Everything Dog Book

Rating:
Summary: Outdated & Cruel Training Methods
Review: Although the "Everything Dog Book" has some helpful advice about selecting a dog & introducing it to your home, the training methods that it advocates are outdated, unnecessary, inefficient and inhumane. The reliance on choke chains and forcing behavior are likely to lead to behavioral issues and can have a very negative affect on the relationship between dog and person. There are far better ways to train a dog to obey that make learning enjoyable and easy for both dog and human. Better options are: "Dog Training for Dummies", "The Dog Whisperer", and "For the Life of Your Dog: A Complete Guide to Having a Dog From Adoption and Birth Through Sickness and Health". The last two choices in particular are great choices as they offer a wealth of practical information that will apply through the life of your dog. For your dog's sake and your own, try a book that relies on training through positive reinforcement.

Rating:
Summary: Want a Dog? Here's an Excellent Place to Start!
Review: The "Everything Dog Book" actually sticks pretty much to the basics of dog care and training, but it presents this information in a highly readable and thought-provoking manner. Want a dog? This book asks YOU why, and what you are looking for in a dog. There are helpful worksheets to assess lifestyle and whether or not ANY dog should be in your future. I like that. At times, DeVito almost seems to be talking the reader out of getting a dog, and this is great, for so many people make such an important decision without seriously thinking of how it will change their lives.

There are some brief, but very accurate descriptions of some of the top breeds (don't look for a comprehensive listing). This will help those unfamiliar with breed profiles to narrow down their preferences in short order.

Many helpful hints abound in this book, too. Did you know that if you knick Fido's quick while clipping his nails, common cornstarch will make an effective clotting agent? Do you know ten great questions to ask a breeder? Web sites devoted to dog health issues? DeVito even includes a section of grieving the loss of a companion dog, something often neglected in such books.

Another strong point for this book is the presentation style. There are really nice line drawings and half-tone images, along with very interesting side-bars (one is on famous quotes about dogs) scattered throughout the pages. The writing style is breezy but to the point. This is a great book for those who want to get right to the useful information without a lot of digressions. This kind of writing will appeal to young adults as well as adults.

Overall, this book covers all the information you will initially need in your quest to obtain and care for a dog. The information is accurate, up to date, and clearly presented. DeVito advocates crate training (and tells why it is NOT a "cruel" technique), stresses the ways in which you incorporate a dog into your ongoing lifestyle, and laces this work with frequent humor. I highly recommend this book to get started, and then checking out "The Art of Raising a Puppy" by the Monks of New Skete.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent training guide!
Review: This book is an excellent book for dog training. Our large dog has responded very well to the regimen suggested in this book. It also has lots of information on dog health and welfare.