Misadventures of the World’s Okayest Dog Trainer

If you’ve ever said, ‘I love dogs, but I hate people’, this book is for you.

Following the lead of Dr. Nick Trout and Dr. Phillip Schott, who brought readers behind the scenes in busy animal hospitals, Misadventures of the World’s Okayest Dog Trainer follows quirky and (eventually) confident McCue-McGrath into people’s most intimate spaces, their homes, through a decades-long career in dog training and behaviour.

This part-memoir, part-career guide is the first of its kind to put readers in a behaviourist’s seat, feeling the flush of embarrassment when explaining humping to second graders, the shock of finding adult toys on a client’s countertops, and the stab of anxiety when aggression cases go sideways. This book is more than a day in the life of a dog trainer; it is a look at the rapid evolution of understanding canine behaviour over the last twenty years.

The interplay between the author’s often comical, and sometimes heartbreaking, personal journey into a still unregulated industry perfectly mirrors the global shift from outdated, dominance-based training to modern behavioural sciences. The payoff is a hopeful look at what we can do for animals, what these pets already do for humans, and what we humans can do for each other.

Melissa’s personal journey through the world of dog training offers great insight to those curious about picking up a leash and entering the industry. Alongside her experiences are practical and technical advice for the behavioural professional including signposted resources and coverage of relevant industry bodies. Through the 147 dogs (and one cat), Melissa demystifies this rewarding profession. But most importantly, these beloved pets teach us what saved means, what love means, what hubris is, and remind us all that animals truly make us more human.