Customer Reviews

The Toy & Miniature Poodle (Terra-Nova)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Along with my newly adopted mini poodle, I purchased three books on the breed. This one is by far my favorite for several reasons.

Number one, it was obviously written by a person intimately familiar with the poodle breed. Though it did cover some basics that would be great for any dog owner to keep in mind (such as potty and behavior training and a basic vet overview), it also delved into specific poodle concerns that I - as a new poodle owner - had never known. My concerns about grooming, feeding, special health concerns and training were all covered.

Another thing I loved about this book was its readability. I never felt overwhelmed or bored reading this, and I really felt prepared to take on the ownership of a breed of dog I'd never had prior experience with.

As an added bonus, it came with a neat training dvd that showed some basic training techniques in live action.

Probably my absolute favorite part about this book is that it covers how to ADOPT a poodle. I met my little buddy at the humane society, and most people are shocked to hear that when I tell them (he looks like he could be a show dog). You really can find a pure bred best friend at the pound. But don't let them overshadow all those adorable mixed breeds!!

This book gave a detailed look at the health and care of poodles of all sizes. I found it informative on the cost of grooming and the different styles favored by poodle owner's. It gave an informative description of the many products poodles need, and the type of care an owner should expect when purchasing or owning a poodle. Please read this book if you have any questions about a poodles care and or health problems one may develope.

I have a 4.5 year old Chocolate Miniature Poodle which I rescued this past Thanksgiving. Although I owned a white toy poodle before and thought I was familiar with them, I realized there was a lot that I didn't know (and was doing a hack job before). This book is a very comprehensive and well-written resource. It provides historical information including breed standards, drills into their unique characteristics, and provides all the practical information not only in preparing and getting a poodle, but more importantly for me, how to feed, groom, train, and medically treat. The health section is a fairly thorough listing including health checks and ailments - which I particularly appreciated after spending many visits at the vet trying to identify my dog's source of incontinence and testing for UTI, Kidney stones, overdrinking, Leptospirosis and ruling out Diabetes Mellitus. (She just got treated for Leptospirosis).

I recommend this book to owners of toy and miniature poodles. I especially appreciate the grooming section which provides clear, detailed advice on the many grooming requirements of poodles and a helpful clipper blade chart. Since purchasing this book and supplementing it with youtube videos, I've purchased clippers and have been able to do a fair job. The book is able to provide information better than my vets and other videos on how to clip my dog's black nails (clip a little at a time and watch for a dark spot and also note how the top grows faster and curves around), on brushing teeth (dogs don't like having their lips pulled back to reach the back teeth, so brush under lip for back and worry about the outside of the teeth only), etc... My dog has been eating grass and in the winter ate frozen dog feces (coprophagia), all of which the writer explains in her book. Despite my multiple trips to the vet and my list of questions that I always pose there, this book does a far better job of explaining my dog to me and makes me a more confident mom.

The book has lots of color photos and side notes that reinforce and illustrate the text. The format is easy to read and I recommend reading it cover to cover and then referring to it as needed. The DVD shows a few helpful tutorials on how to train your dog for basic commands with readily administered treat tidbits.

The book had many helpful tips on training and the characteristics of the breed. My only issue was that there was no mention of teacup poodles. I assumed the teacup would be classified as mini, no big deal. Still an educational read.

I just want to write the comment; where is the Standard Poodle? I love this series of books, and I was wondering why the original poodle was not included. In fact, it seems to have been actively excluded. It makes no sense.