I Just Got A Puppy, What Do I Do?: How to Buy, Train, Understand, and Enjoy Your Puppy

by Mordecai Siegal, Matthew "Uncle Matty" Margolis

Who said a puppy doesn't come with an instruction manual? From the bestselling authors of Good Dog, Bad Dog and When Good Dogs Do Bad Things comes this invaluable resource guide to everything you ever needed to know about your puppy. First use the authors' safe and effective tests to determine your dog's strong-willed, shy, high-energy, outgoing, calm, aggressive; then use their personalized techniques to begin your training and be on your way to a rewarding and loving relationship with your dog. You will also get the lowdown * Where to get your puppy (and where not to)
* How to create an immediate bond of trust with your puppy
* How to read your puppy's personality and understand why puppies do what they do
* What you'll need to prepare for your puppy's arrival
* All aspects of basic training, including paper training, house training, and feeding Complete with a unique section on Quick Fixes that shows you how to deal immediately with problems from spot-soiling to furniture chewing, this fully illustrated guide is an essential source of wisdom, information, and inspiration to any dog owner or dog owner-to-be.

Genres: Nonfiction, Reference, Education

224 pages, Paperback

First published May 28, 1992

About the author

Mordecai Siegal authored numerous pet books and wrote pet columns for House Beautiful, Good Housekeeping, Women's World, and goodnewsforpets.com. Often the master of ceremonies at pet events, Mordecai was an entertaining public speaker as well as a writer.

Mr. Siegal had a caller-interview radio show, Vets and Pets, on WNYC.

He was a founding member of the Cat Writers' Association and president emeritus of the Dog Writers' Association of America (DWAA).

Reviews

[VA Houser · Rating 2 out of 5]

There is value in this book's advice on how to pick a puppy, the implications of where you source your puppy from, how to evaluate your puppy's personality, and how to adjust your balance of correction and praise to fit your puppy's personality, ensuring the puppy's understanding and growth in training.

The actual training techniques for obedience are not new and are actually a simple repeat of the Koehler method. Great and effective approach, but should not be credited to the authors.

The Problem Solver section is antiquated, repetitive, and in some areas, very misguided and ineffective. It can also offer contradictory advise, which can be identified with a touch of critical thinking and logic.

Overall, this book is useful in some ways, outdated and useless in other ways. Probably not worth the read, especially for someone unfamiliar with dog training methods and dog behavior.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a nice, basic introduction to puppy ownership that is geared toward the first-time dog owner. It's a bit dated, but still useful. I'm not sure how I personally feel about the "training collar" method the authors recommend, but I appreciate their emphasis on avoiding harsh corrections and bonding with the puppy.

[Negar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent starter book for new owners. Love the emphasis on bonding and getting to know your pup. Some techniques are a bit outdated but, what I most appreciate is encouraging only positive reinforcement, being patient and having faith in your smart and capable pup.

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked and appreciated this book. As the title implies, I had recently gotten a puppy, and there were some immediate issues that I needed to address. This book answered those questions and gave me additional information.

The back portions of the book (a section on training and a section on dog breeds) were a little less relevant to me, but I'm sure I'll be referring back to this book when those issues present themselves. All in all, a good book.

[Melody · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful advice for the new puppy's humans. Assumes that you love your dog but are not quite as smart as he is. Or that you need to learn to think like a dog, like a pack leader, like a wolf. And that if your puppy makes a mistake it's your fault. Very informative.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this book gave a really good foundation for how to understand a puppy. The personality test sounds interesting, though I haven't actually performed it. I appreciated this book as a basic guide to a completely clueless first-time dog owner.

[Sanfordgrant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book for a new dog owner. It will teach you to see things from a puppy point of view, but it will not give you any magic answers to puppy problems. I love the personality tests. Overall this could help a clueless owner with an easy puppy.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't understand how the avg rating on this book is 5.6! Isn't 5 the highest you can go? It *is* helpful, but not phenomenally so!

[Jacqueline115 · Rating 3 out of 5]

bought this book to read as a hint to my hubby that we need a dog. it didn't work :(

[Emmy · Rating 5 out of 5]

best training book I read back when we got our dog.

[Jayson · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the many I've picked up since Alma. Kind of outdated and some weird "personality test" ideas, but overall helpful-- pics at end especially.

[Sonni-Ann · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don't bother