The Everything New Puppy Book: Choosing, raising, and training your new best friend
By Carlo De Vito and Amy Ammen
()
About this ebook
*Choose the best breed for their lifestyle
*Help children and other pets acclimate to the new puppy
*Puppyproof the house
*Housebreak and train the new puppy
*Feed and groom according to age and breed
*Solve common behavior problems
Also includes detailed information on alternative health care options as well as exercises and advanced training techniques. This book has everything puppy owners need to ensure that their new puppy grows into a happy, healthy, and well-behaved dog.
Carlo De Vito
An Adams Media author.
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The Everything New Puppy Book - Carlo De Vito
THE
EVERYTHING®
NEW PUPPY
BOOK
Choosing, raising, and training your new best friend
Carlo De Vito with Amy Ammen
Copyright © 2009 Simon and Schuster All rights reserved.
This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced
in any form without permission from the publisher; exceptions
are made for brief excerpts used in published reviews.
An Everything® Series Book.
Everything® and everything.com ® are registered trademarks of F+W Media, Inc.
Published by Adams Media, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
57 Littlefield Street, Avon, MA 02322 U.S.A.
www.adamsmedia.com
ISBN 10: 1-60550-043-7
ISBN 13: 978-1-60550-043-0
eISBN 13: 978-1-60550-717-0
Printed in the United States of America.
J I H G F E D C B A
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
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Photos copyright © Mary Bloom.
This book is available at quantity discounts for bulk purchases.
For information, please call 1-800-289-0963.
THE EVERYTHING® NEW PUPPY BOOK
Dear Reader,
Is it your first time living with a puppy or have you done this before? Either way, your new puppy is 100 percent unique, and will soon share in special lasting moments in your life that are unlike any others. No matter the number of puppies you have, be it one or more, they become part of the fabric of your family and your life. The goal of this book is to maximize your relationship with your puppy, and all aspects of his or her care are covered. In this, The Everything® New Puppy Book, you'll find answers to some of the most confounding issues you' ll face — training challenges, nutrition, basic health care, even behavior problems — all explained in ways to put you and your puppy companion at ease and on track to enjoy many satisfying years together.
We get excited just thinking about puppies — they are the cute, cuddly, happy, joyful, playful, better sides of ourselves. They are, in and of themselves, a gift. They bring love and softness with them, trust and lots of puppy licks. They delight in the simplest of things — and fill our days with many special moments. We hope this book helps you find the same joys in your life with your puppy (-ies), and that your coming years together are the best ever.
Time for a treat!
illustrationWelcome to the EVERYTHING® Series!
These handy, accessible books give you all you need to tackle a difficult project, gain a new hobby, comprehend a fascinating topic, prepare for an exam, or even brush up on something you learned back in school but have since forgotten.
You can choose to read an Everything ® book from cover to cover or just pick out the information you want from our four useful boxes: e-questions, e-facts, e-alerts, and e-ssentials.
We give you everything you need to know on the subject, but throw in a lot of fun stuff along the way, too.
We now have more than 400 Everything ® books in print, spanning such wide-ranging categories as weddings, pregnancy, cooking, music instruction, foreign language, crafts, pets, New Age, and so much more. When you're done reading them all, you can finally say you know Everything ®!
illustrationAnswers to common questions
illustrationImportant snippets of information
illustrationUrgent warnings
illustrationQuick handy tips
PUBLISHER Karen Cooper
DIRECTOR OF ACQUISITIONS AND INNOVATION Paula Munier
MANAGING EDITOR, EVERYTHING SERIES Lisa Laing
COPY CHIEF Casey Ebert
ACQUISITIONS EDITOR Katie McDonough
DEVELOPMENT EDITOR Brett Palana-Shanahan
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Hillary Thompson
Visit the entire Everything® series at www.everything.com
Dedication
To my wife, Dominique De Vito, and my sons, Dylan and Dawson. And to Chief, Cinderella, Sadie, Lulu, Exley, Chelsea, Bentley, Storm, Cheri, Pepi, Red, Benji, Max, Burton, Timothy, and Jo. They have all taught me a great deal about puppyhood and dogs, and even more about being a better human being.
Contents
Top Ten Puppy-Raising Pointers
Introduction
1 Dogs and Where They Came From
The Beginning of the Human/Canine Bond
The Egyptians
The Greeks and Romans
The Middle Ages and Renaissance
Today's World of Dogs
2 Before Getting a Puppy
Are You Ready for a Puppy?
