Book Review: Puppy Kisses Are Good For The Soul

I know it's been a while since I did a book review, it probably seems like I haven't cracked a book in months. Truth is I've actually read, in some capacity, almost all the books I have on my reading list. I just got so busy once I brought Theo home that I never had time to properly review them, and since I got most of them from the library, it's hard to go back and remember details without the book in front of you. But I think the blog is ready for another review, so let's talk about Howard Weinstein's Puppy Kisses are Good for the Soul.
This book I actually bought because it came so highly recommended to me by the entire Corgi community, and I have to say I don't think they steered me wrong. This book is half memoir half training guide, which is a weird combination that just seems to work. The memoir is an anecdotal telling of Mail Order Annie, Weinstein's PWC. He sweetly recalls the major events in this period of his life and how Annie was always a part of it. Reading this book before I brought home Theo made me so anxious to have a Corgi. I was left feeling like I knew what I was getting into, and all the more excited for it.

Annie is portrayed as fun, mischievous, and completely sweet. Weinstein covers Annie's entire lifetime, from bringing her home with her partner in crime, Hawkeye, a Collie, to her last days. Oops, hope I didn't give away the ending for you. ;) He doesn't blather on about the minute details of owning a dog like feeding schedule and poop habits (like I do!). Instead, he picks out the fondest memories he has of Annie, shares why those instances stick out in his mind, and tells us what he learned from her. For example, in her early years we learned that Annie went through a period of being an escape artist (just like Theo!). When he would put her behind a gate in the kitchen at night, he would always wake up to her outside the kitchen in the morning. What did that teach us? According to Weinstein Annie was trying to tell him that she was old enough to be trusted in his apartment by herself and without being blocked behind a gate. (Theo, on the other hand, was I think just teaching me that he's stubborn!) This anecdote taught me that Corgis are smart (too smart!) and won't be ignored or forgotten.

By far my favorite anecdote in the book is Weinstein's telling of visiting his mother's house. At first his mother, a clean freak, saw Annie as a dirty intruder, but once Annie showed her she could lick up any microscopic crumbs that his mother may have missed, she came to view her as an ally. Cute right? I had a similar experience when I brought Theo to stay with my parents. My mom isn't a neat freak, but I knew she wasn't thrilled about the idea of having a fur-shedding, accident-prone beast in her nice, new house. That all changed after our Passover dinner. After we had cleaned up the dishes and folded up the extra tables and chairs, we could see the dinning room floor was littered in matzo crumbs. I saw my mom look at the mess and sigh. Then Theo came along and started in on it, licking up as much matzo as he could get his tongue on. At that moment I could see my mom's view of Theo change from intruder to ally, just like with Weinstein's mother. (aside: that's not to say my mom didn't like Theo visiting, she did.)

Weinstein also gives you a sense of how fun owning a dog can be. He's a writer (obviously!) of Star Trek books, so he regularly attends conventions. Apparently Annie was able to accompany him to these events and she ended up becoming quite a star. How fun! It wasn't until I read this book that I realized a dog doesn't have to be an animal that always has to be at home. Dogs can travel too! And Weinstein obviously had a lot of fun traveling with Annie.

When Annie comes to the end of her life, Weinstein remembers her with such tenderness and affection, it's really very emotional. It's sad to hear his telling of her passing on, but it brings a natural close to the story of her life. And when he moves on to talk about the PWCs he has now, we're left feeling upbeat and optimistic. It's apparent in this book that Weinstein loved Annie very much. He even gave her an author credit on the book! His emotional attachment to her jumps off the page, leaving us excited to go get our own PWC to experience our own joys.

The second part of the book is about training. If you're interested read it, but I could take it or leave it. There is some good information, but nothing earth shattering, and nothing I hadn't already read in the many other books I picked up before this one. He doesn't really touch on any details, he just breezes by some general rules.

Another thing in this book's favor is the fact that my husband not only read it (the only book on dogs that he's read, actually), but loved it! Oftentimes he would read a chapter in the morning, then gush about it to me later at work about what cute thing Annie had done in that chapter. In the weeks that he was reading it (he reads fast, but in very short sittings), whenever we would talk about Theo, he would always mention something he had read in the book and how he thought it applied to our discussion. If you don't care for my endorsement, consider his. Husband is a very harsh critic!

