Congratulations! It's a Dog!: Training and Behavior Tips for the Newest Member of Your Family

by D. Caroline Coile

The author of this enlightening and entertaining book for dog owners grants that "The way we treat dogs changes with the times, varies from one culture to the next, and even one neighbor to the next." In the past, dogs were valued by humans as workers, hunters, and guard animals. Today, the majority of dogs are kept as pets, and are sometimes treated like children by well-meaning owners who fail to understand the qualities that make dogs unique. Some owners neglect or abuse their dogs, while others coddle their pets in ways that mirror human society's own lapses into obesity and lack of exercise. Here is advice from a canine expert on how to strike that happy how to treat a dog humanely, provide for all its physical and emotional needs, but never mistake your pooch for a fellow human being. Here too are fascinating facts about how dogs originally diverged from wolves on the evolutionary chain, as well as explanations of the specific traits and instincts that make dogs different, not only from humans, but from all other animals. In total, here are insights that will enable owners to understand and value canines for the wonderful friends and companions that they are. The text is complemented with cartoon-style line illustrations.

Genres: Nonfiction, Dogs

186 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

D. Caroline Coile, Ph.D., is an award-winning writer who has been showing dogs for more than a quarter of a century.

Reviews

[Cathy]

I got this out of the library when I was adopting my dog, so not all of the information was applicable to my situation. But it is very well done, all from a positive perspective and extremely practical and easy to read. The section on motivation and rewards is better than anything else that I've read and extremely helpful, regardless of whether you decide to do clicker training or not, she just explained things in a way that no one else that I've read so far has (and I've read quite a few books lately). Most parts of the book are pretty brief and to the point, but this part was more detailed, as was the chapter explaining how to start with clicker training if you are interested in that. It's a short book, but could be a useful tool for many people.

[Molly]

There are probably as many different schools of thought on dog rearing and training as there are breeds of dog, but this was an easy and amusing read and a good introduction to the joys and pitfalls of dog (and esp puppy) ownership.

[Peacegal]

I have read a lot of dog books both before and after the arrival of the latest four-legged terror, and this is one of the best I have encountered.

[Michael Flick]

Straightforward training and behavior tips for people and their dogs. Easy and pleasant to read. Practical.

[Claudia]

One of the best dog training books I have read.