Dogs For Dummies - Softcover

Spadofori, Gina

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1568848617 ISBN 13: 9781568848617

Publisher: For Dummies, 1996

Synopsis

"Dogs For Dummies is an intelligent, thorough, and humorous reference that should be on any dog lover's list of must-haves." — Duncan C. Ferguson, VMD, PhD, DACVIM, DACVCP, Professor, University of Georgia, College of Veterinary Medicine "This book represents the best dog writing of the year. We honor it with pride." — Mordecai Siegal, DWAA President and Editor of the UC Davis Book of Dogs "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 Mother Knows Best, The Natural Way to Train Your Dog "...filled with a wealth of practical information for dog owners that stands tails above the rest — two paws up." — Darris O. Hercs, Executive Assistant Director, SPCA, Oakland, CA

Named "Best of the Best" by the Dog Writers Association of America!

Have you considered buying or adopting a dog but aren't sure where to begin? Are you intimidated and confused by the hundreds of dog breeds from which to choose? Do you know how to properly bathe, groom, feed, and care for your new puppy or dog once you've gotten home? Dogs For Dummies® is your handy guide to selecting, buying, and caring for the puppy or dog who's right for you! This fun reference covers all the dos and don'ts as well as the rights and responsibilities of dog ownership, providing you with plenty of tips on everything from how to train your dog to what kind of toys, food, and treats to buy! Inside, you'll discover how to:

• Choose the right dog to fit your lifestyle
• Purchase a puppy or dog from a reputable breeder
• Adopt a dog or puppy from a shelter or rescue group
• Buy all the doggie equipment and accessories you need, including toys, bones, bowls, collars, and leashes
• Raise and maintain a healthy and happy dog through proper diet and exercise
• Choose a veterinarian who's right for you and your dog
• Solve your dog's simple behavior problems or determine whether obedience school is needed
• Make traveling with your dog a breeze

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

Have you considered buying or adopting a dog but aren't sure where to begin? Are you intimidated and confused by the hundreds of dog breeds from which to choose? Do you know how to properly bathe, groom, feed, and care for your new puppy or dog once you've gotten it home?

Dogs For Dummies™ is your handy guide to selecting, buying, and caring for the puppy or dog that's right for you! This fun reference covers all the dos and don'ts as well as the rights and responsibilities of dog ownership, providing you with plenty of tips on everything from how to train your dog to what kind of toys, food, and treats to buy!

Inside, you'll discover how to:

• Choose the right dog to fit your lifestyle
• Purchase a puppy or dog from a reputable breeder
• Adopt a dog or puppy from a shelter or rescue group
• Buy all the doggie equipment and accessories you need, including toys, bones, bowls, collars, and leashes
• Raise and maintain a healthy and happy dog through proper diet and exercise
• Choose a veterinarian who's right for you and your dog
• Solve your dog's simple behavior problems or determine whether obedience school is needed
• Make traveling with your dog a breeze

About this edition

• Publisher: For Dummies
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 1568848617
• ISBN 13: 9781568848617
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 384