The first twelve months or so of a dog's life are the hardest work, but Adam Spivey can help. He will help you both thrive as you learn to understand your dogs needs and behaviours. Adam's simple, straight-talking approach takes all the nonsense out of dog training and puts your pup at the centre of everything you do. How to Raise the Perfect Dog tells you everything you need to know to train your puppy, with straight-talking advice from Southend Dog Training founder Adam Spivey.

He begins the book by adopting 4 puppies of different breeds of “medium-level energy;” a pit bull, a Labrador retriever, an English bulldog, and a miniature schnauzer. He writes about raising these puppies as dogs first, as breeds with instinctive behaviors second, and lastly as individuals, as they mature from puppies to adolescent dogs. The book contains everything you need to know from how to select a puppy that would suit you and your lifestyle, to what to expect at each stage of your puppy’s life, importance of nutrition & vaccination, the common mistakes of dog training, how to correct problems, to how to bring out the best in your dog. This is a work of absolute genius! If you are bringing a new puppy home or - like we have just done - bringing a new puppy home into a household with other dogs already, this book is invaluable. I've been a fan of Cesar for years, but have also listened actively to people who can be so anti/rabidly against Cesar - it fascinates me. In listening openly to these people, I've been told things that mystify me from all the programmes and books I've read: "Cesar is cruel!""Cesar throws dogs into their 'fear' places on a 'sink-swim' basis!!". I have never seen either of these things (in fact, the contrary: him spending hours-and-hours(and-hours-and-hours-and-hours!) waiting/encouraging a dog to take a 'forward' step that he then supports with positivity (*if you want to see this in action, please view the episode he works with dogs recovered from a laboratory. I don't think dogs could start from a worse place of being so mentally crushed). So, this conflict has always remained an interesting mystery to me that I still try to openly understand. So, why do I now step over into 'he's a genius, and this book is amazing'. An easy, informative and actually helpful How To book exclusively for puppy parents. I have to admit that i was a bit skeptical after reading another book of his that had a few concepts in i wasn't very fond of.

Success!

The author of this book is a self-taught dog behaviorist, trainer, and television personality. He founded the Dog Psychology Center in California and the Millan Foundation to aid in the rescue and rehabilitation of dogs. He has published 5 books for dog owners on behavior and training. One of his basic beliefs is that people must respect dogs as animals and not “co-opt [them] into being our friend, soul mate, or child” (p. 3), as this leads to unstable dogs with behavioral issues. Dog owners need to set up a schedule for their puppies. A schedule helps the puppy to get adjusted to a routine. It should be fed on time, taken for walks and outings, and has a fixed poop and pee schedule. Adhering to a schedule helps you predict your dog’s behavior and makes behavioral training easy. 5. Use Rewards: There is no way for me to fairly rate this as far as accuracy goes, so this rating is based on readability and interest created and sustained.

The final chapters discuss dog “adolescence” and the physical and behavioral changes that come with it, ending with an update of the happy, well-adjusted lives of the four puppies in their adoptive homes up to the time of writing. Spaying and neutering is advocated, relating the neutering of the English bulldog as proof of how it is a trauma-free and beneficial procedure.While parts of this book did sound like one massive advert for specific puppy breeders, as a whole I found it interesting. Don't get me wrong. I love my four-legged kids, but when next time happens and I go and get myself another pup, I will do things differently. Cesar does have a few really good points about what to look for etc. (Although I will still get a rescue dog. I will not be supporting breeders while there are dogs who need homes.) From the bestselling author and star of National Geographic Channel’s Dog Whisperer, the only resource you’ll need for raising a happy, healthy dog.