Good Owners, Great Dogs: Awesome resource!

Outside of a dog, a book is man’s best friend. Inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read.
—Groucho Marx

Last summer I got a puppy. She was a beautiful, friendly, energetic little pup, and soon I was wrapped around her little finger. Unfortunately, I didn’t really know much about border collies; their personalities and habits can be a little overwhelming for someone who is more accustomed to submissive miniature poodles. My mom, herself a poodle owner, decided to help by sending me a book about dog care. Unfortunately, that book wasn’t of much use to me. Fortunately, after spending a little time in the book aisle at our local PetSmart, I found a book that is much better.

Good Owners, Great Dogs is the kind of book that every dog owner should have on the shelf. It covers all the aspects of having a dog from choosing your new companion to solving behavior problems. Dog training experts Brian Kilcommons and Sarah Wilson have created a comprehensive manual that would be helpful to dog novices and experienced pet owners alike. Brian Kilcommons is the only American protégé of the famous Barbara Woodhouse, and this book is based largely on her ‘train the owner and the dog will follow’ approach.

The Book is divided into four major sections as follows:
Part 1—Required Reading
Part 2—Puppyhood
Part 3—Caring for and Training Your Adult Dog
Part 4—Understanding and Solving Canine Problems

Required Reading
This section is intended for people who have not yet been acquired by a dog. It discusses the commitment that it takes to raise a healthy, well-adjusted pet. It covers information about canine temperament, how to judge what a particular dog’s personality might be like, and ways that dogs communicate with each other as well as their 2-legged friends. It talks about places you might go to find your furry friend, including obtaining your dog from a shelter or rescue group, how to locate reputable breeders, and signs to watch for to avoid puppy mills and other unhealthy dog-breeding situations. It also talks at length about determining what kind of animal might be a good fit in you home—it’s not just about what you want in a pup, but does that puppy respond well to you?

Most importantly, it talks about training the newest member of your family. In large, boldface letters at the bottom of one page it states, your job is to be a good teacher. His job is to be an attentive, obedient student. Your job is the harder one. Consistency is stressed as the most important aspect of dog training—the more consistent you are the faster your puppy will learn. It talks about TEAMwork consisting of Tone of voice, Emotion and showing pleasure in your dog, Attitude and remaining positive, and Movement and physical signals that will help reinforce what you are teaching your dog. It also includes a list of training tools that may be used with your dog as well as explanations of when and why you might choose them.

Puppyhood
This section is set up a little like a baby book for new parents. It covers a myriad of information about preparing your home for its new occupant, and what you should be prepared for once they move in. The authors are realistic about what it’s like to have a new puppy around—The sweet moment with the warm puppy sleeping on your lap will be balanced by the warm puddles you step in.—and they take lots of time to talk about the challenges of raising a puppy. But there is never a doubt that a deep warmth and love for their canine friends is a very important force in their lives.

Some of the important information covered in this section includes housebreaking tips, preventing bad habits, and what to expect on your puppy’s first trip to the vet. Also included are the puppy’s developmental stages, information on socialization and ‘Puppy Kindergarten,’ and some training techniques for the vital commands sit, come, down, no bite, off, and let’s go. There are two ‘case histories’ of puppies with common problems and how they might have been avoided, and a FAQ that answers a few of the most common questions new owners have about puppies.

Caring for and Training Your Adult Dog
After you’ve had your pet for a while, things inevitably start to settle into a routine. That routine is what this section is all about. Brief discussions are included on feeding, grooming and health care; and it talks about the stages that will (not might, but will) affect your dog—early adolescence (9-12 months) brings disobedience and testing of boundaries, later adolescence (around 18 months) brings more independence and aggression. Serious problems such as biting are most likely to surface between one and three years of age, and the authors try to give you the tools needed to avoid these issues.

Most of this section consists of more advanced training and how side-step potential problems. Again, consistency is the key. The authors reinforce the need for consistent training and correction of inappropriate behavior. They stress that training needs to happen and boundaries need to be set before there are problems—you can’t teach a dog not to jump up just when company is at the door. Daily reinforcement of expected behavior is the best way to insure that your dog will be well behaved. More detail is given about the commands sit, down, off, come, and let’s go covered in the Puppy section, along with more information on how to solve problems related to those commands. It also adds commands for out, leave it, wait, stay, and place. The section ends with several pages of stories about ‘real life’ dog problems and how to solve them, and another FAQ page answering questions related to adult dogs and training.

Understanding and Solving Canine Problems
Unfortunately, most dogs are a problem for their owners at least once in a while. This section covers many of the issues that may occur for owners of dogs, what the origins of those problems might be, and how they might be solved with appropriate correction, patience, and (say it again) consistency. It is clear throughout these pages that the best way to solve problem behavior is to recognize it early enough to prevent it from becoming an ingrained habit. When that doesn’t happen, it may take a very long time to re-train an older animal to stop digging, chewing, marking, begging, and other socially unacceptable habits.

According to the authors, the best way to halt unwanted habits is through rigorous training. Make the offending dog obey commands. Give him tasks to do. Organize his time. Don’t give too much ‘un-earned’ attention. Basically, let your pooch know that you are in charge, and if he (or she) wants something, they have to do your bidding first. This kind of consistency makes the dog realize that you are the alpha dog. Once that is established, everything else is a little bit easier.

Some of the specific problems covered in this section include: housebreaking problems, separation anxiety, chewing, excessive barking, whining, digging, fear, jumping up, inappropriate sniffing, eating nasty things (kitty roca anyone?), aggression, and a host of others. Each problem is described followed by really good information about how to address the problem. For example, a chewing problem has a threefold solution: prevention, direction and correction. If you crate the dog, they can’t get to your shoes to chew them up. If you give a dog chew toys they learn what they are allowed to chew. Correction includes stopping the behavior with a shake-can or bitter apple spray—not just saying no and taking away the object. Anywhere from half a page (digging) to ten pages (housebreaking) is spent on each problem, giving very comprehensive information on solving each problem. Included in this section are two case histories detailing behaviors that have gone beyond problems and become dangerous. Sadly, sometimes the only thing that can be done for a dog that has been mistreated and made overly aggressive is to euthanize the dog.

This section also includes tips about living with an older dog. Older dogs often have special needs pertaining to deafness, blindness, and diet, just like older people. There is good information here about how to enjoy your pet in his golden years, and how and when to make the decision to end the life of your old friend. A brief section is also included on living with a ‘special needs’ dog such as the different techniques that might be needed to train a blind or deaf dog. And, as with the other sections, this section ends with a FAQ.

My Thoughts
It may seem that the majority of this book is dedicated to dog problems, but that’s only because it is. People who don’t have dog problems, whose dogs are all perfectly behaved, don’t bite, don’t bark excessively, and never, ever piddle on the floor don’t need a book about dog behavior and training. They should probably be writing a book about dog behavior and training.

I have found this book to be entertaining to read as well as extremely useful. Each section is filled with excellent information that is pertinent to each covered dimension of dog ownership. Children as young as 10-years would easily be able to understand the instructions on dog care and training. There is a generous peppering of black-and-white photographs to illustrate the various topics covered, as well as sidebars that include tips and special information related to the current subject. The layout is conducive to a straight read-through to familiarize yourself with the basics of dog care and training, but the included index also makes it very easy to find specific information you might be looking for.

This is a much better book than the other dog care book I have. I would eagerly recommend it to anyone who currently owns a dog, or to anyone contemplating dog ownership.