Overall, this book gives a great sense of what owning a PWC is like. I would highly recommend this book to prospective PWC owners before they bring home their little trouble maker. Websites like dog breed info can give you a few adjectives on the personality of a Corgi, but this book really paints you a picture of what those personality traits will mean in your day to day life. Just keep in mind that Weinstein is obviously focusing on the good times with Annie. It's not all roses and ice cream. I would also recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a heartwarming tale of man and his best friend (even non dog owners!).

Book Review: Before and After Getting Your Puppy

I finally found the time to write up my review on Ian Dunbar's Before and After Getting Your Puppy: The Positive Approach to Raising a Happy, Healthy, and Well-Behaved Dog. So without further ado...

My first impression of this book? Ian Dunbar is a total drama queen. Don't get me wrong, I really like this book. It has a lot of great advice that is presented simply and very specifically, which is something I've said was lacking in many of the other books I read. To help convey what I mean, I'm going to sum up what the first chapter says:

"If you don't do exactly what I say in this book your dog will die. By not following my exact instructions your dog will become impossible to live with and you will be forced to put your dog outside. Your dog will feel crappy living outside and alone and will develop behavioral issues that will make it impossible to live with your dog and you will be forced to give him/her up to a shelter. Most dogs who go to shelters, end up dead. Thus, if you don't do as I say, you will be responsible for the inevitable death of your dog."

I kid you not, that's how it reads! Ok, maybe that's just how I read it, but to me he writes in absolutes, and thus, drama! Another good example is the quote on the front cover of the book: "There is no single person on the face of the planet to whom dog trainers and owners (not to mention dogs) owe more." To me that reads like a quote that would show up on a Stephen Colbert book! Hehe. Ok, but other than that, it's a good book. He says early on how he's going to organize the book, and even states that he's going to repeat himself a lot to drive home the important points. Since I read it sporadically over time, I appreciated the repeat of important information.

This book is about puppy development and when you need to worry about important puppy stages. Dunbar divides the important info into six important categories: doggy education, puppy progress, house/chew-toy training, socialization with people, bite inhibition, and the world at large. Doggy Education is really about educating yourself on dogs. It's the standard first or second chapter about how to choose the right puppy. Puppy Progress is a general overview of basic manners. Chapter 5, chew toy and house training, is where the book starts to get beyond the obvious advice. While Dunbar is a bit dramatic, he gives some solid advice not only on the basics like crate train and give chew toys, but also on the specifics of how to make them successful. He tells you the full days schedule for proper crate training and he tells you specifically when to give a chew toy, and the right kind of chew toy. I do have to add that Kong chew toys are either a godsend or this guy gets a kickback from the company. He works specifically with this brand.

His views on the socialization with people are, again, a bit dramatic, but I also think he's right on the money with driving home the importance of doing it early. He says that within the first 12 weeks your puppy should have met at least 100 different people. I don't know about you, but if I get my puppy at 9 weeks of age, that gives me less than two months to have 100 people over to my house (since I can't go to the dog park or anything like that until the puppy is full vaccinated at 4 months). I don't know 100 people, let alone 100 I would want in my house! No thank you. I think this is another one of the times in the book where I understand the gravity of what he's saying, just not the application per se. I'm definitely going to have over all my friends (and their kids where applicable) over as much as possible. I know I won't meet the 100 people mark, though. I hate having people over. lol! Hopefully the puppy will have met several people through the breeder before I get there. Also, people like vets count as well. I'm thinking I'll get to about 20 or maybe 30 if I'm lucky. This is one of those instances where I'm hoping Dunbar is just exaggerating and that I'm not really going to stunt my puppy because I'm not a social butterfly.

The chapter on bite inhibition was, personally, the most important chapter for me because it told me a lot of information that I didn't already know, and in fact, my understanding was quite the opposite. Puppies nip and bite. I've never met a puppy that didn't. I've always hated it, but after reading about puppies, I understand that puppies use their mouths to understand things like human babies use their hands. My plan for my puppy was to highly discourage any nipping, even if it was playful and painless. After reading this chapter, I now understand that's not the best idea. Bite inhibition is not teaching the idea that all biting is bad, but the idea that dogs need to learn the strength of their jaws, and just how squishy us humans really are. By letting your puppy gnaw on you, and letting him know when he's hurting you, you're not only teaching your puppy how to play with people, but how to bite people too. If a dog wanted to give you a warning, he would probably nip at you. If he wanted to give you a more stern warning, he would probably bite you, without the intention of drawing blood or doing any real damage. But a dog first needs to learn that people aren't dogs, and what is just a nip to a dog, draws blood on people. Now before you start thinking I'm crazy, I'm not saying that I'm going to be ok with my dog biting people! But consider it this way, an example from the book, if your dog gets his tail slammed in the car door (not a danger with most PWCs, hehe), his knee-jerk reaction of surprise and pain might be to bite. If your dog has been desensitized to people, his gut reaction bite is likely to be much softer than a dog that has never really been taught how hard is too hard for people. It's called teaching your dog to have a "soft mouth". I think this is just such a great idea and I totally changed my views on the subject after reading this chapter. I'm now going to let me puppy nip at my hand, and just make sure to correct him when he bites too hard.

