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Title: Dogs for Dummies by Gina Spadafori, Marty Becker ISBN: 1-56884-861-7 Publisher: Hungry Minds, Inc Pub. Date: 23 August, 1996 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $19.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.57 (21 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Best dog reference for new and experienced pet lovers!
Comment: Our new puppy would be joining our family soon, and I needed a few reminders. I had forgotten a few things since our 8-year-old dog was a pup! I was also interested in advice regarding introducing the "new kid in town" to our older dog.
Although I never cared for the "For Dummies" titles of these books, I ignored that and purchased it anyway. I found this book to be a wonderful reference whether this is your first dog or tenth!
The text is very clear and straight forward. Great tips and practical information. Abundant topics, answers every question you can imagine.
F.Y.I. - We found our puppy at a shelter listed on the [related website]. Check out the dogs in the shelters before going to a breeder. (Please don't even consider a pet shop or puppy mill). This little guy is a wonderful dog and a happy addition to our family!
Rating: 5
Summary: The best dog training and reference book ever!!
Comment: This book should be required reading for all dog owners and prospective dog owners. Gina Spadafori really knows her stuff. There is invaluable information on chosing the right dog for your family as well as training techniques. The discussions on dog psychology and dog behavior based on pack structure give real insight into keeping your dog happy and well-adjusted AND obedient. Four paws up!!
Rating: 3
Summary: pawsitively positive?
Comment: this book has already received a lot of praise - but let's look at it a little closer...
"dogs for dummies" serves the necessary knowledge with humor but a few points would need less generalization and more distinction. most of all: one topic is downright unacceptable! the author, gina spadafori, unfortunately contributes to the myth/believe/tradition' (or whatever you may want to call it) that leaving a puppy/dog alone every day while being at work is okay'.
in the crucial part II of the book (getting the relationship off to the best start") ms. spadafori never questions whether leaving a dog alone for a whole workday may perhaps not be the right thing to do' (to say the least). according to her and thanks to the crate, all the owner needs to do is to go home for lunch and walk the pup a little bit, feed it a little bit, play with it a little bit, give it another possibility to do its little business and then put puppy back into its little crate. the crate does not only get mentioned as an occasional tool to make a puppy/dog feel safe and to give it a secure place to rest. in the case of the absent owner/s it turns into a form of daily kenneling. no wonder the crate has lately become increasingly popular...
even though ms. spadafori raises the awareness that it's the owner who mainly contributes and shapes a dogs behaviour, and even though she connects loneliness to unwanted behaviour (chewing, soiling etc.), she does not go the one step further to actually connect loneliness to problematic behaviour later in life (aggression or extreme shyness, both signs of poor socialization).
through this lack, ms. spadafori indirectly recommends to get a dog, put it in a crate (or a fenced yard) go to work and leave it alone. where, exactly, is the difference to putting it on a chain - a method she frowns upon? she understands that this may very likely turn it into a vicious animal. she also explains in great lengths the physical dangers of chaining.
many of the trainers and/or behaviorists that she recommends in case of aggression and other problems would not be needed if authors like her would not just draw examples from the wild, wild ancestors whenever this is convenient. in order to make a new dog/puppy-owner understand dog-psychology the wolf and his behavior gets quoted frequently. occasionally she asks bluntly: would YOU like to be treated this way?" so why is ms. spadafori, who reminds us throughout her book that consistency is the key to a good mannered dog, so inconsistent herself?
could it be because the plain truth is not a best-selling marketing tool? something people - especially dummies - may not want to hear should be said nonetheless: IT IS NOT OKAY' TO LEAVE A DOG ALONE. it is NOT in it's nature to be all by itself for a prolonged period of time and certainly not an a daily basis! sleeping with the owner in his or her bedroom at night does not make up for the many lonely hours during daytime nor does it make up for the missing socialization - which is a 24-hour-process that can not be reduced to a few hours per day.
being excluded from the pack means punishment for a dog. it is not understood by the dog - neither by most authors - and something that lays THE perfect ground for behavioral problems. although ms. spadafori recognizes the increasing tendency for behavioral problems and does stress out the importance of early socialization in this award winning book (ahem...), little is said about alternatives.
sure, not everybody can afford two dogs but there are other options. from taking a dog to work (yes, it takes more effort than locking the pup up but it's well worth it!), to organizing pet-care-groups, to... yes, to simply reconsidering - and getting a feline companion (or, again, better two....) - instead. what goes without saying for toddlers with working parents is it too much to ask from pet-owners?
come on! be creative! do some homework first: get a book that tells you how NOT to leave your dog all to itself - and only if you can assure that your k9 won't end up spending its time alone while you are up, up and away, then get your dog...
a few more words to the other flaws about paws in this book:
1.) whisking a dog outside" while you catch it peeing ends up with pee all along the way to the outside - just so you know.
2.) aggressiveness in wolf-hybrids is not the only problem that disqualifies them as 'pet'. another one is the fact that many of them are extremely shy and have great difficulties in adapting to any changes in or to their environment (visitors, sounds - to only name a few!).
3.) sit" is a great command - as long as you don't have slippery floors. should you observe your dog's front paws to slide forward (into the down"-position), it may not be the dog's fault...
4.) surely, a dogfight is a nasty thing to experience and nothing you want your dog involved in, but not everything that looks - or better: sounds! - like one means that your beloved canine is in any direct physical danger. sheltering a dog can get it into even greater danger. (relax a little. most dogs still speak dog.)
5.) last but not least: hello fellow north-americans & hi there @ dummies! did you know that some (rumor has it: the majority) of the human species does not think in inches and feet anymore? nor do we understand fahrenheit, by the way. so therefore 102,5 degrees which, according to ms. spadafori, exists on her thermoMETER (*grin*) simply does not exist on our thermoMETERs. as a courtesy to the rest of us (and perhaps also for the sake of evolution): please do print the metric-system next to what you call standard"-system. alrigthy?!
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Title: Puppies for Dummies by Sarah Hodgson ISBN: 0764552554 Publisher: For Dummies Pub. Date: 22 May, 2000 List Price(USD): $19.99 |
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Title: Dog Training for Dummies by Jack Volhard, Wendy Volhard ISBN: 0764552864 Publisher: For Dummies Pub. Date: 15 January, 2001 List Price(USD): $21.99 |
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Title: Housetraining for Dummies by Susan McCullough ISBN: 0764553496 Publisher: For Dummies Pub. Date: April, 2002 List Price(USD): $12.99 |
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Title: Choosing a Dog for Dummies by Chris Walkowicz ISBN: 0764553100 Publisher: For Dummies Pub. Date: 15 July, 2001 List Price(USD): $21.99 |
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Title: How to Housebreak Your Dog in Seven Days by Shirlee Kalstone ISBN: 0553346156 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 01 January, 1985 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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