Dogs For Dummies 2e - Softcover

Spadafori, Gina

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0764552740 ISBN 13: 9780764552748

Publisher: John Wiley &Sons, 2000

Synopsis

These days, people's dogs have become bona fide members of the family. Moving from the kennel to the couch, they share our beds, family rooms, and holidays; and they are recipients of our kindest and utmost concern. A pet partnership is a lifetime commitment. Do it right, and your dog will become an important and valuable part of the family for many years. Do it wrong, and you've broken a sacred covenant between humankind and another living being.

Dogs For Dummies, 2nd Edition, is for you if you are looking to adopt a dog, trying to improve the relationship with the one you have, or attempting to come up with fun things to do with your canine companion. This book is also for people who want to

• Choose the right veterinarian
• Explore the dog-breeding business
• Find breed-rescue groups
• Identify canine health problems
• Look for a purebred

It's a "doggy-dog" world, and this easy-to-use guide will help you navigate it. Improve your chances at pet success by knowing how to raise and live with your dog properly. Discover which breed best suits your lifestyle, and if a puppy or adult dog is best for you. Dogs For Dummies, 2nd Edition, also covers the following topics and more:

• Caring for an aging dog
• Choosing collars, harnesses, halters, and leashes
• Considering euthanasia
• Feeding Fido the right way
• House training puppies and adult dogs
• Keeping up appearances with good grooming
• Participating in canine competitions
• Preparing your dog for a disaster
• Traveling with your dog

Award-winning author Gina Spadafori says the lack of accurate information — not the lack of effort or concern — is often the reason for doomed people-pet pairings. With her help, you can avoid the agony. Dogs For Dummies, 2nd Edition, is full of useful tips, how-to advice, illustrations, and photographs (both color and black-and-white). You deserve a healthy, happy, and well-mannered canine companion; and you'll be the owner every pet wants and deserves —informed, responsible, and loving.

About this title

Review:

Dogs for Dummies should be required reading for anyone considering purchasing or adopting a dog. In this comprehensive, yet concise and entertaining book, author Gina Spadafori, pet care columnist for Universal Press Syndicate and host of AOL's "Gina Spadafori's Pet Connection," makes a strong case for researching breeds and considering how certain types of dogs will or won't fit an owner's lifestyle. She doesn't pull any punches in describing the fate of dogs who have been wrongly chosen by well-intentioned owners, then given up for possible adoption, but probable euthanasia, because they are too active, too aggressive, poorly trained, or, appallingly, because they don't fit in with the owner's décor.

For readers considering a purebred dog, Spadafori provides extensive information on selecting a breed that will fit an owner's lifestyle, including sources of possible breeders such as magazines, Internet sites, and AKC breed clubs, and tips for screening breeders to weed out the unscrupulous or the ignorant. She strongly encourages adoption of shelter animals, though, pointing out that many of the dogs who wind up in shelters are healthy, young, and lovable animals who would make excellent pets for the right people. She recommends proceeding with caution when shopping pet stores for puppies due to the high percentage of pet store puppies that come from puppy mills where animals are bred indiscriminately and often kept in horrifying conditions. Likewise, she discourages purchasing puppies from "backyard breeders" believing that this only encourages irresponsible pet ownership by giving owners a reason to keep breeding their pets rather than altering them.

Once a breed or type of dog has been selected, Dogs for Dummies moves on to the practical aspects of ownership, including bringing home a puppy or adult dog, feeding and grooming, veterinary care from puppyhood to old age, training and dealing with behavioral problems, and traveling with pets. One of the most interesting chapters of the book debunks common myths about dogs--that a barking dog won't bite, for instance. Spadafori even includes a chapter on silly tricks to teach your dog and another on "must-see" dog sites on the World Wide Web.

From the Back Cover:

"I enthusiastically recommend this book to all of my clients and to millions of pet lovers."
Marty Becker, DVM, coauthor of Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul

The indispensable guide to selecting, training, and caring for your dog

"Two paws up! . . . A wealth of practical information."
Darris O. Hercs, Humane Society of Sonoma County

From mixes to purebreds, puppies to seniors, this friendly guide tells you what you need to know to choose, train, and enjoy living with a dog. Get the best and latest information on nutrition, preventive health care, common diseases, and more — along with tips for traveling with your pooch, dog gear, and even the hottest new dog sports.

Praise for the 1st Edition of Dogs For Dummies®

"Written with intelligence, wit, and heart. If your dog had a credit card, he'd buy you this wonderful guide."
— Carol Lea Benjamin, author of Dog Training in 10 Minutes

"An intelligent, thorough, and humorous reference that should be on any dog lover's list of must-haves."
— Duncan C. Ferguson, D.V.M., Ph.D., University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine

"This book represents the best dog writing of the year. We honor it with pride."
— Mordecai Siegal, President, DWAA, and author of Good Dog, Bad Dog

Discover how to:

• Choose the right puppy or dog
• Keep your dog groomed, fit, and healthy
• Know what to feed your dog
• Solve common behavioral problems
• Have fun with your dog

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About this edition

• Publisher: John Wiley &Sons
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0764552740
• ISBN 13: 9780764552748
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 408