Which Puppy Is Best for You?
Looking and Learning
Your Lifestyle and Schedule
Your Activity Level
Your Environment
The Cost of Acquiring and Keeping a Dog
3 Exploring Different Breeds of Dogs
Where to Begin
The Herding Group
The Hound Group
The Non-Sporting Group
The Sporting Group
The Terrier Group
The Toy Group
The Working Group
Rare Breeds, Designer Dogs, and Mixed Breeds
4 Where to Get a Puppy
Breeders
Purebred Rescue
Humane Societies and Animal Shelters
Pet Shops
Friends and Neighbors
Picking the Best Puppy for You
Final Comments on Choosing a Puppy
5 Preparing for Your Puppy
Naming Your Puppy
Essential Supplies
Interesting Extras
Bringing Your Puppy Home
The All-Important Puppy Schedule
Who to Call for Help
6 Puppy-Proofing Your Home
The Puppy's Own Space
Kitchen and Bathroom
Living Room and Family Room
Bedrooms
Basement and Attic
Garage
The Yard
7 Your Puppy's First Month
The First Day Home
That First Night
The First Week Home
Handling Your Puppy Properly
Keeping Your Cool
8 Feeding Your Puppy
Understanding Dog Food
Necessary Nutrients
Feeding a Commercial Diet
Feeding an Alternate Diet
Supplementing Your Dog's Diet
When and How Much to Feed
Feeding for Different Life Stages
Feeding Treats and Bones
9 Grooming Your Puppy
Elemental Grooming
Brushing Your Puppy
Bathing Your Puppy
Ear and Eye Care
Clipping Toenails
Dental Care
When to Use a Professional Groomer
10 Housetraining Your Puppy
The Eight Essentials of Housetraining
Using a Crate
The Importance of Schedules
Training to Use a Potty Spot
How to Handle Accidents
Common Housetraining Problems
Paper Training — If You Must
11 Socializing — Raising a Friendly Dog
Why Socializing Is So Important
Meeting People
Getting to Know the World
Meeting Other Animals
Riding in the Car
Socializing as Your Puppy Grows
12 Exercising Your Puppy
Why Exercise Is So Important
Assessing Your Puppy's Energy Needs
Obeying Rules of Common Courtesy While Out and About
Letting Your Puppy Off Lead
Hide-and-Seek Games
Out with Other Dogs
13 Basic Training
Training for Good Manners
What You'll Need to Get Started
Finding a Trainer to Work With
Using Treats to Train
Twelve Ingredients to Teach Any Command
Basic Skills: Sneakaways
Teaching Sit and Sit-Stay
Teaching Down
Teaching Come
14 Common Problems
A Puppy Is a Puppy Is a Puppy
Looking at the Whole Picture
Naughty Problems
Nasty Behaviors
Perplexing Problems
Problem Prevention
15 Advanced Training
Teaching Heel (or Walk Nicely by My Side)
Enforcing Household Obedience
Manners: Wait, Off, Quiet, and Drop It
Using Hand Signals or Whistle Commands
Tricks as Fun Ways to Train
16 Taking It to the Next Level
Dog Shows
Competing in Obedience
Fast-Paced Agility
Becoming a Canine Good Citizen®
Therapy Work
Other Activities
17 Your Puppy's Health
Basic Preventive Care
Problems of the Skin
Problems of the Eyes, Ears, Nose, and Mouth
Problems of the Digestive System
Problems of the Respiratory System
Problems of the Circulatory and Nervous Systems
Problems of the Urinary and Reproductive Systems
First Aid and Emergencies
18 Coping with Shots and Bugs
Why Your Puppy Needs Shots
The Diseases Vaccines Protect Against
Vaccinating as Your Dog Gets Older
Bad Bugs — External and Internal
Fleas and Ticks
What to Do about Worms
19 Alternative Health Care
Is it Right for Your Puppy?
Nutrition and Behavior
Massage and TTouch
Chiropractic and Acupuncture
Aromatherapy
Animal Communicators
20 Traveling with Your Puppy
The Go-Everywhere Puppy
Unhappy Campers
On the Road
At Your Destination
Airline and Other Travel
21 Raising a Green Puppy
Does Your Puppy Have a Carbon Paw Print?
Green Feeding
Green Grooming
Green Health Care
The Green Indoors
The Green Outdoors
Green Travel
Raising Green Awareness
Appendix A: Resources
Appendix B: Glossary
Acknowledgments
I want to thank Amy Ammen for writing the training sections of this book in its first and second editions. Amy is one of the most accomplished dog trainers I have ever met, and I admire her commitment to helping puppies and dogs and their owners learn to live together with respect, manners, and joy. Learn more about her at www.dogclass.com.
