A wonderful resource for raising and training your puppy
592288
Puppy Bible has been invaluable as a daily reference with its week by week guide to puppy maturation.
683064
This is a great guide for beginners looking for basic instructions on how to train your new puppy. All of the basic commands are explained such as sit, stay, come and how to potty train your puppy. I've never used a clicker before so I am excited to use this tool in training my puppy. There is also a bonus preview of the author's next book about dog aggression and behavior. An easy read!
999859
Sophia's book is easy to understand, straight forward, and offers up the basics for having a well-mannered canine companion. She isn't training your dog for competition obedience, she's teaching you dog to be a well-adjusted member of the family that is a pleasure to be around. She begins the book with instruction on reading dog body language, which is so important but so often glossed over or completely forgotten. This gives you a great basis for better understanding your dog, and giving you tools to help him be his best. She breaks the book down into straight-forward sections like 'walking on a loose lead' and 'say please by sitting' and presents training methods in a simple format.
As someone who is involved in veterinary behavior, I found this book to be an easy read that reinforces concepts with some question/answer sections and offers some more detailed information at the back of the book for those that are interested. A must have reference for anyone who has a dog.
3855366
I've owned several dogs in my life and managed to train them to be very obedient and to also do quite a few tricks. I realized later on in years that the training experience could have been far different and less stressful for both my pets and myself. What I mean is that when I trained my pups, the focus was on discipline and not understanding. I later learned the proper way, which is love and is the message in this great guide.

There's more excellent information in the introduction of this book than you'll find in most dog training guides. The focus of the book is on positive reinforcement and nurturing rather than scolding and discipline. I knew I found the book for me when the author spoke of the need to establish telepathy with the pet. No, this isn't some weirdo technique, but a way to accurately explain how a relationship is begun and nurtured with your dog. The word isn't to be taken literally, though if you follow Ms. Pottinger's lead, you're going to have a really easy time getting your pet to do what you want. And it all starts with understanding and nurturing.

I was particularly impressed hearing that dogs so much want to please their owners and will if only given a chance. Another great thing about this guide is that you can use it for a brand new pup while the instruction also applies to older dogs and pets that have been discarded or mistreated. At the price, this book is a no brainer, especially if you're looking for a gentle and effective way to train your pet.
2015912
Got this book on the advice of the trainer that will be working with my therapy dog to be poodle puppy and me, starting a few days after my puppy comes home. In part, I asked for the book because I definitely need to learn about puppy training. I also asked for the book recommendation to vet the trainer's approach and orientation. I was ready to hire the trainer on the spot three pages into the book! A very positive, reward based program, clearly presented and broken down into puppy sized steps.
4075353
Aiming for taking the Canine Good Citizen test, I thought it might be helpful to have a written reference instead of just following the guidelines found on the AKC website, so I came across this book--the "Citizen Kane" film reference was a clever enticement to go with this one too!

I thought it might be some nice pat fluffy overview in print, but I was quite pleasantly surprised--it's a real gem!  It's so well organized, nice layout and color photos, with chapters providing an overview of each of the ten elements required for the test, as well as what behaviors will cause a fail and what will not.  Each chapter very thoroughly details how to train and prepare your dog for the requirements, not just with the aim of passing, but with an emphasis on understanding that the very heart and point of the test is training a dog that is a safe and pleasant member of the community who will be a good ambassador for responsible dog ownership.  Other chapters go on to cover other areas of dog training, such as therapy work and agility.

This book is going to be a useful resource for years to come--it should be essential reading for any dog owner!
1249050
As the director of a very large training program, we are always looking for just the right puppy book that will help busy new puppy owners. Joel's book is very clear, readable, and an excellent resource for anyone who wants a simple way to live successfully with puppies. We recommend this book to all our puppy "parents". If you follow Joel's training and management suggestions, you'll have a great relationship with this puppy who will know all the right things to do!
Becky Schultz, Cerified Pet Dog Trainer
Minneapolis, MN
1911005
I bought this book and am very satisfied. I have a new puppy. The book includes everything I need to train my puppy. Prices are also very attractive. If you also have one new puppy like me, get yours now!!! This is an interesting book and you can get it now with free edition on Kindle
2501471
This book really guides me well from the start to the end on raising a puppy. All the steps are easy to follow, especially on the Obedience Training Chapter. I can communicate well with my puppy now. Highly recommend this book to all puppy raising beginners.
2671744
Lets be honest, nowadays raising a dog is (to many people) like raising a child. And like raising a child, everyone has their own opinions about how it should be done. Therefore, it's impossible to write a book that encompasses every idea of how to properly raise a dog. That being said, this particular book is full of great tips and advice on how to make sure your puppy grows up to be a good dog.

