You and Your Puppy: Training and Health Care For Puppy's First Year (Howell Reference Books) [Hardcover]

James DeBitetto (Author), Sarah Hodgson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 19, 1995 | Series: Howell Reference Books

You & Your Puppy combines the talents of both a professional dog trainer and a veterinarian to produce one inclusive book on raising a happy, healthy puppy. Here, owners will learn: how to housetrain their puppies, training for different growth stages, the right amount of work and play to make training effective and enjoyable, new ways to work with puppies on special teaching lead.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

You are the proud owner of an adorable puppy. Lucky you! You are in for the time of your life as you watch your puppy grow, get to know your puppy, and raise a new family member. And like any family member, your puppy will need to learn some basic manners and will need to be well taken care of.

The authors of You and Your Puppy?a professional dog trainer and a veterinarian?understand what it takes to turn that bundle of fluff into a healthy, happy canine companion.

In You and Your Puppy you'll find a training schedule to work with your puppy through every developmental phase, including adolescence. You'll also learn how to housebreak your puppy, how to control nipping and chewing, how to puppy-proof your home, what your puppy should be eating, what shots your puppy needs, how to control fleas and ticks, and much more.

You and Your Puppy is the all-in-one puppy-rearing book you can turn to for the first 12 months of your puppy's life, and come back to as your puppy matures.
A Howell Dog Book of Distinction

About the Author

JAMES DeBITETTO, DVM, is the owner and director of the Country Home Veterinary Clinic in Bedford Hills, New York. He is a graduate of the New York State College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University. SARAH HODGSON is the owner of The Cooperative Canine in Goldens Bridge, New York. She is a member of the American Pet Dog Trainers, the Society of North American Dog Trainers, and the Dog Writers' Association of America.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Howell Book House; 1 edition (June 19, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0876057849
• ISBN-13: 978-0876057841
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,393,942 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Repetitive, dangerously confused, and irritating, September 8, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: You and Your Puppy: Training and Health Care for Your Puppy's First Year (Howell reference books) (Paperback)

It's easy to read, and has a few good tips, but overall I found this book very poor. The training section is broken down into stages for different-aged pups, which sounds like a good idea until you realise that training principles are the same at any age, and therefore each chapter is exasperatingly repetitive. Along with the wide spacing, big headings, short paragraphs and abundant meaningless pictures, that makes for a remarkably uninformative book. There is no discussion of major controversies such as positive versus force-based training or natural versus dry feeding; the author's preferred technique is presented as the only option and areas of huge disagreement among trainers are not even flagged. Evidently Hodgson's style appeals to some; I found it irritatingly condescending, bubbly and saccharine. Finally, the book is dangerously poorly edited: on p. 128 Hodgson says: "Don't give him free access to water yet, or he'll turn into a fountain"... then on p. 155 DeBitetto says: "Puppies need a lot of water, and restricting it can put your puppy at risk of dehydration. The only time water can be safely witheld is at night." The health section was better-written and much more informative, but you'd still be much better off buying one good training book and one good health book.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great for the beginner!, July 8, 2004

By 

Kat Wyld "Kat" (Chattanooga, TN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: You and Your Puppy: Training and Health Care for Your Puppy's First Year (Howell reference books) (Paperback)

I've been training dogs for 10 years, and I have recommended this book to all of my puppy owners! It's a great way to get through the first year of puppyhood, and have a dog you'll be proud to call yours. All of my students have found the information easy to understand, the methods easy to use, and the results are wonderful!

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everything you need to know about your puppy!, October 21, 2002

By 

L. Taylor "lrbox" (Dallas, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: You and Your Puppy: Training and Health Care for Your Puppy's First Year (Howell reference books) (Paperback)

This is a great book. It guides you through the development of your puppy by dividing the book into chapters based on age. It explains what you should be teaching your puppy at each age level and discusses any puppy problems you may be experiencing. There is also a whole chapter later in the book that talks in details about puppy problems that arise and how to deal with them. The book also has chapters devoted to nutrition, common dog diseases and first aid. There are also great games listed in the book to play with your dog so that your puppy can learn while having fun. This is a great comprehensive book for the first year of your dog's life.