And I would like to thank my wife, Dominique De Vito, who helped me immensely. She is an accomplished and successful pet writer/editor. Her fingerprints are all over it, and the readers and I are luckier for it.
Carlo De Vito
Top Ten Puppy-Raising Pointers
1. Patience
2. A schedule for daily activities
3. The best diet possible
4. Plenty of exercise
5. Plenty of sleep
6. Manners training
7. Plenty of attention
8. A trusted veterinarian
9. Appropriate chew toys
10. A safe and secure home
Introduction
illustration THERE IS NO more exciting or important time in your dog's life than the puppy years. They're filled with a playful wonder and awe-inspiring cuteness, and as you and your new friend enter into a lifetime of companionship and friendship, you will be building great memories. Get your camera ready!
The journey of bringing a puppy into your life begins with a choice of what type of breed or mixture you will choose (or the one that will choose you). And then there are a thousand decisions after that, many of which will set the stage for you and your puppy's life together for years to come. That first decision is a big one. Are you someone who leads a sedentary life? Are you someone who's more active? Are you a type-A personality? Do you have kids? A full-time job? Do you live in an apartment or a single-family home? Do you have a backyard? These are factors you need to take into account when choosing the puppy that's right for you.
From puppy-proofing your home to obedience training, from eating habits to socialization, the puppy years will include certain perils and learning curves as well as lots of puppy kisses. Crating issues and potty training are front and center in the puppy years. Creating a reliable and workable schedule for you and your dog is another thing you'll need to tackle right away. This will set you up to be consistent about taking the pup for walks and bathroom breaks, feeding dinner and treats, and establishing a bedtime. When expectations are set and patterns are developed, the consistency of your schedule is the simplest way to communicate with your pup.
Although dogs come in a variety of physical packages, they are all big where it counts — personality. In the character department, they are all colossal. People who are lucky enough to open up their lives and let in a friend as true and loving as a dog find a bond that transcends the verbal. It does not have the exchange of experience that is characteristic of a human relationship, but it is as open and honest a relationship as exists in the world. There is something in the magically expressive eyes of a dog that is difficult to explain to someone who does not understand. So open, so honest, so loving. If you have a dog, you already understand. If you're thinking of getting one, you're in for the experience of a lifetime.
It would be nice if puppies didn't require instruction booklets, but they do. There are lots of things you need to know, not only for your puppy's sake, but to strengthen the bond between you. Training is key, and that's why Amy Ammen wrote the training chapters. She's an amazing trainer who has trained countless pets privately and in groups. She has trained dogs in each of the AKC Groups to high-level obedience trial titles.
Puppy owners need to know about their breeds' histories and traits, grooming requirements, nutritional needs, basic health care, how to prepare their home and family for a dog, and much more. I am lucky to have met many dog professionals in my life. Thanks to them I understand that the puppy years are more than just feeding an animal and taking him or her to the vet. It's more than just enjoying the unconditional love puppies give. It's about being partners as well as friends.
May your life with your puppy give you the kind of joy and memories that you will treasure for a lifetime, and may this book help you give your puppy everything he or she needs as well.
CHAPTER 1
Dogs and Where They Came From
If you haven't already decided what kind of puppy you want — and hopefully you haven't because there's so much to learn in the first few chapters of this book — you'll soon discover that there are hundreds of breeds to choose from. It's amazing to think that a tiny Chihuahua shares the same genetic makeup as a gigantic Irish Wolfhound, but it's true! And that's why this chapter is in this book. Knowing a bit about how dogs evolved will give you that much more understandin. of their nature.
The Beginning of the Human/Canine Bond
The history of dogs is so closely woven in with the history of people that historians and archaeologists cannot agree on when or how dogs were introduced. Prehistoric people may have found many good uses for dogs. Once domesticated, dogs were used as early warning detection devices against human or animal intruders. They would defend people's caves and camps as their own, and so they must have been excellent protection as well as an alarm system.
illustrationNumerous cave paintings depict dogs hunting alongside humans in 4000–5000 B.C., though there are even earlier examples of this partnership. By that time, five primary types of dogs appear in the paintings: greyhounds, pointing dogs, mastiffs, wolf-type dogs, and sheepherding dogs.
