Bring Me Home! Dogs Make Great Pets

Margaret H. Bonham

Description

The book to bring home before you bring home a puppy or a dog!

Dogs are wonderful companions, but they need lots of attention and care. Are you up for the challenge? With this practical, hands-on guide, you'll know what to expect--cost-wise, care-wise, and chore-wise. You'll have information on choosing the right dog for your family, caring for it, and more. Information and interactive activities include:

Worksheets that help you make informed decisions, choose a breeder or a veterinarian, and more

Questions and charts to help you determine if your family is ready for dog ownership, whether to get a puppy or a dog, and more

Checklists covering how to puppy-proof a home, vaccinations your pet should have, items you'll need before bringing the bundle of joy home, and other aspects of being a responsible pet "parent"
* Dog care chore charts to keep you organized
* Suggested activities, including pages for kids to color
* Resources to keep with your pet's records and information


Bring Me Home! DOGS make GREAT PETS covers welcoming your new pet into your family, crate training and housetraining, healthcare, and more to help you make a happy home for your dog. Then she will faithfully welcome you home time after time for years and wags to come.
Introduction.

Chapter 1: Are You Ready to Get a Dog?

Time Commitments and Inconveniences of Owning a Dog.

Financial Commitments of Dog Ownership.

Environmental Requirements of Owning a Dog.

Why You Should Get a Dog.

Chapter 2: A Good Match—What Dog Is Right for You?

A Good Match?

Mutt vs. Purebred.

Small, Medium, or Large?

Male or Female?

Puppy or Adult?

Breed Overview.

Chapter 3: Finding Your Dog.

Where to Find Your Dog.

Picking Out Your Dog.

Chapter4: Preparing for Your Dog.

Where Should Your Dog Stay?

Stocking Up on Dog Supplies.

Choosing a Veterinarian.

Chapter 5: Dog-Proofing.

Dog-Proofing Inside the House.

Dog-Proofing the Garage.

Dog-Proofing the Backyard.

A Shopping List.

Chapter6: Bringing Your Dog Home.

When to Bring Your Dog Home.

When Not to Bring a Dog Home.

The Car Ride Home.

Next Up: The Veterinarian.

Introducing Your New Dog to Your Family.

Chapter 7: Educating Your Whole Family.

The First Few Days and Nights.

How to Get a Good Night’s Sleep with Your New Dog.

Establishing a Routine.

Basic Rules for Dealing with a Dog or Puppy.

Teaching House Manners.

Chapter 8: Keeping Your Dog Healthy.

Feeding Your Dog.

Canine Health Care.

Exercising Your Dog.

Grooming Your Dog.

Socializing Your Dog.

Chapter 9: Emergencies.

How to Recognize an Emergency.

How to Muzzle Your Dog.

Assembling a Canine First Aid Kit.

Handling Common Emergencies.

Family Disaster Planning.

Chapter 10: Hereditary and Congenital Diseases.

What Are Hereditary and Congenital Diseases?

Elbow Dysplasia and Osteochondritis Dissecans.

Epilepsy.

Eye Diseases.

Heart Problems.

Hip Dysplasia.

Hypothyroidism.

Von Willebrand’s Disease.

Other Hereditary Diseases.

Chapter 11: Crate Training and Housetraining Your Dog.

Common Housetraining Misconceptions.

Crate Training 101.

Housetraining 101.

Solving Housetraining Problems.

Chapter 12: The Basics of Training.

Training Your Dog on Your Own vs. Hiring Professional Help.

What Should Your Dog Learn in Training?

Clicker Training.

Teaching Basic Obedience.

The Canine Good Citizen Program.

Chapter 13: Problem Pups.

How to Recognize a Problem Behavior.

Is Problem Behavior a Biological Problem?

Don’t Take It Personally.

Types of Problem Behaviors.

What If It Doesn’t Work Out? Options for Dog Owners.

Chapter 14: Teaching Tricks.

Deciding What Tricks to Teach.

Simple Tricks.

More Difficult Tricks.

Chapter 15 Your Dog as Part of the Family.

Identification.

Traveling Together.

At Work.

All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt.

Appendix: Useful Resources.

How to Use This Appendix.

Important Phone Numbers.

Vaccination Records.

Veterinary Record.

Chore Chart.

Daily Crate-Training Chart.

Disaster Preparedness Chart.

Pet Sitter Information Sheet.

Kennel Information Sheet.

Coloring Pages.

Index.

Sujets

• Practical Guide
• Pets
• Dogs

Informations

• Publié par: Turner Publishing Company
• Date de parution: 21 avril 2008
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780470334836
• Langue: English

Extrait

Copyright 2005 by Margaret H. Bonham. All rights reserved.
Howell Book House
Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey
All color insert photos by Kent Dannen.
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Library of Congress Control Number: 2005926635
ISBN-13 978-0-7645-8831-0
ISBN-10 0-7645-8831-1
Printed in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Book design by Melissa Auciello-Brogan
Cover design by Suzanne Sunwoo
Book production by Wiley Publishing, Inc. Composition Services
Table of Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1 Are You Ready to Get a Dog?

Time Commitments and Inconveniences of Owning a Dog

Financial Commitments of Dog Ownership

Environmental Requirements of Owning a Dog

Why You Should Get a Dog
Chapter 2 A Good Match-What Dog Is Right for You?

A Good Match?

Mutt vs. Purebred

Small, Medium, or Large?

Male or Female?

Puppy or Adult?

Breed Overview
Chapter 3 Finding Your Dog

Where to Find Your Dog

Picking Out Your Dog
Chapter 4 Preparing for Your Dog

Where Should Your Dog Stay?

