| | | | | |  | The warm belly, the swinging tail, the wet nose, the big brown eyes -- these are just some of the things that make living with a puppy pure bliss. But sometimes it's too easy to forget that a puppy is more than just an adorable plaything: He is like a four-legged child, in need of love, guidance and the best care there is. The first year of a dog's life is roughly equivalent to the first eighteen years of a child's life. It's a crucial time in the development of his behavior, personality and lifetime habits, so it's important to get it right!
Enter The Good Life. In their trademark good-humored, engaging style, Mordecai Siegal and Matthew Margolis take new dog owners by the hand and explain what they should be doing to raise their dogs throughout the first year and beyond. To help along new "parents," the book breaks down the first year into clear time frames with essential information for each developmental stage of a young dog's life. From feeding to housebreaking to behavior problem solving, The Good Life is filled with invaluable tips on every aspect of caring for a puppy. Areas covered include:
Crate-training
Acclimating your puppy to your
household and to strangers
Fun and instructive play activities for each time frame
Typical behavioral problems of
each stage, and ways to remedy them
Plus: A fully illustrated obedience-training course and a complete housebreaking program that really work!
Comprehensive and easy to follow, The Good Life is the Dr. Spock's Baby and Child Care for dogs -- filled with everything owners need to help their puppy become a happy, healthy member of the family.
| | | | | | | | | | Author : D. Caroline Coile Ph.D. | |  | In this volume, readers will find information to help them make sound decisions as they consider bringing a purebred dog into their lives. More than 150 breed descriptions are grouped along American Kennel Club divisions: the sporting group, the hound group, the working group, and so on. Each breed entry includes a lovely color photograph that, thanks to the size of the book itself, is large enough to offer bright, clear images. Breed descriptions are organized into subsections entitled "History," "Temperament," "Upkeep," "Health," and "Form and Function." An "Illustrated Standard" sidebar consists of helpful black-and-white line drawings that highlight some of the distinguishing elements of the breed standard as defined by the AKC. Another sidebar, "At a Glance," lists characteristics for each breed, including energy level; playfulness; friendliness toward dogs, other pets, and strangers; protection and watchdog ability; grooming requirements; and heat and cold tolerance. It is easy to compare breeds using these "At a Glance" sidebars.
The appendixes include "Definitions of Medical Conditions," a list of Web-based genetic health resources, lists of currently available DNA tests and testing laboratories for disease-causing genes, a glossary, and drawings of dog anatomy. The glossary is broken into subsections such as "General Terms," "Color Terms," "Head Terms," and "Movement Terms." The "Index of Breed Entries" includes the AKC names as well as alternate names, with the former clearly marked in bold type.
This book is recommended for public and school libraries, and its affordable price makes it a good candidate for the circulating as well as the reference collection. It would also be useful in compact reference facilities such as mobile libraries. Scottie Wallace
Book Description
Updated with the latest information on canine breeds recognized by the American Kennel Club, this lavishly illustrated volume is a treasure house of information for dog lovers, owners, breeders, and prospective buyers. It begins with a detailed discussion of breed evolution, focusing on the physical and behavioral traits that distinguish one canine breed from another. The book’s main section profiles more than 150 breeds, arranged in the general categories specified by the AKC—Sporting Group, Hound Group, Working Group, Terrier Group, Toy Group, Non-Sporting Group, and Herding Group. Each profile tells how and why the breed was developed, and how selection to perpetuate specific traits affects a dog’s suitability as a pet. Advice for prospective dog owners will help them be sure they are choosing a breed that is compatible with their own situation and needs. They will also find information on each breed’s vulnerability to specific health problems, longevity, exercise needs, compatibility with children, and much more. Profuse illustrations include color photos of all listed breeds.
| | | | | | | | | | |  | With over 200,000 copies sold to date, everyone agrees that "the 'ultimate' in the subtitle is not an exaggeration" (Minneapolis Star Tribune). Legacy of the Dog has been established as the reference book for potential dog owners, breeders, and people who are just plain crazy for dogs. Revised and updated, with many new breeds rarely seen outside their country of origin, it is an invaluable reference. Seven standard categories are covered, with each breed shown alphabetically within, for a total of 195 breeds. Each breed's description includes a brief history, key characteristics, care and exercise requirements, and tips on training puppies. Tetsu Yamazaki's photographs are exceptional not only for their careful emphasis on the particularity of the different breeds, but also for capturing the individual spirit of each dog. A treasure trove of photography and a wealth of information, here's a book for canine owners guaranteed to be the most dog-eared one on the shelf.
