Guide to Training Your Own Dog

THIS is an excellent book for a beginner to dog training. The instructions are clear and easy to understand, the illustrations throughout beautifully finished with Foto-glaze finish (this does tend to stick together a little, but not to the extent that it will tear or smudge) and the lessons that dog and trainer will accomplish together are the most necessary ones - housebreaking, basic obedience, behaviour modification and a few simple tricks.

Chapter three on Children and Dogs is one that the family with a new dog needs to carefully read and put into practice.

Dogs naturally love children and it would be a shame to reverse that feeling in your dog by failing to supervise children and allowing them to hurt or injure your pet and make him wary of children in the future.

Just as dogs need all the socialising they can get, children need proper instruction on how to handle dogs gently and sensibly and they need to be given some responsibility for the dog's care.

Training covers the right way of handling simple tasks from the correct way to put on a choker chain to jumping through hoops, catching Frisbees, 'kissing' on command, begging (not to be tried until the back is strong enough - at least six months old) and through to obedience and agility training.

If you have never done any training before, this book could mark the beginning of a new era of understanding for both you and your dog. - EP