Stocking Up on Dog Supplies

Choosing a Veterinarian
Chapter 5 Dog-Proofing

Dog-Proofing Inside the House

Dog-Proofing the Garage

Dog-Proofing the Backyard

A Shopping List
Chapter 6 Bringing Your Dog Home

When to Bring Your Dog Home

When Not to Bring a Dog Home

The Car Ride Home

Next Up: The Veterinarian

Introducing Your New Dog to Your Family
Chapter 7 Educating Your Whole Family

The First Few Days and Nights

How to Get a Good Night s Sleep with Your New Dog

Establishing a Routine

Basic Rules for Dealing with a Dog or Puppy

Teaching House Manners
Chapter 8 Keeping Your Dog Healthy

Feeding Your Dog

Canine Health Care

Exercising Your Dog

Grooming Your Dog

Socializing Your Dog

Chapter 9 Emergencies

How to Recognize an Emergency

How to Muzzle Your Dog

Assembling a Canine First Aid Kit

Handling Common Emergencies

Family Disaster Planning
Chapter 10 Hereditary and Congenital Diseases

What Are Hereditary and Congenital Diseases?

Elbow Dysplasia and Osteochondritis Dissecans

Epilepsy

Eye Diseases

Heart Problems

Hip Dysplasia

Hypothyroidism

Von Willebrand s Disease

Other Hereditary Diseases
Chapter 11 Crate Training and Housetraining Your Dog

Common Housetraining Misconceptions

Crate Training 101

Housetraining 101

Solving Housetraining Problems
Chapter 12 The Basics of Training

Training Your Dog on Your Own vs. Hiring Professional Help

What Should Your Dog Learn in Training?

Clicker Training

Teaching Basic Obedience

The Canine Good Citizen Program
Chapter 13 Problem Pups

How to Recognize a Problem Behavior

Is Problem Behavior a Biological Problem?

Don t Take It Personally

Types of Problem Behaviors

What If It Doesn t Work Out? Options for Dog Owners
Chapter 14 Teaching Tricks

Deciding What Tricks to Teach

Simple Tricks

More Difficult Tricks
Chapter 15 Your Dog as Part of the Family

Identification

Traveling Together

At Work

All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt
Appendix Useful Resources

How to Use This Appendix

Important Phone Numbers

Vaccination Records

Veterinary Record

Chore Chart

Daily Crate-Training Chart

Disaster Preparedness Chart

Pet Sitter Information Sheet

Kennel Information Sheet

Coloring Pages
Index
To Larry, as always .
Acknowledgments
I wish to thank those who made this book possible:
Jessica Faust of Bookends
The Howell team: Roxane Cerda, Cindy Kitchel, Christina Stambaugh, Kathy Nebenhaus, and Kitty Jarrett
And special thanks to Larry, who has been through this more than once.
Introduction
So you want to own a dog? Dogs are the second most popular pets (after cats)-but they re not for everyone. How do you decide whether to get a dog? And if you decide to get one, how do you decide what type of dog to get, and how do you take care of your new dog? This book will help you answer these questions.
In this book, you ll learn all about the basics of dog ownership and what you need to do to find a well-adjusted and healthy pet and what you need to do to make your new dog a vital part of your family. Unlike many books that focus on simple dog ownership, this one focuses on how a dog will fit into your family and your life.
This book includes checklists, tips, and worksheets that will help you decide what to do when choosing, caring for, and training your dog. These tools help you really think about the important issues in owning a dog; you should use them to assess your family s-and your dog s-particular situation. Here are a few examples: Worksheets that help you decide if a dog is right for you, give you some key interview questions to ask a breeder, and help you find a veterinarian Information that helps you find the right dog Checklists that guide you through dog-proofing your house and purchasing items for your dog Step-by-step instructions that teach you how to train your dog on a number of common commands
This book is intended to be an interactive resource that you can turn to again and again to help with your decision making and organization. Each chapter opens and closes with a bulleted list that guides you through the chapter at a glance.
In the very back of this book is an appendix titled Useful Resources. I encourage you to photocopy its forms, use a three-hole punch, and put them in a notebook labeled dog stuff, so you can keep vital records and information about your dog handy at all times. The appendix also includes chore lists that you can post on the refrigerator and refer to at any time. As your dog becomes a part of your family, you ll find that you ll refer to the notebook constantly. When were his last shots? How did he do with the pet sitter? Do you remember when he got his Canine Good Citizen? All of these things and more make up your dog s life and should be noted in your notebook. This will enhance your pet ownership experience.
With the help of the tools in this book, I hope you have a more pleasurable experience in dog ownership.
Chapter 1
Are You Ready to Get a Dog?

What s Inside . . .
Learn whether owning a dog is a good choice for you and your family.
Learn what time constraints a dog will put on your lifestyle.
Learn the time and financial costs of dog ownership.
Learn whether your living situation warrants owning a dog.
A dog. The word may conjure up Lassie going to rescue Timmy yet again. Or Ol Yeller, who served his family so faithfully. Or perhaps Pongo of 101 Dalmatians , Benji, or some other dog superstar has caught your eye. Maybe you always wanted a dog, but your parents didn t let you have one. Or maybe you ve grown up with dogs and are looking for another one. Maybe you have a family now and you want your family to enjoy a pet.
If you re interested in getting a dog, you re in good company. There are approximately 63 million dogs in the United States alone. About 45 million U.S. households have dogs. You can get a dog in almost any shape, size, or color imaginable (at least those found in nature), and the variety of dog breeds is staggering. If you want a purebred, you have 154 American Kennel Club (AKC) breeds, as well as more than 150 other breeds, to choose from, or you might opt for a one-of-a-kind mixed-breed dog.
Dogs offer companionship, protection, and, in some cases, services. Most people know about dogs who help