Understanding and Training Your Dog or Puppy

Rating:
Summary: "Dog-gone" good!
Review: Dr. Whiteley, who lives in what she calls dog country, is a vet in rural New Mexico. She gives an interesting account of her canine neighbors--Smokey, the
150-pound, cat hating malamute who howls at the mailman; Chow, the friendly, black-tongued extrovert prone to wandering; and Tiger, the four-pound
Chihuahua, who "trees" bears. It is the author's examples and personal tales that give life and interest to this book about understanding and raising healthy
dogs. Even if you are dogless, you will enjoy this book. The author explains why the Catahoula hog dogs of her native Louisiana were given away rather than
sold; why the most decorated canine of World War II was such a great fighter; why Old Yeller, the protagonist from a novel by Fred Gipson, is representative of a
ancestral type; and what American explorer John C. Fremont said about eating dogs. And, I haven't even mentioned the humorous tales of her experiences as a
practicing veterinarian. I highly recommend this book.

Rating:
Summary: Canine behavior/misbehavior tips, + great personal stories
Review: I have read many books about dog behavior and health, and this is one of my favorites. The author, a practicing veterinarian for over thirty years, offers intersting anecdotes to illustrate normal and abnormal canine behavior. She gives instructions for training, retraining, and correcting misbehavior, plus chapters devoted to caring for puppies, the geriatric dog, and preparing for the inevitable--the death of a pet. Recommended!

Rating:
Summary: Good for any dog lover
Review: This book was fun to read and filled with unusual examples. The author was a columnist for the Milwaukee Sentinel years ago, and I remember her writing about such interesting animals and people. The author manages to instruct about canine behavior and health without boring the reader. I wish I had read Chapter Fourteen about death and dying before letting my veterinarian "dispose" of my beloved dog's body. This chapter discusses wills, surviving pet programs, animal and human grieving, funeral services, freeze-drying, mummification, taxidermy, burial, and cremation. Not that I would have had my dog mummified or stuffed, but I might have opted for cremation if I'd had time to consider the options. Good book to have on hand before adopting a puppy or older dog. Recommended for all dog lovers.