Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 11
 Cute but Old-Fashioned February 22, 2009
citywulf (Atlanta, Georgia USA)
This book has much going for it. It is full of beautiful color photographs and cute illustrations. It covers all the major topics a new puppy parent needs - selection, preparation, vetting, training, and troubleshooting. The terminology is straight-forward and makes for an easy, enjoyable read.
Potential buyers should know, however, that while the book incorporates reward training, it also includes older ideas and methods. A lot of behavior is interpreted in terms of dominance, which even leading wolf behaviorists are saying has been misapplied over the years. She uses the command word before actually teaching what it means (e.g., "sit" means absolutely nothing to your pup until you pair the word with the action through repetition. You shouldn't use the word *before* the pup is sitting.) The training section also recommends vinegar solution spray bottles, collar "snaps," and physical manipulation in places, which are unnecessary especially with puppies, who are still in the learning stages. Why would you "correct" a puppy for being "wrong," when she hasn't yet been taught what is "right"?
I was also annoyed by the author's wording. She always prefaced a command with the dog's name, recommended praising in complete sentences ("good dog to watch me!"), and would immediately follow a verbal correction with the command ("Aack! Watch me!") which, because dogs are associative learners, could cause the dog to associate the command with a correction. How confusing!
I wanted to like this book. Puppies are fun, and this book is fun, and also quite thorough. But the training section especially leaves a lot to be desired. It is also REALLY heavy, so not easily portable.
 Best puppy training book April 1, 2008
KnittingMom8
I checked this book out from the library, along with the Complete Idiot's Guide Puppies and The Everything Puppy Book. I found this book to be superior to the other two. Great pictures, lots of information. Makes training a puupy seem very easy. We are using it right now to train out 9 week old puppy, Molly.
Great Reference for Puppy Parents! March 8, 2008
Ty's Mom
I love this book. It is a very clear and concise overview of owning a new puppy. It covers a lot of information in a very easy format, even good for kids! Fun pictures and visually pleasing. Fun suggestions for activities with your dog too!
Love the book, but not the British bent February 9, 2008
An honest opinion (Rochester, NY)
I bought this book after reading its other Amazon reviews. I really like the book, and have found it to be thorough, well-organized, and a simple 'how to', covering a wide variety of areas that are important to puppy growth and well-being. A great starter book! BUT I did not realize that this book would come directly from the UK, hence many of its internal references and language, etc., are British. It's not a big deal, but I would have preferred to buy the 'Americanized' version, and in fact I did see it later in our local stores (and cheaper too, by the way). If I want other books in this KISS series, I'll definitely check our local stores!
Best Dog book ever August 24, 2004
Jennifer Wetmore (Greeley, CO)
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
I can't say enough about this book, I have seen many dog books but this one is the best by far because it has everything you could need to know. I expecially lov eth what to do in an emergency section. It saved my dogs life! The training section is great because it has several ways to do things. This is the best book you can get, if you get no other book get this one, for your puppys sake.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 11
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