The last few chapters of the book focus on the later months of the puppyhood and are helpful, but nothing earth shattering. The very end of the book Dunbar sums up the entire book very nicely into a matrix that lists the six important categories by importance and...some other criteria I'm not remembering at the moment... But it basically says why it's important to teach your dog in those areas at a specific development period and what may happen if you don't.

Overall I thought this book was pretty great. While Dunbar is totally dramatic, he's also very knowledgeable. I learned a lot reading this book and feel I'll be a better puppy owner because of it. I would recommend this book to anyone with a dog under 1 year of age, or anyone thinking about getting a puppy and want to know what they're in for. Like most books, I don't think it needs to be followed to the letter (like you could probably use a chew toy other than a Kong if you really want to!), but Dunbar displays some good common sense, always a trait I admire.

Book Review: Katz On Dogs

My latest read is Katz on Dogs: A Common Sense Guide to Training and Living with Dogs by Jon Katz. I actually finished it quite a while ago, but I've been busy, and I figured such a thoughtful book deserved a bit more of a thoughtful review. Hope the wait was worth it!

Katz on Dogs is described as a "common sense guide to training", and that's exactly what it is. Jon Katz writes about his own experiences raising his 3 dogs, and stories from people he has encountered, using his own common sense and experience to come to conclusions about how to train your dog in such a way that you can live together in harmony. That's the reason I have such a love/hate relationship with this book. Sometimes his reasoning makes complete sense, and makes training my dog seem easy. Other times I completely disagree with him and feel like he's over simplifying, being unrealistic, or being just plain arrogant.

Jon Katz lives on a farm with his 3 dogs, 2 Border Collies and 1 Labrador Retriever. He's written a few other books that also cover his experiences raising his dogs, so I got the feeling I wasn't always getting the whole story. The two Border Collies, the way he described them, seemed to have behavioral issues he was working past, but he never went very in depth with his own dogs (he saved that for other people's),so I'm not sure what their deal was. I'm going to say upfront that halfway through reading this book I read that he actually gave away one of the Border Collies, and had the other one put down. When I read the article he wrote talking about the decision to put Orson down, he (again extremely lacking in specifics) mentions that Orson bit a child. Well what kind of biting? Did he send the kid to the hospital? Did he just nip at him a little bit, accidentally drawing blood? I think there's a big difference if it's a decision between life and death for a dog that supposedly completes you. I also read that he got rid of Rose, his herding dog. I don't know if that one's true, but it wouldn't surprise me since he didn't write about her with much affection in the book. Actually, all three of his dogs are written almost as caricatures, rather than read dogs. Rose, in the book, is the herding dog. She cares for nothing but herding. Orson is the dog with problems. He sticks by Katz, and cares for no one but him. Clementine is the new kid on the block and obvious favorite (probably because labs are easier?). She is the playful one that loves chasing squirrels and playing with sticks. Really? That's all there is to your dogs? Probably not, and Katz probably knows this, but for me it lessened his credibility because he made it seem like he didn't understand the depth of his dogs' personalities. He comes off as being rather cold, but that's probably just him trying to come off as objective.

The good points in the book were the beginning. Like all good dog books start, his first chapter is on making sure that getting a dog is right for you. He applies his common sense well here, by pointing out that dogs are a lot of responsibility, and you should realize what you're getting into. There is no perfect dog, it is an ongoing process that never ends. One thing I think he really nailed was the idea of the "quitting point". This is the point that we stop training our dogs, either because we don't realize we've stopped, we think we've trained them enough, or we've just given up. He also talks about the "good enough" dog. This is when we train our dogs to a point (usually the basics), then say that it's good enough, and stop training them. His lesson is that we should never stop training our dogs, or at least observing their environment so we can recognize when it changes. If your quitting point occurs before you've trained your dog enough to live harmoniously with him/her, then you should seek help in getting past it. I think being aware of the quitting point is important, because then you can be conscious of it, and know to watch out for it when you feel your dog is trained "good enough". He also has a lot of insight on multi-dog households, though again, he doesn't offer up very much in the way of specific examples.

