Dog Gone Blog - The Dog Blog for Real Dogs

Dog books for young readers

Need a gift idea for the young dog lovers in your life?

At the Dog Park with Sam and Lucy and Buddy Unchained are two great new books perfect for those upcoming pesky holidays.   The Illustrations are fantastic and the child will love empathizing with the characters.  Even if they have no idea that's what they're doing.

In At the Dog Park, Sam and Lucy have a great time meeting new friends at the, um, dog park (kinda got that from the title, eh?) and the last page is for the adults in the family.  A whole page on how you can start a dog park in your town.  As a person who has been trying for years to start one in mine I thought that was really cool.

In Buddy Unchained, Buddy the dog, now happy in a new home, tells of his former life spent chained up outside.  It's a bit of a tearjerker, if you ask me, so when you read this with your kids be ready to answer some tough questions.

I'm looking forward to giving these books to my nephews for Christmas and to my daughter as well.  Something tells me I'll enjoy reading them as much as they will.

Both books are available at Amazon and are one sale for $10.85 each.

Dog is my Co-Pilot

If I were to invite you into my home the first thing you might notice, after the tumbleweeds of dog hair, is the stack of dog books next to the chair by the front door. 

I am a dog-themed book addict.  Behavior, training, true stories; I've got a ginormous number of books from the pet section of Super Humongous Chain Bookstore and my credit card balance number climbs if I so as much run in to that store grab a coffee.  I can't help myself.  I'm compelled to buy them.

Some are better than others; some tomes are magical, some suck bully sticks.  Thankfully, I've gotten really good at weeding out the later category and, lucky you, I've decided to pass on recommendations for my favorite ones to you on this here doggie blog.

I have made a commitment to myself that I will write about at least one book - good or not, because there will be times when a stinker sneaks under my radar - every two weeks.  Not only will you get some great new reading material but I will get another excuse to buy books.  It's a win/win situation for all.

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Okay, enough yappin'.

My recommendation for this week is a book of stories by dog owners/writers that one moment had me laughing out loud and the next weeping into my Cheerios. 

Dog is my Co-Pilot: Great Writers on the World's Oldest Friendship a book from the editors of one of my favorite dog magazines -  Bark - impressed me so much that I gave copies of this book to my dog loving friends as holiday gifts.   And I only give books as gifts if I really, really love the book.  The stories of the love between human and canine spoke to me in that magical way that only a few books in my life ever have, and it has been my mission to spread the word of this magnificent book ever since I turned the last page.

Dog is My Co-Pilot came out in 2003 so it should still be easy to find in bookstores, or you can buy it online from Super-Duper Amazingly Humongous Online Bookstore or, better yet, purchase it from the Bark website and make it a two-fer:  a copy of the book and a one year subscription to Bark magazine for $26.95.

You will not be disappointed.

Shelter Dogs - The Book

So, there I was in Super Humongous Chain Bookstore, perusing the pet section (duh) when I came across this book.

And as I flipped through it tears began to well in my eyes. Tears.  In Super Humongous Chain Bookstore.  How embarrassing, right?  So I did what any self respecting person would do, I faked a coughing fit. 

Shelter Dogs was so beautifully photographed, how could I not shed a tear?  Every picture captured the inner spirit of each dog that had found him or herself locked up in some kennel, awaiting their fate.  It showed the beauty in each creature that one would see if they could look beyond the barking, digging, chewing, and other "bad" behaviors that helped land them in that particular shelter. 

As the owner of a rescued dog (though, truthfully, my dog never saw the inside of a county shelter) this book hit me particularly hard.  According to the HSUS 3 to 4 million cats and dogs are euthanized in shelters every year.  Did you catch that number?  Three to Four MILLION.  The good news is that 3 to 4 million cats and dogs are adopted each year from shelters.  But that still leaves roughly 50% of the population of adoptable cats and dogs unadopted and, eventually, killed because of over-population or behavioral and medical problems.

Shelter Dogs is filled with beautiful photographs of wonderful, misunderstood animals.  Animals that want only a comfortable place to sleep, a full food bowl and a kind hand.

Do you have a rescued dog?  Are you considering getting a dog from a shelter?  I urge you to buy Shelter Dogs by Traer Scott.  You won't be disappointed.

Crate Training

One question that I get asked frequently is "How do I get my puppy to stop peeing and pooping in the house?"  To which I usually say "Get a crate!  For the love of dog please get a crate."

Crate training is a very efficient way to teach your pooch to do his business outside rather than on the rug, in your shoes, or on your bed.  (Sound familiar T.?)

Even though crates (either the metal see-through kind or the hard plastic transportation crate) have been around for some time a lot of people still have hang-ups about putting their dog in a box-like enclosure.  Please remove those thoughts from your minds, dear internets, dogs are den animals.  They love curling up in small, tight spaces.  It makes them feel comfortable and secure.  Think of it this way, you have a bassinet, playpen, or crib for your baby to sleep or play in safety, a crate is a sort of crib for dogs.  It keeps them safely away from household hazards (cleaning supplies, sharp objects) and stops them from being destructive (like eating your new cashmere sweater).

Now that you're considering getting a crate for your dog - and dogs of any age can be introduced to a crate with some training and patience - you might be asking yourself how a crate can help you teach your dog to pee outside.  It's very simple actually:  Dogs don't like to eliminate where they sleep.  If you get your dog on a eating, sleeping and eliminating routine with the aid of a crate the dog will learn very quickly what is expected of him.

Instead of writing down all the do's and don'ts of crate training here (because I'm feeling lazy today) I will instead point you to some great sites that explain crate training in detail and also to some books so you can further your education.

Before I send you off to other sites I will say that crate training is not for every dog but it is a wonderful way to manage and train most dogs.  If you are housetraining a dog of any age I urge you to at least consider buying a crate.

Onto the links:

I have no idea who the American Dog Trainer's Network is, and I have no affiliation with them, but I did enjoy this article on crate training.  Lot's of good information in there.

Need to know how to introduce your dog to a crate?  The HSUS has a good article.

I'm loving this booklet by Patricia McConnell and Karen London - Way to Go! How to Housetrain a Dog of Any Age

"Quick and Easy Crate Training" by Teoti Anderson is also a good resource, although I don't like the "quick and easy" in the title.  That's not to say that crate training is long and difficult but your version of quick and easy and my version of it might be two different things.

Good luck!