Dogs for Dummies (Paperback)

by Gina Spadafori (Author) "You don't have to spend much time looking at dogs to realize that our canine companions may have started out was wolves, but we've meddled..." (more)
Key Phrases: breeding your dog, breeds worth, canine competitions, American Kennel Club, United States, German Shepherd (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Dogs for Dummies should be required reading for anyone considering purchasing or adopting a dog. In this comprehensive, yet concise and entertaining book, author Gina Spadafori, pet care columnist for Universal Press Syndicate and host of AOL's "Gina Spadafori's Pet Connection," makes a strong case for researching breeds and considering how certain types of dogs will or won't fit an owner's lifestyle. She doesn't pull any punches in describing the fate of dogs who have been wrongly chosen by well-intentioned owners, then given up for possible adoption, but probable euthanasia, because they are too active, too aggressive, poorly trained, or, appallingly, because they don't fit in with the owner's décor.

For readers considering a purebred dog, Spadafori provides extensive information on selecting a breed that will fit an owner's lifestyle, including sources of possible breeders such as magazines, Internet sites, and AKC breed clubs, and tips for screening breeders to weed out the unscrupulous or the ignorant. She strongly encourages adoption of shelter animals, though, pointing out that many of the dogs who wind up in shelters are healthy, young, and lovable animals who would make excellent pets for the right people. She recommends proceeding with caution when shopping pet stores for puppies due to the high percentage of pet store puppies that come from puppy mills where animals are bred indiscriminately and often kept in horrifying conditions. Likewise, she discourages purchasing puppies from "backyard breeders" believing that this only encourages irresponsible pet ownership by giving owners a reason to keep breeding their pets rather than altering them.

Once a breed or type of dog has been selected, Dogs for Dummies moves on to the practical aspects of ownership, including bringing home a puppy or adult dog, feeding and grooming, veterinary care from puppyhood to old age, training and dealing with behavioral problems, and traveling with pets. One of the most interesting chapters of the book debunks common myths about dogs--that a barking dog won't bite, for instance. Spadafori even includes a chapter on silly tricks to teach your dog and another on "must-see" dog sites on the World Wide Web.

From Library Journal
Dog owners of the world, rejoice! Whether you are a dog owner wannabe or a seasoned veteran, there is something useful, interesting, or entertaining for you in this handy reference of practical canine information. For those purchasing a dog, the first chapters present the important factors to consider. Readers with Internet access will appreciate the references to helpful listservs, newsgroups, and web sites. For those who already have a dog, valuable chapters cover the necessary equipment and supplies, early puppy training, veterinary care, house training, grooming, and more advanced basic training. The author, a syndicated pet-care columnist and host of "Gina Spadafori's Pet Connection" on America Online, offers sound advice on breeding, caring for aged animals, and traveling with Fido and provides a thumbnail sketch of various competitions. The "Dummies" icons make particularly useful information easy to locate. Highly recommended; public libraries will want to have more than one copy?it's sure to be popular.?Edell Marie Schaefer, Brookfield P.L., Wis.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 360 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies; 1 edition (August 23, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1568848617
• ISBN-13: 978-1568848617
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,052,025 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Recommended Reading, February 12, 2000

By	D. Rahl (Baltimore, MD) - See all my reviews

As the local coordinator for Great Dane rescue and the person in my neighborhood that people come to with their dog questions this is THE book I recommend.

So much good information on dog pack behavior and adopting an older dog I recommend it to everyone thinking about adding a new dog to their family.

Especially good for people considering a second dog and how to integrate it into their home.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Introduction To Dogs for This Total Dummy, October 23, 2005

By	E. Richards "Herself" (Alone with my thoughts) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Dogs for Dummies (Paperback)

I'm a cat person. I love cats. I know so much about cats, that vets think I am a former vet tech.

Dogs? I know a few things like wagging, the play bow, and "sit!". I am contemplating getting a dog, partially to keep my cats humble (a joke! OK?) and mostly to keep me company while I walk. I love to walk, so I figured a dog would be a great co-conspirator. We'll see if I do get one.

However, if I do get a dog, I understand now what is involved in keeping one. There's a discussion on breeds, which points to more sources of information on more obscure breeds. (An obscure dog might work better for me than the Dog in That Movie I Saw Last Week.) There is a lot of discussion about the work involved in raising a puppy and the aggravation of a "teenaged" dog being rambunctious and the mystery of the adult adoptee and the glorious karmic gift of taking in a senior dog.

There is not one, but two veterinary chapters. One is for puppies and one is for dogs in general. This is a good idea. As someone who has adopted adult cats and kittens, I can tell you that baby animals are a different, um, animal, medically than an adult.

There is a lot of coverage on behavior and discipline. You do have to be bossy with dogs. This is reiterated throughout the book.

One thing I was not aware of at all was the issue of grooming requirements. Anal sacs? Yeesh! Toenails? Gee, my cats have scythes and I don't care, but doggies need pedicures. Folks have told me they don't like to wash their dogs. It was a relief to read that you can wash your dog pretty frequently. I don't like smelly dogs. I do love freshly bathed dogs. Their fur is so yummy when they are clean.

I laughed out loud at her gleeful confessions about her love for paraphenalia, like toys and colorful leashes and trinkets. At least she's honest. Once you get past the basic kit, the rest of the dog goodies are for the owner. But still, a pink rhinestone collar on a Doberman or a black leather collar with studs on a toy poodle can be a joy to behold, even for someone who does not have a dog.

Now, a couple of readers ganged up on the book with long screeds about not leaving the dog alone while the human is at work. Well, if no one with a day job adopted a dog, we'd have a lot more dogs languishing in shelters. Its just a fact of life that the human has to go work to buy Kongs and Chewies. The crating and feeding and doggie day care recommendations all match what my dog owner friends have told me. Its an imperfect world and some folks can't take the dog to work and do hire a mid-day dog walker.

Now, this *is* a book for "Dummies". Its an excellent start. If you decide, after reading the book, that you want a particular breed or want to enter the dog in agility competitions, you need more information. Fortunately, this book will point you to that additional information. It does not leave you stranded. The book also points you to fun resources, like Letterman's Top Ten lists, including what the country would be like if a dog were president.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Should be required reading for prospective dog owners, April 2, 1999

By A Customer

I fully agree with the first sentence in Amazon.com's review: "Dogs for Dummies should be required reading for anyone considering purchasing or adopting a dog." Although at first glance it looks more like a reference for people who already have a dog (and it is great for this purpose), I found it even more useful as planning material BEFORE we adopted our dog. Reading through this book gave me a good, realistic idea of what I'd be getting into by adopting a dog. On their own, most people (including me) wouldn't realize or think of all the miscellaneous but necessary tasks that go along with dog ownership (teeth brushing, nail clipping, socializing, picking up dog poop during walks, etc.). The book helped me prepare the house, buy essential supplies, etc. beforehand. For example, I knew to have a crate ("safe space") already set up in the house before bringing the dog home, which helped tremendously in establishing a routine from the start. This book doesn't say much about characteristics of individual breeds, but there are dozens of other dog books out there that do. This book fills the neglected niche of "all-purpose dog owner's manual." I'd even recommend this book to those of you who already have a dog. You might learn something!