Books/dvd's To Read/watch

[Tintin Jac]

I've been on the look out for books we can read prior to getting a puppy. From this site, I learnt about the Ian Dunbar books. Our local library has "Before and After you get your Puppy" so will borrow that one.

Are there any others that people have found useful?

We are getting a pup as a pet and will probably also do obedience classes (join a club?) too.

In relation to training, I am more inclined to the newer techniques I've seen a bit about as opposed to traditional methods. I've done quite a bit of Natural Horsemanship with my horse and have found it to work for both of us really well.

Grateful for any suggestions - thanks

[Luke W]

- Dog-Friendly Dog Training by Andrea Arden (similar to the Dunbar book)

- The Other End of the Leash (Paperback) by Patricia McConnell

- The Culture Clash: A Revolutionary New Way to Understanding the Relationship Between Humans and Domestic Dogs (Paperback) by Jean Donaldson

- The Perfect Puppy by Gwen Baily

You can download the Before Dunbar book here:

http://www.siriuspup.com/beforebook.html

[Tintin Jac]

Thanks - that's given me quite a bit to get going. Very helpful

[Tintin Jac]

Luke W - do you know if the downloadable Before you get your Puppy is the same as what is contained in Before & after you get your Puppy? I realise that the after bit in the book is different but was wondering if I need to download AND buy the book or if it's all in the book.

Thanks

[Luke W]

Luke W - do you know if the downloadable Before you get your Puppy is the same as what is contained in Before & after you get your Puppy? I realise that the after bit in the book is different but was wondering if I need to download AND buy the book or if it's all in the book.

Thanks

Let me check my hard copy....

Seems to be the same content - some changes to chapter numbers (Chapter One becomes Synopsis for example), headings and such...but the content seems the same.

If you are going to buy Before and Fater - you don't need to download the Before book.

[WalandLibby]

I agree with Luke W's suggestions.

My fave books that outline the main things that a pup/dog should learn and how to teach them with reward training are The Complete Idiot's Guide to Positive Dog Training (Pam Dennison) and The Power of Positive Dog Training (Pat Miller).

Dennison's book has a good section on interpreting body language and using the information in your training but if you don't get that, I'd recommend Turid Rugaas' On Talking Terms with Dogs.

[Tintin Jac]

Thanks again - am off to see if I can find any of these books now.

ETA WalandLibby - was just checking out your website - lots of very handy info

Edited July 15, 2008 by mrmac

[Paws4Thought]

Another one that is highly regarded by many obedience clubs is Val Bonney's "Who's the Boss?". It's a thin book so it doesn't take much to read it, and it's all sensible stuff.

http://bonnies.com.au/content/view/18/47/

Val and Bruce Bonney have also created a puppy related DVD entitled "Puppy - Pet or Pest". You could enquire with Bonnies about it via their website. There is also another training DVD they have relating to general obedience training, which can be a good place to start.

Good luck!

[luvsdogs]

I have both books, before & after signed by Dunbar. Seems they are now published as one book. You can download from www.dogstardaily.com for free Before You Get Your Puppy with exerts from After y g y p. You'll find loads & loads of info from the site including videos with Dunbar showing how to do exercises if you type dog training videos in the search engine. There are blogs from other trainers as well.