Rutherford and Neil do a good job of covering the basics in this book about raising a puppy to be a responsible and obedient dog. I grabbed this from the library to see what it had to offer, and I don't think any advice they offer has gone out of style. The authors take you through the first several weeks of a puppy's life, week by week, advising you on what to be doing with the puppy during particular time periods. The authors especially stress the proper socialization of your puppy during the

An excellent straightforward and positive guide to the first year of a puppy's life and the joys and responsibilities for the owner. I will probably reread it often. Our new puppy is coming home soon!

This is THE BOOK for the first year of a puppy's life. If you are getting a puppy, or breeding a litter. READ IT. Then read it again. And again. Then get the puppy, and keep it handy.

Helpful information that covers the first 12 months of your dogs life, from its birth, to successfully acclimating it as a member of your family.

I do not suggest this book to new dog owners at all. Obviously it's an older book so the training methods are a bit dates. Dominance/alpha theory has been proven to not be correct and thanks to many scientists and trainers we have come a long way with dog training! This book gives a skewed view of puppy/dog behavior that has now been found to not be correct. I highly suggest reading 'How Dog's Learn' by Mary Burch and Jon Bailey before touching this book as it educated on how a dogs mind ACTUALL...

Very solid. Some dog "gurus" are whackos, some training strategies are too time-consuming, and some books/videos don't explain the reasoning behind their advice. This book is a great blend of what works from multiple schools of thought, and encourages you to investigate those styles that appeal to you (eg, clicker training-- reviewed, explained, and encouraged, but only touched upon). I do wish there was more positive reinforcement clicker training-- aka "shaping"-- because it teaches the dog to...

The book was a bit repetitious, but maybe that is a good thing in training a human how to train a dog via repetition. I just wish that less time was spent on how to choose a puppy and more time on how to train a puppy.

Great overall info! I was glad to read this book along with Puppies for Dummies which goes more in-depth in several areas.

A classic among dog aficionados & after reading it I now understand why. A great how-to book chockful of good information. I gave it a 4.5 only because IMO their advice on spay/neuter is outdated.

Very helpful

Great little book, practical advice! Positive training methods only!

The best book I have read on raising a puppy. Highly recommended.

Simply put, this book made sense. The organization of the book made it easy to follow and easy to find a specific issue (if you just want to skim). It's nothing fancy, but it's full of practical information. I think some dog training books just aren't practical, so that makes this one stand out. I could implement the training suggestions in this book. It also has some useful information for choosing a breed, knowing what to expect, choosing a specific puppy or dog, and selecting a breeder. If I

Just finished this to try to prepare for the arrival of our new puppy. Some useful information. I especially liked the sections on interpreting to body language of your dog, and the puppy personality test at the end. Seems like a good, basic introductory level book. I wish there were a larger section on house training, as that's the thing I'm most anxious about. Now if it's just as easy in real life Rutherford makes it seem in the book!

This is a fast, easy way to grasp what you need to do if you want a trained (if not show-trained) puppy. The training theory is through positive reinforcement and shies away from punishment or more severe training. If you are looking to train your puppy on the basics and are looking for a way to do so positively, this is the book for you!

This book contains a lot of good information for puppies of all breeds. This is a great book for any new puppy owners or anyone thinking about getting a puppy. I often refer back to the book for training tips I may have forgotten. Easy read, especially if you love puppies!

Invaluable read for every "first time" canine companion. When my girl, Inua, was first brought to me, and cowering under the couch for two days straight, this was the book I turned to. It lead me into responsible canine companionship in no time flat. (Inua will turn 12 y.o. this Sat. Feb 2nd!!)

Although this was a well written book that covered most topics I needed to know about my new puppy, I was a bit disappointed that it didn't touch at all on puppy adoptions. I also wish that it had gone into a bit more detail about crate training. Still, a good book worth reading.

I may review some of these puppy/dog book I'm reading. I picked up about 20pounds worth at the library. So far only reinforcing what I already know, but I'm looking for practical advice to use before I get into trouble with this wonderful poodlelab I am trying to get along with.

I really enjoyed this book. Even though we got our dog at 1 year old (well past many of the various stages described in the first half of the book), I still enjoyed reading about puppy development and rearing. A great book for anyone bringing home a puppy.

An good reference to the commands, rewards, corrections, and games in training a puppy that is a complement to the best reference, The Art of Raising a Puppy by the Monks of New Skeete (1991 edition).

I enjoyed this book it had a lot of good info on how to train my new puppy! I reccommend this book to anyone who needs some help in teaching and training your puppy, so you can live with it.

This book seemed easy to read and logical... I guess we'll see if my rating changes after we have a dog.

I liked it, but as always, I'm wishing for more details. WON'T A BOOK PLEASE TELL ME EXACTLY WHAT TO DO WITH MY PUPPY EVERY SECOND?

Read this BEFORE you acquire your dog -- at least the first five chapters -- as there are some things it will be to late to teach your puppy if you don't begin with the foundational issues.

I send this book with each of my puppies when it goes to its new home. Puppy Developmental Psychology 101

There are some useful tips in this book. However, it is nothing really special. It does give nice basic information, however, it is not unique in the world of dog training books.

The joys of puppy training!

More basic and straight-forward than other books we read, which I'm learning is what you actually need at the start. Highly recommend as a starter book.

Great insight, but not exactly confidence boosting. I am concerned I will mess my puppy up because I am sure I will neglect to do some of the recommended practices! :-)