DogSmart: The Ultimate Guide for Finding the Dog You Want and Keeping the Dog You Find [Hardcover]

Myrna M. Milani (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1997

This book helps new or prospective dog owner s analyse all the variables of having a dog, then use that k nowledge to select the best dog and best programme to meet t heir specific needs. '

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Veterinarian and animal behaviorist Milani has written a thought-provoking, insightful book for people who have decided to share their lives with dogs. This is neither a training manual nor a quick-and-easy read but a book requiring attention followed by periods of reflection. Though not difficult, it is simply rich in information that thoughtful dog owners will wish to savor. Milani's text is divided into two sections. The first helps readers clarify their feelings toward dogs?are dogs objects, companions, or just like people? The answer to this fundamental question helps readers define the relationship they want with an animal. Milani explores such topics as pack behavior, anthropomorphism, and space and other environmental concerns. In the second section, she discusses training, diet, exercise, and healthcare, using examples from her practice to prepare readers for all manner of choices that must be made about a dog's life, health, and death. Strongly recommended for all pet collections.?Peggie Partello, Keene State Coll. Lib., N.H.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 379 pages
• Publisher: Contemporary Books; First Edition edition (June 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0809231506
• ISBN-13: 978-0809231508
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,169,860 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A good place to start, but no real answers here, March 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: DogSmart: The Ultimate Guide for Finding the Dog You Want and Keeping the Dog You Find (Hardcover)

I was really looking forward to this book, as I'm a long-time dog lover and zoologist who's about to buy his first dog. I checked it out at the library and read through it, hoping that the comments in and about the book were right: it's the "thinking person's" guide to getting and training a dog.

I was disappointed. Yes, the author is a vet and ethologist (animal behaviorist) and yes she can write well, but the content of the book is sorely lacking. I would read a chapter, feel like I was just thiiiiiis close to picking up something useful, and then it would end (or she'd change subjects). When I put the book down after a chapter or after finishing the whole thing, I thought back to recall what I'd just learned. Disturbingly, the answer was "very little."

The problem here is that there's no real nuts and bolts; there's no real "hook" upon which you can hang your hat and really receive what the author's saying. It's all very general and somewhat obtuse and even ephemeral.

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The basic family pet dog book, February 2, 1999

By 

A Reader "snailgate" (Newark, DE United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: DogSmart: The Ultimate Guide for Finding the Dog You Want and Keeping the Dog You Find (Hardcover)

First, let me tell you about my point of view. During the past 30 years as an adult, I have lived with 5 dogs: 4 were family pets, 3 serious hunting dogs, 2 very good hunting dogs and 2 very good family pets (oddly enuff, the same 2!) The dogs have varied in size from 25 to 90 pounds and all had very individual personalities.

I have a bias toward books. I believe I can take care of any problem, do anything, if I just lay my hands on the right book. So I have read and owned many dog training books. For sound advice on family dogs, I have come to rely on Job Michael Evans. He was the anonomous writer for the Monks of New Skete and eventually became a professional dog trainer, specializing in problem pets. His stuff works.

Then I found the book at hand: DogSmart by Myrna Milani. This one volume sums up the theory behind the detailed advice from Evans. By basic in the headline above, I do not mean dumbed down or insultingly elementary. In understandable language you are given the information you need to understand how to prevent confusion and problems developing between you, the neighbors and your dog. If you have the theory and principles, you can invent your own solutions for your unique situation.

This should be every prospective dog owner's first and most fundamental dog book.

And interestingly, Milani dedicates this book to William E. Campbell, and the late Job Michael Evans.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Book Addressing Personalized Dog Ownership/Relationship, March 27, 2006

By 

T. Lacy - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dogsmart (Paperback)

I found this book to be very informative and stimulating. For someone who is looking for some professional to give them a cut and dry answer to their prospective dog relationship questions this is not the right book. For someone who is interested in the mechanics and development of a highly unique (and ultimately rewarding) interpersonal relationship with a member of another species then this is the book you want. Just like people, cultures, and snowflakes, dogs are just as special and unique as individuals and breeds. This book is designed as more of a workbook or troubleshooting guide with a dash of dry humor and executed with the author's adroit writing style. If you are interested in all the different breeds get The Atlas of Dog Breeds of the World. If you are interested in developing a health well informed relationship with your specific dog (and learn a few things about yourself along the way) get this book.