Raising Rover: Breed-By-Breed Training from Afghans to Yorkies [Hardcover]

Judith Halliburton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 15, 1996

This revolutionary new dog training book takes a dog owner through the dog's life, with all of the "how, why, when, and where" questions answered. Halliburton offers sensible advice that makes sense for specific kinds of dogs, demonstrating that a Pekinese is vastly different from a Basset Hound or a Golden Retriever. Different breeds train differently, enjoy different games, and basically have different "personalities."

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Halliburton is an animal behaviorist and trainer from New Mexico, where she worked with pet owners for over 20 years. Raising Rover is a unique attempt to provide breed-specific guidelines for dealing with problem behaviors as well as basic training techniques. The first half of the book discusses general considerations in training and avoiding problem behaviors. Topics range from housebreaking to chewing, play, protectiveness, and multiple-dog families. The advice offered is sound, if somewhat superficial; anyone dealing with deeply ingrained behaviors will need to seek professional assistance. The last half of the book discusses some of the more popular breeds, explaining what the breed was originally intended to do and how this affects its behavior and training. Housebreaking and -training considerations are targeted, with practical information most people wouldn't be aware of until they actually own a dog of that breed. Those considering the purchase of a dog should read these sections before taking one into their home. All in all, this is one of the better guides to selecting and dealing with purebred dogs. Recommended where interest in pets is high.?Edell Marie Schaefer, Brookfield P.L., Wis.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press; 1st edition (April 15, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312143990
• ISBN-13: 978-0312143992
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,017,633 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars This book was very disapointing, February 22, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Raising Rover: Breed-By-Breed Training from Afghans to Yorkies (Paperback)

I like the idea of a book that addresses breed differences for training. I was very disapointed in that the author, though she discusses different breeds, only advocates one type of collar for training - a choke chain. She says other types of collars are "useless or downright ridiculous". I don't agree with this. The training that she advocates is very traditional, and there are many books that explain it better and more thoroughly. Her descriptions of the breeds of dogs have several major flaws, which made me question all of her observations. She seems to have confused Bull Terriers with Pit Bulls (not!) and American Staffordshire Terriers with Staffordshire Bull Terriers. There is a lot of confusion amoung the general public about the "Bull & Terrier" breeds, but a book claiming to give information about the different breeds should have the correct information. She refers to Australian Cattle Dogs as "Blue & Red Heelers" which is the vernacular in many rural areas, but not the correct name of the breed. And they were not bred to herd sheep, but cattle. Nor were corgis bred to herd sheep. And Rottweilers do not weigh 200 pounds. Some of the breed temperament characteristics she talks about are correct, many more are not at all what I have observed over many years in dogs.I could go on but I will quit there. The book made me nuts. I'm glad I bought it on a half price sale. If I had paid the full price I would have been even more irritated.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Yes! Pugs are neither Border Collies nor Borzois, January 8, 2000

By 

Kimberly Borrowdale (Oregon USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Raising Rover: Breed-By-Breed Training from Afghans to Yorkies (Hardcover)

RAISING ROVER is definitely different from any other training book I've ever encountered, in that it concentrates on training tips and methods by breed of dog. In addition, I think it would be a marvelous book for would-be dog owners to peruse to help them decide which breed is right for them.

The book starts with a 95 page general training section, the usual housetraining, obedience, dog pack "pecking order," and problem solving. I always find it useful to read these sectiosn because each author/trainer (Halliburton is an animal behaviorist and trainer) has different methods and new viewpoints and tidbits to add. Halliburton includes a chapter called, "It's Okay, It's Okay" about the pitfalls of trying to comfort one's dog in times of stress such as visits to the vet, loud thunderstorms, strange people, and the like.

Then comes 175 pages of breed profiles--profiles of 87 of the most popular breeds (sorry, no Clumber Spaniel, Ibizan Hound, or Dogue de Bordeaux). The basis of these profiles is, of course, that well-bred purebred dogs (i.e. not bred willy-nilly at puppy mills--DO NOT buy from them or from pet stores!) have certain predictable behaviors for each breed, and particular ways of reacting, learning, and getting along with others.

