When your puppy is going through a fear period certain stimuli or events (and they are different for each pup) may prompt a stress reaction. You might notice a change in body language such as You might not see the logic in your pup’s suddenly different reaction to stimulus. Something that has never been a problem might suddenly become scary for no obvious reason. However, the way you help your puppy cope with his or her emotions will have a big impact on how he or she reacts to everyday situations in the future. Our Perfect Puppy Masterclass is a great way to learn more about what drives your puppy’s behaviour and how you can shape him into a confident, well-mannered and loving pet. Even if punishment works some of the time, is it worth it? If you end up with a dog that doesn’t trust you or a dog that doesn’t want to come near you? How can that ever be a good thing?

This book will not just create good dogs but good owners. It is there to enhance your bond with your dog, to eliminate negative methods and show people the way.It could also hit more on enrichment, desensitisation and socialization in a more in depth manner – but then would Easy Peasy Puppy Squeezy achieve it’s original goal of being a short compendium that’s easy to digest? Some of his tips were very known to me, but there were things I learnt and helped, but alas I just happen to have a very difficult pup - well now an almost adult dog and he likes to push all my buttons no matter what I do, all of the advice in the book didn't work for my boisterous teenager but a lot did so it wasn't all a loss. I still have a long, long way to go with my rebellious teenage dog (and now his rebellious baby brother) but we will get there. I still read this book for my second pup and incredibly where the tips didn't work for dog one, they work for dog two. Weird, right?! Not only was this book informative and at times emotive, it was also a fun read with numerous laugh-out-loud moments littered throughout. If you’re getting a puppy, read this book. It’s as simple as that.

Raising a puppy is one of the single toughest tasks you’ll do – besides raising children. But, kids and puppies raise very different issues, so having a book to guide you through every step, seems like a fantastic idea to me, and something I really wish I’d had before I’d gotten Indie! Never put the puppy under pressure. Forcing them to meet the big dog, talk to Aunty Joan, sit on the kerb while lorries whizz past his nose (or whatever the stimulus may be) will make the dog even more reluctant next time the situation arises. If you don't follow me on Facebook (and if not, why not?!) you may not have seen the news that we have put down a deposit on a puppy. We can't bring her home for another fortnight, but we are in love with her already.

The book, however, does introduce it in an easy manner. The fact it’s short, written in easy to understand language and talks directly to you, the reader, makes you feel very involved and ditches the somewhat archaic formality of dog training books of the past. A good deal of what follows is centred around bribery (treats) and repetition. In truth, most of what it is common sense but nonetheless I found it helpful to see it spelt out. It’s too early to tell whether the wisdom we’ve absorbed will make a significant difference to our journey, but my senses say it will certainly help. Desensitisation means exposing your puppy to a thing or a situation just a little bit at a time. But not so much that puppy feels stressed, overwhelmed or overexcited. God only knows, I made mistakes, we all do (so please don’t punish yourself) But having a reference text that I could dog-ear, note on, and use time and time again? Would have been a life saver in raising my pup. Steve teaches you how to organise a dog’s environment to avoid mishaps, how to deliver a ‘cue’ and ‘mark’ good behaviour followed by positive reinforcement and how to practise core exercises that most dog owners will want to teach for a safe and happy dog.