The Puppy Whisperer: A Compassionate, Non Violent Guide to Early Training and Care
by By Owens, Paul, Eckroate, Norma, and Cranendonk, Terry
Category: Pets , Dogs , General

Following the success of his book The Dog Whisperer, Paul Owens turns his attention to puppies. In The Puppy Whisperer, Owens and his protege Terence Cranendonk offer a compassionate step-by-step guide to all things puppy, including how to:    * Evaluate temperament  * Choose the right pup personality for your family  * Monitor diet, play, and exercise  * Train and problem solve  * Provide early socialization and positive training  * Potty train, step-by-step  * Ensure safety and health care, including the latest on vaccinationsWhat reviewers are saying...       APDT CHRONICLE OF THE DOG  “I have never said this before but in this case I’m just going to say it: for its genre, this is basically a “perfect book.” There are three authors, Paul Owens, who is known as the “original dog whisperer,” author of The Dog Whisperer, and is a leading proponent of nonviolent dog training; Terence Cranendonk, who apprenticed with Mr. Owens and now is both a CPDT and CDBC, and Norma Eckroate, who writes on the holistic care of humans and animals. The book explains itself as “A Compassionate, Nonviolent Guide to Early Training and Care,” and “everything you need to raise a happy, healthy, well-behaved puppy!” And that’s exactly what it is.   The Puppy Whisperer is a medium-sized paperback with glossy covers and an eye-catching color photograph of a row of adorable puppies staring out at you on the front cover. Inside the pages are basically plain with bold black headings and cute little doggy bones used as bullets. There are several black and white photographs which are well-chosen in depicting what is being discussed. A little color within the book could have “spiced it up” a bit and perhaps made it just a tad more “reader friendly” for those who might have trouble reading a lot of text—however I don’t see this as a significant issue at all.   The book says that it will be a “compassionate step-by-step guide to all things puppy,” including how to: evaluate temperament; choose the right pup; monitor diet, play and exercise; train and problem solve; provide early socialization and positive training; potty train; and ensure safety and health care. The authors start right off asking, “Are you ready for a puppy?” and go on to explain that, along with how wonderful it is to get a new puppy, there will also be those difficult moments and the necessity of changing your lifestyle to accommodate the new family member. The authors state, “These early growth stages can get to be a tad stressful for the typical family, so … consider your financial situation, your physical capabilities, the size of your home, how physically active you are … the size, age, and temperaments of your children.” So true, and so important.   What amazed me about this book is how detailed and complete it is, in every aspect. I can’t emphasize enough that this book includes nearly every detail that a new owner should consider and learn before they get a new puppy and how to raise that little individual once he is home. The only caveat I must mention is that the authors are using clicker training and that might put off some owners—however the techniques and philosophy stand alone whether using a clicker or not. In just the first few pages the authors cover: how to evaluate puppies; temperament tests; hypoallergenic breeds; breeds and mixed breeds; size considerations; ?climate considerations; exercise needs; where to get your puppy (shelters, rescues, breeders, pet stores); breed-specific legislation and more!   The book goes on to cover all aspects of socialization; getting the puppy to be okay alone; beginning obedience commands; exercise; fears (getting the puppy used to the vacuum, for example—something so many owners have trouble with); and a detailed guide to diet and nutrition.  Near the end the book covers teaching basic command exercises, and does so in an easy-to-understand format. It breaks down an exercise into “kindergarten level” and “grade school” level—making it easy for the owner to grasp what the puppy should be able to do at each juncture. The exercises are divided into clear steps, and each section includes a “Having Problems?” set of questions that cover nearly anything that could go wrong when teaching a behavior.   I would strongly recommend this book to all beginning trainers and as a guide to families who are considering getting a new puppy—with this knowledge there should be many more well-adjusted canine companions and far fewer dogs being relinquished to shelters. This book is an admirable accomplishment.”  Valerie Pollard