Before bringing home that cute and playful puppy, a prospective dog owner needs to decide what kind of role the dog will be expected to fill. Is the dog to be a companion or a hunting partner? Are there children in the home? How much time will the owner have to spend exercising the dog? Will the dog have the run of the home? Does the owner want a particular breed, or is an adorable “Heinz 57” just right? Questions about expense and animal laws must also be considered. How much will veterinarian fees, food, and other expenses for the dog be? Does the owner’s community have any special regulations concerning dogs?
Once these questions have been explored and answered, and the new dog has become a part of the family, dog owners will want to start training their canine friends. Mordecai Siegal and Matthew Marqolis state in their book, Good Dog, Bad Dog, New and Revised: Dog Training Made Easy, (Henry Holt and Co., 1991), “Training must suit the dog’s temperament.” Dog owners can get expert advice about house training, controlling barking, teaching dogs to follow commands, and more from this book and others.
Training Puppies
When the new dog is acquired as a puppy, owners can start out on the right foot with a good training program that leads the pup to obedience without breaking down its spirit. The Puppy Whisperer, by Paul Owens and Terence Cranendonk with Norma Eckroate, (Adams Media, 2007), offers “Everything You Need to Raise a Happy, Healthy, Well-Behaved Puppy!”
Housetraining is one of the first big lessons for puppies. Housetraining for Dummies, by Susan McCullough, (Wiley Publishing, Inc., 2002), explains this sometimes difficult task clearly enough to be understood even by, well, dummies. The popular Barron’s guide series offers Mini Encyclopedia of Dog Training & Behavior, by Colin Tennant, (Interpret Publishing, 2006), which is packed with photographs illustrating dog training exercises and techniques. ). Maran Illustrated Dog Training, from maranGraphics Inc., 2008, also provides plenty of photos that show how to accomplish training tasks. Caroline Davis has written a nearly pocket-sized book titled, Puppy Taming, The easy route to a happy, obedient dog, (Thunder Bay Press, 2009). This little instruction book promises to take owner and puppy from housetraining to well-trained obedience.
Teaching Dogs Tricks
The dog who has mastered housetraining and basic obedience might enjoy learning some tricks to entertain and amaze human friends. The Dog Tricks and Training Workbook, by Kyra Sundance and Chalcy “The World’s Smartest Dog,” (Kyra Sundance, 2009), includes 30 instructional trick cards and a DVD. Sundance and Chalcy are also the authors of 101 Dog Tricks, (Quarry Books, 2007).
Teaching Dogs to Hunt
When that new dog is a hunting breed who will accompany the owner into the field, specialized training is required. In addition to obedience training, the dog will need to be trained so that the hunter can shoot over the dog and the dog can find and retrieve game. The Ultimate Guide to Bird Dog Training, by Jerome B. Robinson (The Lyons Press, 2000), is a good introduction to training dogs to hunt. Robinson goes into great detail as he describes the techniques he uses to teach dogs to hunt happily and successfully along with their masters.
Obedient Dogs are Happy Dogs
The dog that is well-trained is a happy member of the family. When dogs know what is expected of them, they are eager to please their human companions. By consulting a few good books on dog training, dog owners can learn how to help their furry friends become their obedient, delightful best friends for life.
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