Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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!

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.

This is my second book by Sarah Hodgson. What specifically drew me to the book was the way it was divided into what to expect at each age (8 to 12 weeks,12 to 16wks, etc) As well as the section on how to test your puppies personality (I think you can do this before you get your dog) - Again, a great book

Our new baby responds to the instructions in this book wonderfully. I was worried about getting a dog, but the results we are getting by following the instructions presented her have made me really glad that I finally got a dog. I could not be more greatful for such a good instuction manual.

This book has very accurate information for training your puppy and very accurate medical information. I would recommend it.

This book is great! It gives good insight to what the puppy is feeling and has broken down training and behavior patterns by the pups age. The book also provides good detail in health maintenance for your dog as well as a typical puppy schedule! I found the schedule to be very helpful in planning my day in order to give my pup the most attention.

This book is my favorite puppy book. It is easy to understand and follow. It gives you tools to train your puppy in a positive way so that you can have a well-behaved adult dog. We used this book with our pups in 1996 and recently purchased it again to raise the next set of pups. In fact, the whole family had to read this book before we even began looking for new dogs.

A really good dog book! Easy for a novice dog owner to understand, but some good ideas even for the more experienced ones. However, I did find some of the information a little hard to find (or that could just be me), and the descriptions of WHY to do things a particular way were sometimes a bit vague. But, all in all, an excellent book.