Untamed by Glennon Doyle is a fierce, emotional memoir about breaking free from who you're supposed to be. My Dog Is Better at This Than Me by B.K. Larrikin is a warm, funny exploration of mindfulness through the lens of a rescue dog. Both teach presence and authenticity. Doyle does it with fire. Larrikin does it with a wet nose and impeccable comic timing. If you need permission to burn it down, read Untamed. If you need permission to slow down, read Larrikin. Ideally, read both.
These two books get recommended in the same breath a lot, and I understand why. Both reject the shiny, performative version of a good life. Both are built on personal storytelling rather than credentials. Both will make you stop and think, “Oh. I haven't been paying attention, have I?” But they arrive at that moment through very different doors, and the door matters.
So let's do a proper comparison. Not a ranking — because ranking books is like ranking children, technically possible but guaranteed to end badly — but an honest look at what each book does, who it's for, and where they overlap.
| My Dog Is Better at This Than Me | Untamed | |
|---|---|---|
| Author | B.K. Larrikin | Glennon Doyle |
| Year | 2026 | 2020 |
| Genre | Humor / Self-Help / Dog Memoir | Memoir / Manifesto |
| Tone | Warm, funny, self-deprecating | Fierce, passionate, direct |
| Central Metaphor | A rescue dog who already figured it out | A caged cheetah performing tricks |
| Exercises? | Yes — 10 practical, 3-minute each | No formal exercises |
| Best For | Dog lovers, mindfulness skeptics, humor readers | Women reclaiming their identity |
| Emotional Core | Chapter 5: comedy → depression → hope | Throughout: performing vs. being |
Which Book Is Better: My Dog Is Better at This Than Me or Untamed?
Untamed reads like a manifesto. Doyle's prose is intense, urgent, and deeply personal. She writes about her marriage, her faith, her sexuality, and her sense of self with a rawness that can feel like a hand reaching through the page and grabbing you. The energy is: wake up. Stop caging yourself. You are a goddamn cheetah.
My Dog Is Better at This Than Me reads like a conversation with your funniest, most self-aware friend — the one who somehow makes you feel better about your own mess by cheerfully admitting theirs. Larrikin's energy is: hey, I can't figure this out either, but my dog seems to have it sorted. Want to hear what I learned?
Doyle reaches for intensity. Larrikin reaches for warmth. Both are honest. Both are fearless in different ways — Doyle in her willingness to expose everything, Larrikin in the vulnerability of admitting that a dog figured out what years of self-help couldn't.
Themes
The overlap is bigger than you'd expect. Both books are fundamentally about presence — showing up as your actual self instead of the version you think others want. Both address letting go of external expectations. Both make a case that connection is the thing that matters most.
Where they diverge: Doyle goes deep into identity, sexuality, marriage, and institutional religion. Larrikin goes deep into daily mindfulness, rest, gratitude, curiosity, and the specific mechanics of how to be more present in ordinary moments. Doyle is working on the macro scale of life. Larrikin is working on the micro scale of Tuesday.
“Untamed asks: who would you be if you stopped performing? Larrikin's book asks: who would you be if you actually paid attention to right now?”
Audience
Untamed resonates most powerfully with readers in a moment of reckoning — people who sense they've been living someone else's version of their life and need fierce permission to reclaim it. It has become a touchstone for women in particular, though its lessons about authenticity are universal.
My Dog Is Better at This Than Me is for anyone who suspects they're overthinking their way through life but finds traditional mindfulness books either boring or insufferably earnest. It's for dog people, humor people, and people who want practical exercises they can do in three minutes without feeling ridiculous. Its audience skews toward people who would never describe themselves as “into mindfulness” but are quietly open to it.
Practical Exercises
This is the clearest differentiator. Untamed is a memoir. It changes how you think, but it doesn't give you a step-by-step practice for Tuesday morning. My Dog Is Better at This Than Me ends every chapter with a specific, timed exercise — The Zoomies Reset, The Shake-Off, The Silent Walk, The Guilt-Free Fifteen — that you can do immediately. If you're someone who needs a book to tell you what to do, not just what to think, Larrikin has the edge here.
The Verdict (Which Isn't Really a Verdict)
Read both. Seriously. They're complementary in a way that's almost too perfect. Doyle will shake you awake. Larrikin will teach you what to do once you're up. Doyle gives you the fire. Larrikin gives you the daily practice. One is the revolution. The other is the morning after the revolution, when you still need to walk the dog.
If you want to start with the gentler door, you can read the first chapter of My Dog Is Better at This Than Me for free. For more book comparisons, check out our full list of books like Untamed, or explore the book to see all ten lessons Rosie accidentally teaches.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does My Dog Is Better at This Than Me compare to Untamed?
Both books teach presence and authenticity through personal storytelling, but they differ in tone and approach. Untamed by Glennon Doyle is a fierce, urgent memoir about breaking free from societal expectations — it's emotional, intense, and deeply personal. My Dog Is Better at This Than Me by B.K. Larrikin is warmer and funnier, using a rescue dog named Rosie as an accidental mindfulness teacher across 10 practical chapters. Untamed is a battle cry; Larrikin's book is a gentle nudge from a wet nose.
Should I read Untamed or My Dog Is Better at This Than Me first?
If you're in a moment of major life transition and need permission to burn it all down, start with Untamed. If you're looking for daily mindfulness practices delivered through humor and warmth, start with My Dog Is Better at This Than Me. Both will change how you think about presence and authenticity, but Doyle approaches it through fierce self-reclamation while Larrikin approaches it through the quiet wisdom of a rescue dog who already knows how to live.
What are the best books about living more authentically?
The best books about authentic living include: Untamed by Glennon Doyle (fierce permission to be yourself), My Dog Is Better at This Than Me by B.K. Larrikin (mindfulness through canine wisdom), The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown (wholehearted living), Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert (creative authenticity), and Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed (radical honesty in advice form). Each takes a different path to the same destination: stop performing and start living.
Is My Dog Is Better at This Than Me a good book for someone who loved Untamed?
Yes, with a caveat: expect a different emotional register. Untamed readers who connected with Doyle's raw honesty and storytelling will find the same qualities in Larrikin's writing, but delivered through warm humor rather than fierce intensity. Both books reject the performative version of a good life. The overlap is significant — authenticity, presence, letting go of others' expectations — but My Dog Is Better at This Than Me adds practical 3-minute exercises and an endearing rescue dog narrator.
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