Team Dog: How to Train Your Dog--the Navy SEAL Way
If you've ever watched a military working dog in action and wondered how that level of trust and discipline is built, Mike Ritland has some answers. A former Navy SEAL with fifteen years of hands-on experience training dogs for combat and civilian life alike, Ritland brings a refreshingly clear-eyed approach to a subject often cluttered with conflicting advice. The book centres on a simple but powerful idea: that earning your dog's trust comes before everything else. From that foundation, Ritland walks readers through practical, graded steps towards genuine obedience, drawing on principles straight from the SEAL playbook. Concepts like 'command and control' and 'situational awareness' are translated into everyday training scenarios, making them feel surprisingly applicable to life with a family pet. It's engaging reading, too. Ritland peppers the guidance with stories from his time working with dogs in the field, and these anecdotes do more than entertain; they illustrate why certain methods work and others fall flat. He also covers the often-overlooked question of how to choose a dog that actually suits your household, which is where many owners quietly go wrong. The tone throughout is direct without being preachy. Ritland clearly respects both the dogs and the owners he's writing for. Whether you're struggling with basic commands or hoping to build a genuinely close bond with your dog, this is a grounded, well-structured guide worth reading.
- Author: Mike Ritland
- Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons
- Genre: Pet Care & Training
- ISBN: 978-0425276273
- Pages: 256 pages