You and Your Puppy : Training and Health Care for Your Puppy's First Year

Rating:
Summary: Very good book!
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Great for the beginner!
Review: 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!

Rating:
Summary: Repetitive, dangerously confused, and irritating
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: It really works
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Repetitive, dangerously confused, and irritating
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic Book!!!!
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Everything you need to know about your puppy!
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Great Book!
Review: 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