Dogs for Dummies [Paperback]

Gina Spadofori (Author), Marty Becker (Foreword)

Book Description

Series: For Dummies | Publication Date: August 23, 1996

"Dogs For Dummies is an intelligent, thorough, and humorous reference that should be on any dog lover's list of must-haves." — Duncan C. Ferguson, VMD, PhD, DACVIM, DACVCP, Professor, University of Georgia, College of Veterinary Medicine "This book represents the best dog writing of the year. We honor it with pride." — Mordecai Siegal, DWAA President and Editor of the UC Davis Book of Dogs "Written with intelligence, wit, and heart. If your dog had a credit card, he'd buy you this wonderful guide." — Carol Lea Benjamin, Author of Mother Knows Best, The Natural Way to Train Your Dog "…filled with a wealth of practical information for dog owners that stands tails above the rest — two paws up." — Darris O. Hercs, Executive Assistant Director, SPCA, Oakland, CA

Named "Best of the Best" by the Dog Writers Association of America!

Have you considered buying or adopting a dog but aren't sure where to begin? Are you intimidated and confused by the hundreds of dog breeds from which to choose? Do you know how to properly bathe, groom, feed, and care for your new puppy or dog once you've gotten home? Dogs For Dummies^® is your handy guide to selecting, buying, and caring for the puppy or dog who's right for you! This fun reference covers all the dos and don'ts as well as the rights and responsibilities of dog ownership, providing you with plenty of tips on everything from how to train your dog to what kind of toys, food, and treats to buy! Inside, you'll discover how to:

• Choose the right dog to fit your lifestyle
• Purchase a puppy or dog from a reputable breeder
• Adopt a dog or puppy from a shelter or rescue group
• Buy all the doggie equipment and accessories you need, including toys, bones, bowls, collars, and leashes
• Raise and maintain a healthy and happy dog through proper diet and exercise
• Choose a veterinarian who's right for you and your dog
• Solve your dog's simple behavior problems or determine whether obedience school is needed
• Make traveling with your dog a breeze

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Dogs for Dummies should be required reading for anyone considering purchasing or adopting a dog. In this comprehensive, yet concise and entertaining book, author Gina Spadafori, pet care columnist for Universal Press Syndicate and host of AOL's "Gina Spadafori's Pet Connection," makes a strong case for researching breeds and considering how certain types of dogs will or won't fit an owner's lifestyle. She doesn't pull any punches in describing the fate of dogs who have been wrongly chosen by well-intentioned owners, then given up for possible adoption, but probable euthanasia, because they are too active, too aggressive, poorly trained, or, appallingly, because they don't fit in with the owner's décor.

For readers considering a purebred dog, Spadafori provides extensive information on selecting a breed that will fit an owner's lifestyle, including sources of possible breeders such as magazines, Internet sites, and AKC breed clubs, and tips for screening breeders to weed out the unscrupulous or the ignorant. She strongly encourages adoption of shelter animals, though, pointing out that many of the dogs who wind up in shelters are healthy, young, and lovable animals who would make excellent pets for the right people. She recommends proceeding with caution when shopping pet stores for puppies due to the high percentage of pet store puppies that come from puppy mills where animals are bred indiscriminately and often kept in horrifying conditions. Likewise, she discourages purchasing puppies from "backyard breeders" believing that this only encourages irresponsible pet ownership by giving owners a reason to keep breeding their pets rather than altering them.

Once a breed or type of dog has been selected, Dogs for Dummies moves on to the practical aspects of ownership, including bringing home a puppy or adult dog, feeding and grooming, veterinary care from puppyhood to old age, training and dealing with behavioral problems, and traveling with pets. One of the most interesting chapters of the book debunks common myths about dogs--that a barking dog won't bite, for instance. Spadafori even includes a chapter on silly tricks to teach your dog and another on "must-see" dog sites on the World Wide Web.

From Library Journal

Dog owners of the world, rejoice! Whether you are a dog owner wannabe or a seasoned veteran, there is something useful, interesting, or entertaining for you in this handy reference of practical canine information. For those purchasing a dog, the first chapters present the important factors to consider. Readers with Internet access will appreciate the references to helpful listservs, newsgroups, and web sites. For those who already have a dog, valuable chapters cover the necessary equipment and supplies, early puppy training, veterinary care, house training, grooming, and more advanced basic training. The author, a syndicated pet-care columnist and host of "Gina Spadafori's Pet Connection" on America Online, offers sound advice on breeding, caring for aged animals, and traveling with Fido and provides a thumbnail sketch of various competitions. The "Dummies" icons make particularly useful information easy to locate. Highly recommended; public libraries will want to have more than one copy?it's sure to be popular.?Edell Marie Schaefer, Brookfield P.L., Wis.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies; 1 edition (August 23, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1568848617
• ISBN-13: 978-1568848617
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,789,834 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Recommended Reading, February 12, 2000

By 

D. Rahl (Baltimore, MD) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dogs for Dummies (Paperback)

As the local coordinator for Great Dane rescue and the person in my neighborhood that people come to with their dog questions this is THE book I recommend.

So much good information on dog pack behavior and adopting an older dog I recommend it to everyone thinking about adding a new dog to their family.

Especially good for people considering a second dog and how to integrate it into their home.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Should be required reading for prospective dog owners, April 2, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Dogs for Dummies (Paperback)

I fully agree with the first sentence in Amazon.com's review: "Dogs for Dummies should be required reading for anyone considering purchasing or adopting a dog." Although at first glance it looks more like a reference for people who already have a dog (and it is great for this purpose), I found it even more useful as planning material BEFORE we adopted our dog. Reading through this book gave me a good, realistic idea of what I'd be getting into by adopting a dog. On their own, most people (including me) wouldn't realize or think of all the miscellaneous but necessary tasks that go along with dog ownership (teeth brushing, nail clipping, socializing, picking up dog poop during walks, etc.). The book helped me prepare the house, buy essential supplies, etc. beforehand. For example, I knew to have a crate ("safe space") already set up in the house before bringing the dog home, which helped tremendously in establishing a routine from the start. This book doesn't say much about characteristics of individual breeds, but there are dozens of other dog books out there that do. This book fills the neglected niche of "all-purpose dog owner's manual." I'd even recommend this book to those of you who already have a dog. You might learn something!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best dog reference for new and experienced pet lovers!, August 12, 2002

By 

Ginger "vipbooks" (Shore, NJ USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dogs For Dummies (Paperback)

Our new puppy would be joining our family soon, and I needed a few reminders. I had forgotten a few things since our 8-year-old dog was a pup! I was also interested in advice regarding introducing the "new kid in town" to our older dog.

Although I never cared for the "For Dummies" titles of these books, I ignored that and purchased it anyway. I found this book to be a wonderful reference whether this is your first dog or tenth!

The text is very clear and straight forward. Great tips and practical information. Abundant topics, answers every question you can imagine.

F.Y.I. - We found our puppy at a shelter listed on the [related website]. Check out the dogs in the shelters before going to a breeder. (Please don't even consider a pet shop or puppy mill). This little guy is a wonderful dog and a happy addition to our family!