Reviewed by annieb123 on
What follows is a good basic section of supplies and items to gather and modifying/dogproofing your house before you bring your new dog home.
There are thematically arranged teaching and modifying behavior chapters for such big things as vet visit behavior, toilet training, leash training, interacting with other family members (pets and children) etc.
Sections include 'Before you start''Troubleshooting' and 'Tips'. There are a number of gold nuggets in the tips and troubleshooting boxes, for example,
TIP! The grass surrounding the vet’s office has been pottied on by many sick animals. Avoid letting your dog step on those areas.
The sections on trick/command training are complete and well thought out. Commands such as sit, stay, come, drop it!, leave it, etc are explained step by step and supported with photographs of each stage in the training.
There are many training sections including advanced concepts such as acceptance training for intimidating or scary strangers, places, and objects, confidence training in the home, search/find commands, and many more.
At the end of the book is a safety section which includes 'Good to Know' items such as the Heimlich maneuver for dogs, common poisons and other dangerous things to avoid. There's also a section on 'weird' behaviors and why they're perfectly normal from the dog's point of view.
All in all a thoroughly well thought out, well researched and illustrated book. I also really loved the 'illustration' dogs including weimaraners, chihuahuas, a golden retriever and a beautiful blue tabby persian (ok, cat, but she was still very pretty!).
There are links at the end of the book to further supplies, kits and instructional materials from the author's company: DoMoreWithYourDog.com
Four stars
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher.
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 12 August, 2017: Finished reading
- 12 August, 2017: Reviewed