Past that point, the book went downhill for me. The case studies were very uneven. Sometimes they were interesting and insightful, other times they were obvious. I think the worst chapter in this book is the one where tries to tackle nutrition. He obviously has no interest in canine nutrition. He feeds his dogs store-bought kibble, and basically refuses to judge people on how they feed their dogs because, obviously, he hasn't taken the time to learn anything about it. He even mentions, but doesn't address people who feed their dogs a vegan diet. How can you not say anything about people who feed carnivores no meat products? I'm not saying he should have torn them a new one, but why mention it if you're not going to address it? On the contrary, he wrote with an air of conceit toward people who take their dog's nutrition into their own hands. He had an air of conceit on a lot of subjects, including holistic medicine as well. He says that he never had a problem with his vet, so why wouldn't he trust what they tell him? Well that makes sense to me, but holistic medicine isn't necessarily about competent vets, though I'm sure incompetent vets often drive dog owners to holistic medicine.

This book was a good read, as long as I used my own common sense to separate out the good information and advice from the bad less good. In the end all Katz is doing is encouraging the reader to observe their dog from an objective perspective and consider what's best for both of you when figuring out how to live together. He heavily promotes training and being mindful of your dog. I definitely agree with him on all those points, and I gained some good perspective after reading this book. Reading this book may give you some good perspective as well.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in what they can do to better live with their dog. This is not a how-to book on training your dog. This book trains you. This book could be helpful to people who have dogs with behavioral problems and want to know how to better approach them, or to people who generally want some good ideas on raising their dog. I don't think this book is a keeper as a reference book. If your local library has it, I would recommend saving your money and getting it there. I may check out his other books another time, but for now I think my reading list is fine without them.

Update: I also want to add that anyone reading this book should not take what Katz says as gospel. If something sounds like an idea you'd like to try, do some research on it first. Some of his suggestions I found conflicted with other, more trustworthy sources, while others matched up with things I had already learned.

Book Review: Welsh Corgis: Pembroke And Cardigan

My latest read is Richard Beauchamp's Welsh Corgis: Pembroke and Cardigan (Complete Pet Owner's Manuals). It was definitely a step up from the last Corgi-specific book I read. Again, it didn't have a lot about what makes Corgis unique (which is what I was hoping to find from these books), but there was so much good general information that it made up for it, and there were a few useful snippets about Corgi behavior.

This book is fairly short (only about 120 pages), it covers the usual bases like feeding, grooming, housebreaking, etc., and it has dozens for amazing pictures of adorable Corgis. As you can tell from the title, the book covers both breeds of Corgi (Pembroke and Cardigan), and actually spends a little time covering the minor differences between them. Other than the obvious physical differences, and the fact they were bred in different areas of Wales, Cardigans tend to have a more calm, friendliness to them, while Pembrokes are more bold.

This book, like the last I reviewed, tried to do too much, but it did what it did better, I think. There was information in this book I didn't already know, and while it was all interesting, it wasn't all necessary. The end of the book covers how to breed Corgis, which I don't think should have been brought up at all. It was interesting to read, but I would hope anyone looking to actually breed Corgis would find much more in depth information from difference resources than this book.

The book did have some interesting and very detailed information on health, specifically vaccinations and parasites. It not only explained all the different parasites that plague dogs, but also what they look like. Eww! It also detailed the different vaccines that puppies need and why they are needed.

I would recommend this book for someone who is thinking of getting a Corgi, but mostly for people who have never had a dog before and haven't done much research yet. It's a good starting point for getting an idea of what own a dog entails.

What I learned (or confirmed) about Corgis, they are friendly and devoted. They want to be with you all the time. They need something to do, so if you don't live on a farm, it'd be good to do some classes: obedience, agility, herding, conformation, etc. They are small, but they don't know it. They won't back down from a fight with another dog, which I think makes them pretty fearless. They will rule your house, they will rule the dog park, they will rule anything and everything you let them. They won't be content to just curl up at your feet every night, so be prepared to play!

Book Review: The Pembroke Welsh Corgi : An Owner's Guide To A Happy Healthy Pet

Probably the biggest inconvenience with the Pembroke Welsh Corgi, is that they are not a trendy breed. There is virtually nothing written for this breed, and from what I've seen, the books that are out there aren't very good.

The main problem I had with this book is that it didn't feel like a book specific to the breed. It was a short book, and a lot of it focused on training. The pictures that went along with the training explanations weren't even Corgis!

