Housetraining For Dummies [Paperback]

Susan McCullough (Author)

Book Description

Series: For Dummies (Lifestyles Paperback) | Publication Date: April 2002

You finally gave into that adorable puppy or friendly adult dog and now Fido’s a member of the family. You just can’t get enough of those big soulful eyes or his cute little antics…until you step in his not so adorable doggy mess on your new beige carpet. That’s when you know – it’s really time to start housetraining.

So you’ve made the decision to start housetraining Fido but you have no idea how to go about it. Do you yell, do you praise, do you give him the evil eye? Housetraining for Dummies takes all the guesswork out of housetraining your dog and demystifies the entire process. Award-winning author, Susan McCullough, who specializes in dog training and care gives you all the answers to potty training your dog – whether it’s a puppy or an adult – in plain English so you can train Fido faster and save your carpet from those tell-tale stains. You’ll get practical advice about:

• Your dog’s instincts and learning style
• The right approach for housetraining your dog
• Housetraining gear, including crate, collar and leash, and cleanup equipment
• Indoor training
• Outdoor training
• What and how to feed your dog

McCullough shares all of her insider advice as well as her own horror and success stories to make housetraining as easy as possible for you and your pooch. Housetraining for Dummies includes helpful tips, reminders, warnings, and information on:

• Puppy versus adult housetraining
• Recognizing your dog’s potty style
• Training your dog to pee on command
• Avoidable housetraining mistakes
• Problem potty-ers and how to help them

You don’t have to keep sending Fido to the doghouse because of those puddles or piles. Housetraining for Dummies makes it easy for you to housetrain him so you can both enjoy the great indoors again.

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

I've written Housetraining For Dummies to provide a light-hearted but informative guide to helping any dog learn proper bathroom behavior. Whether your pooch is a young puppy who's just learning where to potty or an adult dog with serious bathroom issues, this book will help you housetrain your dog quickly and easily -- and even have fun doing it.

From the Back Cover

An effective guide to housetraining your dog quickly and easily

Discover how to put your puppy on the cleanliness track

Answers housetraining questions that dog owners are too embarrassed to ask

This easy-to-follow guide takes the mystery out of housetraining. Find out how to use encouragement and positive reinforcement to successfully housetrain your new pup or your older dog. Author Susan McCullough provides inventive solutions to common – and uncommon – housetraining problems.

The Dummies Way

• Explanations in plain English
• "Get in, get out" information
• Icons and other navigational aids
• Tear-out cheat sheet
• Top ten lists
• A dash of humor and fun

Get smart! @www.dummies.com

• Attention pet owners!
• Get free Dummies Daily™e-mail newsletters
• Sign up for tips on a variety of pets
• Keep your pet healthy and content – the Dummies Way

www.dummiesdaily.com

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 216 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies; 1 edition (April 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764553496
• ISBN-13: 978-0764553493
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.3 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #688,938 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars No More Messes, July 6, 2002

By 

"greatgrandmam" (Vienna, VA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Housetraining For Dummies (Paperback)

First, a disclaimer. I live in the author's neighborhood. But after watching her "Corey" behave himself while our two, young dogs made a mess of our carpet and backyard, I couldn't wait to read her book. I wasn't disappointed. I'm not a dummy (I don't think), but after a lifetime of dog-owning, this was the easiest and fastest way I've seen to learn the secrets that make having a pet such a pleasure for many people.

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Accessible and comprehensive, August 29, 2002

By 

Janine Adams (St. Louis, MO USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Housetraining For Dummies (Paperback)

McCullough covers every aspect of housetraining, a very important part of living with a dog. Her writing is lively and accessible and she leaves no stone unturned. She doesn't shy away from any aspect of the topic and doesn't resort to cutesy euphemisms. Whether you're about to acquire a dog who will need housetraining or are already living with a dog who has potty problems, Housetraining for Dummies will provide the information you need to tackle the task.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars fine for puppy owner, not for adult dog owner, April 25, 2007

By 

A. Kemper (phoenix, AZ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Housetraining For Dummies (Paperback)

This book has some great ideas and I believe that they do work, that is why I gave the book 4 stars. For me, however, it didn't work. I have an adult dog and I felt a lot of the tips were geared more toward puppies and the normal puppy potty training. My dog goes to the bathroom in secret and usually in the early morning hours when I can't see her. Putting her in a crate overnight would probably emotionally damage her not to mention keep our entire family up all night with her crying (she's way too used to sleeping with us at night). Maybe I'm just not consistent enough or something, I don't know, I guess I'm just looking for that " magic pill" that will instantly train my dog! If anyone finds one, please give me a call!