Obviously, the greatest use early people had for their canine companions was hunting. Once the dog was part of the human family, and once humans were part of the pack, hunting together became a valuable common interest. There is also conjecture concerning man's early use of dogs to guard livestock. Of course, as a dog fancier, one must wonder in the end, what attracted dogs to people? According to dog experts there were mainly three things — food, fire (for heat in winter), and community.
Lloyd M. Wendt, a noted historian of the human/dog connection who wrote the very detailed book Dogs, believes that the relationship between early humans and domesticated dogs can first be traced back 100,000 years to northern Africa and the Middle East. Remains found suggest a communal burial or death, rather than a violent end. Carbon dating has put the most recent findings at 92,000 years ago. He also noted that as little as 10,000 years ago, Algerians were drawing hunting scenes on cave walls, depicting the hunt, with dogs on leashes.
Historians place the working aspect of the human/dog relationship at approximately 80,000 years ago, with the advent of the spear. Spears gave humans a weapon to fend off aggressive animals, as well as something to kill them with. It was probably about this time that humans and dogs began hunting together in earnest.
As humans became more adept at navigation on the sea, they also began to seek dogs that were optimal for specific tasks. Great wolf-like animals were bred for hunting wolves, bears, and lions in Abyssinia and Persia. The largest and best of the herding dogs came from Tibet. And the fastest hunting greyhounds came from Egypt.
The Egyptians
Of course, the dog achieved its first great fame among modern people in Egypt. Dogs played an important part in everyday life — so much so that they were incorporated into the religion. The god Anubis was portrayed as a dog or as a strange mixture of a human's body with a dog's head. It was not uncommon to have the form of a dog sculpted to rest on the sarcophagus of a deceased king to deter grave robbers, and as a symbol of a guide who would lead the entombed through the afterlife. The Egyptians so loved their dogs that theirs was the first civilization with a law to punish humans who were cruel to dogs.
illustrationA richly decorated wooden casket dating to 1300 B.C.
shows Tutankhamen in his chariot pursuing Nubian soldiers who are being harassed by his Assyrian dogs.
The Greeks and Romans
Alexander the Great and, later, the Roman emperors were also fond of dogs. Because the Greeks and Romans traded with the Egyptians, dogs became popular with Hellenic aristocracy for a variety of purposes. Unlike the Egyptians, who prospered in semi-isolation, the Greeks and the Romans were products of the very heavily populated and mercantile-minded Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cultures. Life was competitive and land came at great cost.
Learning from the Persians and their other warlike neighbors, the Greeks began to use two types of dogs. One was large and massive in build, with a large, broad face, and was known as the Molossian. The other, known as the Laconian Hound, was also large, but had a rather pointed snout, and was faster and sleeker. Aristotle was a fan of both dogs, saying that the Laconian female was gentler and smarter, but by no means fit for war, and that the Molossian was the dog of choice.
The Molossian was named for the northern Greek tribe that had made it well-known. The Molossian of Alexander the Great's time is the ancestor of today's Mastiff, which for centuries was the ultimate dog of war — large, strong, fearless, and smart. The Greeks and then the Romans used these beasts in war for something like a cavalry charge. The Laconian Hound was developed, it is believed, in Sparta. It was fast and brutal, but of a sleeker build than the traditional Mastiff.
The first literary classic pairing of a man and his dog comes from the Greeks. Dating back to one of the first classic pieces of literature known and studied for centuries, The Odyssey features the story of Odysseus, warrior of the Trojan War, attempting the long, treacherous, and adventurous journey home. After many years away from his farm and kingdom, the hero of the story is not recognized by those people who knew him long ago. Despite his claims, he is only believed when his faithful hound — by then old and impaired — crawls to his master, for whom he has been faithfully waiting. Upon greeting him, Odysseus's dog dies, wagging his tail, happy at his master's feet.
illustrationIn a dispute among rulers in Norway, when King Eysteinn conquered a particular territory, he put his son in charge. The people killed him, and the King asked them then to chose to be ruled by a slave or a dog. They chose the dog, thinking it would soon die. Instead, it lived an extremely opulent life for three years until descended upon by wolves.
If dog was man's best friend in Greece, another dog was the mother of Rome. According to myth, two men fought over the founding of Rome: Romulus and Remus, who had been raised by a wolf, suckling on her milk. It was the Romans who first outfitted their war dogs with thick leather collars, studded with sharp metal blades to deter other attacking dogs. Dogs were instrumental in Rome's rise. As its famous roads were built and expanded, guard posts along the way were manned by small militia and hosts of guard dogs. The Romans also used their large dogs as beasts of burden. It was not unusual to see dogs, along with cattle, oxen, horses and ponies, pulling carts of all sizes from all different parts of the empire.