| | | | | | | | | | |  | "Quite simply this is an excellent book. It is well-written, with snatches of dry humour. It should be mandatory reading for anybody who keeps a dog or has intentions of so doing." —R. W. F. Poole, Daily Telegraph
How do dogs perceive the world about them? How do they see, hear, learn, relate to their owners? How large are their brains, what is their emotional makeup? Why do they suffer from stress and how can it be coped with? Over the last few years a substantial body of knowledge has been built up about the psychology of dog behavior. Combining more than twenty years of practical experience as a veterinary clinician with a personal knowledge and understanding of the latest international research, Dr. Bruce Fogle has written the most inclusive and relevant book on how the canine mind works.
| | | | | | | | | | |  | The star of the British television show Dogs with Dunbar has been teaching pet owners to train their dogs humanely and thoroughly for over 30 years. In this compassionate and honest volume, the veterinarian shares his definitive opinions about the way dogs should be trained. This is a great tool that anyone who wants to get a dog should peruse before they bring their pup home because, as the author points out, owning a dog is a big responsibility, and "millions of dogs are euthanized each year simply because their owners did not know how to housetrain or chewtoy-train them." Dunbar includes information that prospective dog owners should know before they select a puppy, and he also explains how to meet his proscribed series of important Developmental Deadlines (two of which come up even before the dog reaches its new home!). In addition to a step-by-step guide to every stage of puppyhood, the book includes practical services, such as a pre-puppy shopping list and lists of the best dog training books and videos.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
| | | | | | | | | | Author : Charlotte Schwartz | |  | Kennel Club Books introduces a breakthrough in puppy-training books! Well-known author Charlotte Schwartz has taken a key commonsense principal of canine development and applied it to the education of every new puppy. All dog trainers and behaviorists agree that the first eight weeks of a dog’s life are the most critical time for training and shaping the dog’s behavior and obedience potential. Puppy Training presents a unique and useful approach for new owners, carefully detailing an eight-week home-training program.
With over 40 years of experience in dog training, Charlotte Schwartz reveals to the owner the secrets to successful house-training and obedience training. Using positive-training techniques, the author describes her methods of house-training, puppy motivation (treat training), personality tests, basic obedience commands as well as some fun tricks for the puppy. Puppy Training is designed to give owners’ an easy-to-follow sequence, week by week, presenting all of the behaviors that new owners want to teach their puppies—just as if the owners and puppies were in an obedience class.
Readable, entertaining and based on the author’s tried and true methods, this book is illustrated with over 135 color photographs, many of which capture puppies successfully trained by Miss Schwartz. Whether this is your first puppy or one-hundredth, Puppy Training will prove to be an invaluable resource in the education of your new canine companion.
| | | | | | | | | | Author : Kristin Mehus-Roe | |  | This comprehensive book certainly lives up to its subtitle; editor Mehus-Roe, former managing editor of Popular Pets, has culled a wealth of information on over 250 breeds. The work opens with a history of dogs "in our world," which briefly covers dogs in religion, and then moves on to the more interesting chronology of dog rescue and welfare. Later, the author addresses the important issues of dogs and the law (e.g., noise ordinances, poop scoop laws, etc.). New and prospective dog owners will learn a lot from the chapters on choosing the right dog, finding a dog (whether through a breeder, shelter or other option), and bringing a new dog home. The best part of the book, however, covers "life with a dog," with sections on pet care partners like sitters and walkers, emergencies, lost dogs, biting, traveling with a dog, and a fantastic chapter on activities one can do with one's dog, ranging from playing Frisbee ("or canine disc") to sledding and herding. Of course, health and daily care are covered in depth, and a final section focuses on dogs who work (with police teams or therapists, for example). Color photos throughout.
This is truly a world compendium of canines, representing every known--and many unfamiliar--dog breed from Africa to the U.S. Here, find the French Barbet, the Hungarian Mudi, the Japanese Tosa Ken, all documented with such details as alternative names, activity level, best owner, and special needs--in addition to good color photographs. What's even better? The wealth of information surrounding the more than 250 breed profiles: daily activities and ideas, like starting a dog park; historical data, including genetics, law, and religion; daily and long-term health care; training and behavior; and working dogs and related careers. While perusing, dog lovers will find lists of, for instance, first-aid kits, charts about toxic plants, and quotes and fast facts throughout. From the people who publish Dog World and Dog Fancy, it's a wonderful salute to an individual's best friend, even for those unfortunate enough not to enjoy a companion. Barbara Jacobs
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