Sadly, the majority of puppies fail to live long enough to
enjoy their second birthday. They suffer from the
terminal illness of being unwanted—failing to live up to
the promise and expectation of the Lassie–Benji–Eddie dream.
Instead they develop a number of utterly predictable behavior,
training, and temperament problems and are surrendered to
animal shelters to play lotto with their lives. Many people
blame irresponsible ownership for this tragic situation. I would
cite lack of know-how. Most prospective puppy owners are
simply unaware of the problems that lie ahead and
unfortunately, they have little idea how to prevent or resolve
them. Ironically, the demise of many dogs stems from novice
owners following misleading, erroneous, and in some cases
downright bad advice from out-of-date training books.
Dog owners' lack of know-how has to be the responsibility
of all doggy professionals, including dog breeders, trainers,
veterinarians, animal control officers, and shelter personnel. It
is the fault of dog professionals like myself, who have failed to
adequately advertise the much easier, quicker, gentler, and
altogether more effective and efficient way of raising and
training puppies.
This booklet will outline common, predictable puppy
problems, provide a timetable for their development, and
suggest a variety of dog-friendly preventative measures and solutions, emphasizing the overwhelming importance of early
socialization, confinement, prevention, and lure/reward
training techniques.
Feeling that education can range from boring to hilarious, I
have always tried to make my writing enjoyable as well as
informative. However, a delicate balance always exists between
education and entertainment, so I have also tried to stress the
urgency of many of these ideas and repeatedly drive home the
facts that new puppy owners absolutely need to know.
When choosing a puppy, you need to know how to
determine whether his behavioral development and education
are up to par. Assessing a pup's developmental and educational
status depends on your education about puppy education.
Your pup's first month in your home is the most crucial
developmental period of his life. This short, make-or-break
period pretty much determines whether your puppy will
develop into a well-mannered and good-natured companion
that will bring joy to your life for many years to come, or
whether your puppy will develop numerous, predictable
behavior problems and grow up to be fearful and unfriendly.
You stand at the crossroads. The course of your prospective
puppy's development is in your hands.
To help you get a grasp on all the important information you
need to learn, I have outlined six essential developmental
deadlines, which form the backbone of this book. But before we
explore these deadlines, let’s get an overview of what to
consider before you get your puppy.
Sadly, the majority of puppies fail to live long enough to
enjoy their second birthday. They suffer from the
terminal illness of being unwanted—failing to live up to
the promise and expectation of the Lassie–Benji–Eddie dream.
Instead they develop a number of utterly predictable behavior,
training, and temperament problems and are surrendered to
animal shelters to play lotto with their lives. Many people
blame irresponsible ownership for this tragic situation. I would
cite lack of know-how. Most prospective puppy owners are
simply unaware of the problems that lie ahead and
unfortunately, they have little idea how to prevent or resolve
them. Ironically, the demise of many dogs stems from novice
owners following misleading, erroneous, and in some cases
downright bad advice from out-of-date training books.
Dog owners' lack of know-how has to be the responsibility
of all doggy professionals, including dog breeders, trainers,
veterinarians, animal control officers, and shelter personnel. It
is the fault of dog professionals like myself, who have failed to
adequately advertise the much easier, quicker, gentler, and
altogether more effective and efficient way of raising and
training puppies.
This booklet will outline common, predictable puppy
problems, provide a timetable for their development, and
suggest a variety of dog-friendly preventative measures and solutions, emphasizing the overwhelming importance of early
socialization, confinement, prevention, and lure/reward
training techniques.
Feeling that education can range from boring to hilarious, I
have always tried to make my writing enjoyable as well as
informative. However, a delicate balance always exists between
education and entertainment, so I have also tried to stress the
urgency of many of these ideas and repeatedly drive home the
facts that new puppy owners absolutely need to know.
When choosing a puppy, you need to know how to
determine whether his behavioral development and education
are up to par. Assessing a pup's developmental and educational
status depends on your education about puppy education.
Your pup's first month in your home is the most crucial
developmental period of his life. This short, make-or-break
period pretty much determines whether your puppy will
develop into a well-mannered and good-natured companion
that will bring joy to your life for many years to come, or
whether your puppy will develop numerous, predictable
behavior problems and grow up to be fearful and unfriendly.
You stand at the crossroads. The course of your prospective
puppy's development is in your hands.
To help you get a grasp on all the important information you
need to learn, I have outlined six essential developmental
deadlines, which form the backbone of this book. But before we
explore these deadlines, let’s get an overview of what to
consider before you get your puppy.