More Than Just A Dog

This book explores what every dog owner knows – that a dog is never just a dog. They are our companions, best friends, members of the family and for some the most important part of our lives.

Our ability to make meaningful connections with other animal species and their ability to return the favour is, perhaps, never more beautiful than the bond we have with dogs.

Simon Wooler, trainer to social media’s most famous fearful dog, Sophie from Romania, unlocks the heart of the special relationship we have with dogs. He explores how over millennia, they have inveigled their way into our homes and hearts and evolved to live alongside us. He explains how dogs learn (and why they sometimes seem immune to our efforts to train them), how they communicate and what influences the powerful bond they form with their people. He unpacks the problems of fear and reactivity and with insight and humour acts as a guide for all dog lovers navigating life’s changes and challenges.

Demystifying the science of dog behaviour and debunking the sticky myths that all too often can get in the way of understanding, this is a celebration of the joy of life with dogs in all its messy, loveable reality.

About the Author

Simon Wooler has been training dogs for more than ten years. He studied with the Academy for Dog Trainers, one of the most rigorous dog behaviour and training programmes in the world and specialises in training fearful and reactive dogs. In 2023, he worked with author and broadcaster Rory Cellan-Jones and his wife Professor Diane Coyle to help their Romanian rescue dog, Sophie, overcome her profound fears, bond with her people and gradually discover the world, a journey that was followed daily by hundreds of thousands of fans.

Simon came to dog training after 20 years as a sound engineer so loud barking hardly registers on his personal decibel scale. His own fearful, 'unhomeable' rescue dog, Thomson, was the motivator for seeking out effective, evidence-based training methods and leaving his career in sound and stage to focus on working with troubled dogs and the people who love them. This is his first book.