Understanding and Training Your Dog or Puppy

by H. Whitley

Why do dogs bark? Why do dogs like to bury bones and dig in the dirt? Can you train them to refrain from these natural behaviors? How do you choose the perfect canine companion? Can you... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0517884364
• ISBN13: 9780517884362
• Release Date: April 1996
• Publisher: Three Rivers Press (CA)
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Good for any dog lover

This book was fun to read and filled with unusual examples. The author was a columnist for the Milwaukee Sentinel years ago, and I remember her writing about such interesting animals and people. The author manages to instruct about canine behavior and health without boring the reader. I wish I had read Chapter Fourteen about death and dying before letting my veterinarian "dispose" of my beloved dog's body. This chapter discusses wills, surviving pet programs, animal and human grieving, funeral services, freeze-drying, mummification, taxidermy, burial, and cremation. Not that I would have had my dog mummified or stuffed, but I might have opted for cremation if I'd had time to consider the options. Good book to have on hand before adopting a puppy or older dog. Recommended for all dog lovers.

"Dog-gone" good!

Dr. Whiteley, who lives in what she calls dog country, is a vet in rural New Mexico. She gives an interesting account of her canine neighbors--Smokey, the150-pound, cat hating malamute who howls at the mailman; Chow, the friendly, black-tongued extrovert prone to wandering; and Tiger, the four-poundChihuahua, who "trees" bears. It is the author's examples and personal tales that give life and interest to this book about understanding and raising healthydogs. Even if you are dogless, you will enjoy this book. The author explains why the Catahoula hog dogs of her native Louisiana were given away rather thansold; why the most decorated canine of World War II was such a great fighter; why Old Yeller, the protagonist from a novel by Fred Gipson, is representative of aancestral type; and what American explorer John C. Fremont said about eating dogs. And, I haven't even mentioned the humorous tales of her experiences as apracticing veterinarian. I highly recommend this book.

Canine behavior/misbehavior tips, + great personal stories

I have read many books about dog behavior and health, and this is one of my favorites. The author, a practicing veterinarian for over thirty years, offers intersting anecdotes to illustrate normal and abnormal canine behavior. She gives instructions for training, retraining, and correcting misbehavior, plus chapters devoted to caring for puppies, the geriatric dog, and preparing for the inevitable--the death of a pet. Recommended!