The Middle Ages and Renaissance
In the period after the fall of the Roman Empire, the bubonic plague, or Black Death, was one of the galvanizing events. It was during this time that the dog acquired its more negative lore. During the plague, in which fleas transported the deadly disease, historian Mary Elizabeth Thurston points out in her book, The Lost History of the Canine Race, that the dog, with its inborn resistance to the plague bacillus,
was now on its own. Most livestoc. was killed by the disease — cattle, sheep, chickens and others. People were killing each other over food. Few people during this period kept pets. Ownerless, dogs ran wild, usually in packs, eating corpses and killing in groups.
During feudal times, the aristocracy assumed ownership of many fertile lands, especially the great forests in which animals and other natural resources were still abundant. During this time, the hunt became ritualized, and dogs were used to pursue various kinds of game. Lords and barons had different dogs to take down deer, bears, bulls, wolves, large fowl, and foxes, and preferred other dogs for small game, mostly vermin. Others were bred for specific duties, such as tracking, coursing, and retrieving on land and in water.
illustrationFor centuries, the dog has been more popular than any other pet. From the perennially popular book, The Call of the Wild, to the Disney movie, 101 Dalmatians, to the art of William Wegman (who works with his Wei-maraners), and Charles Schulz, who created Snoopy, humans' love of their canine companions has been celebrated in literature, song, art, folklore, and popular culture.
Thurston points out that Henry I of England had a kennel of 200 dogs for huntsmen to train, care for, and deploy. As the aristocracy grew, so did their land claims. And unless you were someone of rank, you could not take game from a claimed preserve.
It was not until after the fall of the French king in the late 1700s, during the French Revolution, that ordinary people were allowed to hunt in the largest and most heavily stocked game forests. In the early 1800s, many lands across Europe were opened up in an attempt to dissuade the masses from overthrowing various monarchies. These policies were part of larger political agendas, which all worked to varying degrees. However, one thing was an absolute success — hunting became popular to the extreme.
The Victorian Era
Queen Victoria was a devoted dog fancier, and when her husband, Prince Albert, suddenly sickened and died in 1861 at the age of forty-two, the saddened Queen grew even fonder of her gentle pets. In her lifetime she raised more than fifteen different breeds of dogs. According to noted historian Paul Johnson, She formed passionate attachments to animals when a child, and the vehemence with which she fought for their rights persisted to the end. At her various jubilees, prisoners were released all over the Empire provided that she personally signed their remission. There was only one category she refused: those convicted of cruelty to animals, which she called ‘one of the worst traits in human nature.’
The Queen was especially fond of a favorite spitz, who was actually allowed to jump on the Queen's breakfast table.
Due to Victoria's love of canines, the dog reached an all-time high status. Your choice of dog conveyed whether you were a sportsman or a true lady. Dogs helped people fulfill their aspirations toward a higher station in life. Indeed, it was in this period that many dog classifications began. It was also a time in which many new dog breeds were bred by varying groups, especially hunters.
In the 1700s and 1800s, many of the sporting breeds, such as the German Shorthaired Pointer, Weimaraner, Vizsla and other hunting dogs, were bred because middle-class Europeans had more time for hunting as recreation, and they wanted one dog to perform a series of functions for which the European aristocracy could previously afford to keep several breeds. Likewise, smaller, toy breeds also became more popular, and many breeds which were hitherto unknown came to the fore.
The different species we are so familiar with today are the result of the continuing quest during this time to find the perfect dog. In many cases throughout history, people have bred dogs for different characteristics such as size, speed, hunting abilities, and others, to produce dogs for a variety of uses. This period became the golden age of the dog.
illustrationThe United States may not be known as the country where dogs are especially cherished — for example, in France almost all dogs are welcome in restaurants, whereas in the U.S. only registered service and therapy dogs are — but that doesn't mean it doesn't have its share of people who adore their canine companions. In fact, dogs have been alongside the settlers of the United States since the country's infancy.
Today's World of Dogs
In today's world, there is a different kind of dog for every lifestyle. There are tiny dogs and giant dogs, hairless and shaggy, pedigreed and mixed breed. Dogs who sniff out narcotics or explosives, dogs who search for missing people, dogs who excel at certain sports, dogs who hunt, dogs who are assistants for