The book starts off with information specific to the Corgi, but it's information that 10 minutes on the internet can give you just as easily. It gives the general appearance and temperament of the breed, and information on the origin of the breed. There is some good information on living with a Corgi, but the section is less than 10 pages, so it still leaves something to be desired.

The next chapters in the book cover raising, feeding, and grooming your Corgi. It's pretty good information, but again, it's nothing that's Corgi specific. The chapter that had a lot of good information was the chapter on health. It covered vaccinations that are needed and why, pests like fleas and ticks, and general care. Still nothing Corgi, specific though.

The last third of the book covers the training I mentioned above. It's basically a waste of time compared to other books out there, or even the internet. Overall, there is some good information in this book, but I wouldn't recommend it. There's nothing in this book you couldn't find elsewhere, and after reading this book I don't feel like I know much more about Corgis.

Book Review - How To Raise A Puppy You Can Live With

The first dog-related book I've picked up so far is How to Raise a Puppy You Can Live With by Clarice Rutherford and David H. Neil. It's a short book (~150 pages) that covers puppy development from birth to one year, behavior, and training. Overall it is a very intelligent book that has a lot of good, useful information, with the biggest drawback being its small size. The advice is never very in depth, since it covers so many topics in such a short amount of space. The methods recommended I agree with, and make sense to me.

It starts off with choosing the right puppy for you, with the most emphasis on the right type of breed or at least group of breeds (i.e. hunting, retrieving, herding, etc.). That suited me very well, since I also believe that picking the right breed is important.

Next, there is a lot of emphasis on puppy development and its main stages, including the neonatal period, the transitional period, the socialization period, and the fear period. I learned that it's important to choose a good breeder because there is a lot that happens in the first 8 weeks of a puppy's life. If it misses out on experiencing certain things or at least new things, it could be stunted by the time you take the little guy home.

The book talks briefly about the puppy coming home with you, its first night, its first trip to the vet, etc. In these areas I wish it would have gone more in depth, but it at least serves as a warning that the first night and couple of days will be hard. Luckily, further reading on this subject can very easily be found online.

There is a lot of emphasis on the importance of play and socialization, which I 100% agree with. When you get your puppy, it's still a baby whose body and brain are developing. The more you expose your puppy to, the more its brain will develop and better understand the world around it. In the early stages of you dog's life, it will want to please you. Start training from day one, and always keep it positive. If your puppy does something you like, praise it, and it will continue that action because of that positive association. While the book doesn't go into a lot of detail, it does introduce many areas of training, and explains why so much training will lead to a great relationship between you and your dog.

The area of the book I thought was the most helpful was where it identified types of puppy personalities. These include the to eager to please puppy, the shy puppy, the dependent puppy, the independent puppy, the dominant puppy, and the extremely excitable puppy. It doesn't say that any of these puppy personalities are bad, only that puppies with these different personalities should be handled differently and these personalities should be kept in mind when raising it. This way of categorizing personalities really struck a chord with me. It makes so much sense. When you yell at an extremely excitable puppy, of course it's going to have a different reaction than an independent puppy. The excited puppy will immediately respond to the loud sounds you're making, whereas the independent puppy may refuse to give you its attention. I wonder what personality my dog will be? What would I prefer?

Another chapter I really enjoyed, but was way too short was the chapter on dog signals. By learning the specific behaviors that dogs do in certain situations, you can learn to better communicate with your dog. The most common signals most books talk about are "calming signals". These are the signals your dog makes when it wants the situation it's in to be calm. This can include signaling to its owner that it wants you to calm down (say, if your dog senses you are tense and upset because you had a rough day at work), or meeting a dog for the first time. Calming signals include yawning (yes, this doesn't always mean your dog is just bored or tired), avoiding eye contact, and approaching your side, rather than head on. I found this chapter very interesting, and I like the idea that by keeping an eye out for these behaviors I can better communicate with my dog. As they say, communication works both ways. It shouldn't just be about the dog learning what you want.

Overall I recommend this book to any first time puppy owner. Though it does give some training tips that dogs of any age can use, this book is too puppy-centric to bother with if your dog is older than a year old. If you don't yet have a dog, and haven't yet chosen a breed, this would be a good time to get an idea of what you're getting into, but I would recommend reading further on choosing the right breed and breeder, since this book is so brief. After reading this book, I feel armed with the knowledge that with patience, awareness, and positivity, I can raise a puppy that is the kind of companion I'm looking for.