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A complete guide to puppy care
 

Description: Puppylopaedia is the latest in this series of guides which deliver essential pet care expertise to every puppy owner. It gives information on the basics for all normal aspects of good management including feeding, housetraining and health care.

Contents include:-

Best Features: The book is basically in three simple sections:-

1. How to choose the right puppy for you and your lifestyle. Preparation for new puppy’s arrival

2. Training your puppy. Particularly covering good manners

3. Routine Healthcare

As an obedience instructor for pet dog owners, I particularly liked this book because it covers all aspects of owning a puppy.  I see so many people who have so obviously chosen the wrong breed of dog for themselves. If only they would read a book like this first!  It lists the pros and cons of all the different breeds including: - expense, coat care, what purpose they were bred for, what sex would be best, whether pedigree or mongrel etc.

Also included in the first section is: - How to select a good breeder. That is, one that breeds in the home environment. How to select the right temperament puppy for your lifestyle. Health checks are also included.

In Section Two, it covers all training aspects from how dogs communicate to the different stages of puppy development. Also all about socialization, grooming, health tips, the importance of play and even about how to overcome some common behavioural problems. The book explains about the different methods of training dogs from the positive perspective, such as clicker training to the negative ones such as training discs.

The third chapter covers the basics of feeding issues, vaccinations and how to recognise illness. However, it also goes on to explain about the life-cycles of all the parasites that a dog can have, including the ones from overseas. It’s particularly comprehensive on this subject.

Inherited conditions are also covered and reproductive issues, too.

Could be improved: I would have preferred the book to have taken a more definite stance perhaps on the more positive methods. (But then I am a clicker trainer!)

As far as agility goes, the only mention of it in this book is to explain which breeds you would be best getting if you wish to do this sort of sport.

Design & format: 176 pages. This is a paperback book that is a handy size for reading in bed!

There are 30 colour photographs and illustrations but I think the diagrams showing the basics of puppy training could have been a bit clearer and more of them for the basic owner. There are some nice photos in the book but a few more would break up the text a bit.

Overall Rating:  I would give it 8/10. It is an excellent all round information book that every pet owner should have. The book's name is very apt in describing its contents. For first time owners this book covers everything, even what equipment you will need and how to deal with your pup on the first night home.

Price: The price is £7.99 which is about the right as it is a book that would be referred to again and again.

Value for money: This book includes just about everything you could want to know about choosing a puppy and I felt when reading it that it should be mandatory for new Pet owners to read this book BEFORE getting a new dog.

Available for purchase online for despatch anywhere.

About the authors...
Jim Evans qualified as a veterinary surgeon in 1953. After a short spell as a Captain with the Army Dog Training School in Germany and several years as a partner in a successful small animal practice,  he joined the the pharmaceutical industry, firs with Glaxo Laboratories and subsequently as a freelance advisor to a number of different companies. Whilst working with Pedigree Petfoods he started the Pet Health Counsellor programme which operated successfully in hundreds fo vet practices across the UK.

Jim has written many scientific papers on animal related subjects and has travelled extensively throughout Europe, American, Australia and New Zealand.

In conjunction with Kate White, he wrote the best selling The Doglopaedia and The Book of the Bitch.

Caroline Ackroyd Gibson was born in Liverpool in 1962. She went to Nottingham University in 1980 and obtained a degree in Chemistry. She subsequently qualified as a teacher and taught science and special needs until 1997.

She bought her first Cavalier King Charles Spaniel while still at University and has been breeding and exhibiting them since then,  She made her Champ show judge debut in 1996.
She particularly enjoys rearing happy, well-adjusted puppies ready for anything their owners might throw at them!

About the reviewer...
Dawn Weaver started doing agility over 20 years ago which she says makes her sound really ancient! She has been running Eastbury Manor Agility for the past six years at Blandford Forum in Dorset. She also runs a clicker-based obedience club in Weymouth.

Dawn does dog-grooming too and have done this in a small way ever since she was 18. (We won’t mention how many years ago that was!)

At present, Dawn runs five dogs including a Rough Collie x Border Collie who is nearing retirement at nine years old in senior, two young Beardie x Borders, a Miniature Poodle and a Papillon. She's most proud of Dreamer, her Papillon who broke his leg and had it plated and still went on to run his little heart out for her at Olympia, Crufts and the World Championships.

About Dreamer Dawn says, 'He is so tiny but he tries so hard. I feel very blessed to own the dogs I do and when I get on a course, it’s just me and my dog and sheer enjoyment and long may it continue.'

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