’s been up to since the book was published.
Until then, enjoy this little teaser video…
[...] like to read an insightful review of the book, and get a chance to win a free book, visit Shaggy Dog Stories as soon as you can and enter to [...]
My dogs have taught me the true meaning of patience. I have learned that a patient mind is the only way to get threw to a dog. If I rush them into learning something they shut down or ignore me. But if I take my time and we learn together in small steps we can do anything. Frustration and anger get me nowhere. Taking the time to see things their way always works and I love them more for it.
My dogs have taught me love. Bella and Lexie treat me as if I’m a super hero every day and because of it, I’m a better person. While Bella seems to take a nano second to learn a new trick, Lexie has only 1 and hers is Kisses. Just the word and she will “attack” you with kisses. Bella showed me how to let go. When Lexie was a puppy and annoying beyond reason, Bella would correct her with a mild fierceness but a second later, she’d let Lexie cuddle with her. I forgive much faster now.
I look forward to reading or listening to this book. Thanks for the suggesting a good book.
My dogs have taught me that life is short. To forgive and to try again and to enjoy life and live in the moment.
My dog has taught me that life is amazing!!!
Holly Alaska recently posted..Can you pretty please vote for me in I Love Chamois Barker contest? There are lo…
I would love to win this book!!!
My dog has taught me there’s nothing better than a long run at sunrise, followed by a great breakfast and a nap in the sunshine. And to be really, really disappointed when one of those things doesn’t happen before moving on to the next big thing.
My dog has taught me that I’m worthwhile when the whole world is telling me otherwise…
My dogs have taught me patience and forgiveness.
“What is the most important lesson that your dog has taught you?”
That I will always have a pal. Sometimes we just look too deep for ‘meaning’ and all that jazz. We size people up, judge them when the don’t do what we want them to and frown on nasty behavior. Me? I live with Max knowing he is moody, could care less how much money I have (he has none), he often snubs me when I call him. He is a Bichon Frise. If you know of male Bichons, you know they like to uh, “mark territory”. Do I get mad and never speak to my Max again? No. I simply know I have a pal with no expectations that he will treat me well.
[...] Melanie Mock of Oregon for winning the drawing for the copy of Follow My Lead! Melanie said that she never wins anything, but her luck just changed. The publisher will be [...]
[...] Quinn A short while ago, I reviewed Carol Quinn’s Follow My Lead and gave away a copy to a lucky winnah who will also review the [...]