Each profile includes:

What the dog was originally bred for: Basenjis were bred in Africa to act as guides to hunters and warn their human if there was a lion or some other dangerous animal in the vacinity.

Housetraining tips: you can't tell if a Bloodhoud pup needs to go out just because he's sniffing the floor, becauses he's *always* sniffing the floor and everything else; if your Bulldog pup starts sniffing the floor, whisk him outside immediately; Poodles are one of the easiest to housetrain.

Personality: Dachshunds can be problem barkers because they all think they're Mastiffs; Cocker Spaniels get along great with children and will happily follow them anywhere; Pekingese "have more guts than brains...wouldn't hesitate to protect you from a lion" (a Peke is a toy breed weighing no more than 15 pounds); "Vizslas are an odd mix of hardy hunter and nervous wreck."

Training: Boxers, Chesapeake Bay Retrievers, Rottweilers and Samoyeds are some of the breeds that need strong leadership from their human; "Borzois can be very bullheaded if you're asking them to do something they don't want to do or see no point in doing. On the other hand...these dogs are polite and well-mannered automatically;" regarding Border Collies, "There is very little you can't train this dog to do. And what you don't train Rover to do, he'll probably figure out for himself." (Then follows a great anecdote about a BC who learned out to get ice from the dispenser in the door of the refrigerator).

Environment needed, including active (Irish Setters) or sedate (Great Pyrenees), how they get along with children of various age groups (Chihuahuas are great with teenagers but not good with small children) and the elderly (Minature Pinscher), whether they can be latchkey dogs, whether they get along with other dogs in the household, if they can live happily in an apartment (yes, Great Danes can do it), how much exercise is required/tolerated.

Halliburton is also clear on the disadvantages of each breed: which tend to bark (Alaskan Eskimos, Pomeranians) dig (Alaskan Malamutes), drool (St. Bernards), and snore (Boston Terriers, Bulldogs, Pugs--of course when *my* Pug snores, it's a comforting lullaby to me, not a disadvantage at all!)

What if you have a mixed breed dog? Well, if you know that it's a Chow/Siberian Husky cross, you just read the profiles of those two breeds and observe your dog to see how they combine in him. If you get a dog from a shelter (a very commendable act!) and it seems to have some Doberman, German Shephard, and Golden Retriever, read about those breeds.

In the You Learn Something New Every Day department, here's something I've *never* heard of before: because Great Danes originated as a breed around 300-400 BC, the different colors (fawn, brindle, black, etc) have different temperaments. I wonder what the Great Dane people have to say about that.

Halliburton doesn't talk about a dog's size, grooming requirements, and that sort of thing because she's assuming you already have your dog, so for this reason this book isn't a great stand-alone guide to choosing a breed, but it's got a lot of insightful information on the subject, and can be exceptionally helpful in training.

Kimberly Borrowdale Under the Covers Book Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great advice plus special breed concerns, October 15, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Raising Rover: Breed-By-Breed Training from Afghans to Yorkies (Paperback)

I found this book to be easy to use and simple to implement. Love of dogs permeates the book, while the author explains such tricky subjects as displacement (why he tears up the sofa when you're gone) and hierarchies (how people make their little dogs into terrors.) The biggest and best part of the book is the breed by breed breakdown where all that the author has taught you before gets highlighted according to the breed of dog. She tells the tale of a Great Dane who really didn't want to run the family, and how the family's futon furniture confused him into thinking he was the top dog. If a breed is hard to housebreak, she explains why and how to get around it, and goes into the mindset of many breeds as a training tool. I read dog training books all the time, and this one is full of great ideas and a real empathy for dogs that should let anyone get closer to their dog. Humane training, emphasizing psychological methods, is the best way to train your dog, and with this book there should be nothing you can't do with Rover!