You probably won't agree with everything in this book, but you don't have to follow every piece of advice. The pure volume of information is more than enough to make this book worth it. There is something about pretty much every aspect of raising a puppy, and almost all of them are amazingly helpful. I also like this book because it tends to lean towards more of a rewards based system rather than a punishment based system, which has proven to be more effective.

Overall, I would say this is a great book to start with if you are just getting your new puppy. It will get you through the beginning stages of development but if you have a particularly stubborn (or maybe good) dog, then you might have to get another book that is more tailored to the specific breed you have. Bottom line, get this book to start and if you fine you need specialized techniques, grab a more specialized book.
1404238
I got this book for Christmas after dropping multiple hints. I cannot say enough good stuff about it! It is not a normal puppy raising book, and if you are looking for one, I recommend 'How to Raise a Puppy You can Live With'. However, if you are planning on doing dog sports or other activities with your dog, want to make your dog a therapy dog, or just have excellent 2-way communication, this book is for you.

It includes an amazing array of core skills you can teach your puppy. Unlike a lot of training ideas for sports puppies, this is not an isolation program, and you do not need to be the most reinforcing thing. Using the premack principle "do what I want to get what you want", Ms. McDevitt shows us how we can turn (almost) everything into a reward, whatever your puppy finds reinforcing in every day life.

This is such a great book, and has changed my views radically. I am so excited to play these games with my future puppy and glad I have a resource such as this.
4370031
This book goes through nearly ever situation that you could find yourself in as a new or seasoned puppy owner. It is an enjoyable read and has more than enough to help get your puppy off to the right start. I will now be making my way to the next book, 'Total Recall'. I would highly recommend this author and her books.
676570
I really enjoyed How to Raise the Perfect Dog.  I've gotten very valuable information from each one of Cesar's books.  This is PERFECT if you are considering getting a puppy, or are a first time pet parent.  It WILL require a change in lifestyle, and Cesar lets you know what you need to be prepared for, as in time, commitment, and energy.  It's a very good health guide for when and what to vaccinate for and why, and other health concerns.  CM talks about the different stages of puppyhood and why it's important to expose them to certain things and has good information on conditioning them to things like leashes, vet clinics, etc.  He also lets us know how common human behaviors can be setting up the pups for behaviors that we don't want from our dogs, so you will know not to do them.  I'd say it covers every aspect you can think of in order to be the best pet parent you can be and have a happy and healthy dog.  Many things we don't realize that we really do need to know.

Personally, I'm very big on rescue (and the mom of a puppy mill survivor), so I'm glad Cesar goes into the details of the plight of puppy mills and what to avoid so you don't buy into them - and we need to put a stop to puppy mills!

Two thumbs up.
288820
As the owner of a new puppy, I have found The Wonder of Clicker Training to be an invaluable resource. Prior to purchasing this book, I had never tried any type of animal training. Id heard about the effectiveness of clicker training, but I wasn't quite sure how the processed worked or if Id even be able to master it. This book did a great job of breaking everything down for me. It presented a nice overview of what clicker training is and the mechanics behind it. It went into detail on how to utilize clicker training to illicit the behaviors I am looking for. The tone and style of the book is casual but still very professional. The writer does a great job going into detail where necessary and explaining things thoroughly. Ive only started clicker training with my dog, and Im already seeing results. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking to take up puppy training on their own.
2775492
Matthew Duffy's Ten Natural Steps to Training the Family Dog dispels the myth that dog training can't be fun and yield outstanding results in a timely manner. Having personally read the text and applied the training methods with two "intact" giant working dogs, I can verify that Mr. Duffy has developed a high quality approach to dog training that delivers the desired results. Mr. Duffy brings over 25 years of diverse dog training experience to the table, and he has concisely summarized his training plan into 150 pages. The beauty of the text, besides the fact it is well written, is that it is supported with high quality photographs that make the training steps easier to understand. Whether you are a novice or advanced trainer, this manual makes training success a much shorter journey.
3842332
I got this beauty Chinese crested for my birthday and I named her Rose. Shes just a few months old and love her. I've been having trouble training her and my friend showed me this eBook. I read it and its really a good guide and it has a lot of great training ideas for your puppy. Im following to the ladder some of the techniques and one of the things I like the most about this guide is that it also teaches you great choices on whats best to feed your dog. Id never had a dog before so I find this guide good, quite complete, helpful, and really easy to understand.
2758638
I have read more training books than I care to count in dealing with my slightly difficult puppy and this one is head and shoulders above the rest in tone, information, and honest experience with dogs. So many books written by trainers come off as formal and stuffy. This one is honest, smart, and you can tell the author has been incredibly humbled and impacted by her experiences with dogs over the years. The "Quick and Dirty Tips" have been immensely helpful and I imagine the special sections on dealing with small dogs are great for owners of smaller pups. All in all, I would recommend this book over any of the more well known books (Ian Dunbar, Cesar Millan, Victoria Stilwell, etc.)