Puppy Primer

Excellent book for new puppy owners. Should be a mandatory read for anyone getting a new puppy. Great information on housetraining.

Small but precise and packed with wisdom. Like a bullet, it hit the target areas needed and is helpful throughtout the first year of life and beyond.

This booklet provides a good start for a new puppy or adopted young dog. It covers the essentials of socialization, mouthing/play biting, housetraining, and appropriate play, along with basic training behaviors (sit/down/come/loose leash/etc.). If you just need a "quick start" for your newcomer before delving into something more involved ("Outwitting Dogs" and "How to Behave So Your Dog Behaves" are my top picks), get this affordable option. However, it gets 4 stars rather than 5 because it does recommend "setups" and "remote corrections," which can backfire. Dogs are associative learners, and may associate that scary noise that came from nowhere with any number of things other than the behavior you want her to stop. In fact, in another booklet the author mentions a sound-sensitive Sheltie who became afraid of the training center due to a remote correction. Interruption and redirect, without the correction, usually is quite enough, especially for a young new learner, and has no fallout.

This short 64 page book is a TERRIFIC starter for new puppy owners and has great tips for the experienced dog handler as well. "Puppy Primer" is well written and co-authored by Patricia McConnell who is a well respected dog trainer and author. I highly recommend this book. As a 6 year volunteer puppy raiser for Canine Companions for Independence www.cci.org I have quite a bit of experience with puppies and have read numerous books. This book has it ALL in one place! Enjoy - Woof, woof!

Patricia's matter of fact radio advice (PRI's Calling All Pets Radio Program) transfers well to the printed page. The training tips and advice for crate training, house training, and socialization are spelled out in concise bulleted lists. The authors goals seems to be building the puppy oweners confidence in order to build the pups confidence. We just brought home a yellow lab pup, Sousa. He is off to a great start. Give lots of praise, treats, play, and safe space to your puppy.