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Book recommendations - training

2K views 15 replies 8 participants last post by  Vartina Ancrum 
#1 ·
Hi everyone,

I don't have a Havanese yet, but would love to bring one home in the next year or so. I've been researching everything I can (about the breed, breeders, training, etc.), and have enjoyed all the stories and advice on the forum very much, so thank you all for sharing your experiences.

I'm looking for a good book on training, so if any of you have a favorite or two that you'd recommend, please let me know!

Thank you!
 
#2 ·
My breeder recommended "The Focused Puppy" when I got Kodi, and I STILL haven't found a better guide to bringing up a puppy, and I've read a ton of training books in the interim. Read at least the first couple of chapters BEFORE you get the puppy, because it will help you make sure you are getting the "right for you" puppy. I was lucky to have a very astute breeder who made sure that happened. :)
 
#4 ·
I just put a deposit down on our first Havanese last night, and hope to bring one home this fall! I have LOVED The Focused Puppy - thank you so much for the recommendation. As a follow up question, I'm now wondering if you happen to know of any good books geared toward kids. I have 2 girls, 11yrs and 7yrs, and I would love to get them a book (about the breed or training or whatever), as a gift for when I break the news to them that we are getting a puppy. If you have any ideas, let me know!

Thanks!
 
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#5 ·
online reading Before You Get Your Puppy by Ian Dunbar https://www.dogstardaily.com/files/BEFORE You Get Your Puppy.pdf

After You Get Your Puppy by Ian Dunbar http://www.dogstardaily.com/files/downloads/AFTER_You_Get_Your_Puppy.pdf

Good site for kids https://www.doggonesafe.com/

Reaching The Animal Mind Karen Pryor
The Power of Positive Dog Training Pat Miller
Dog Language Roger Abrantes
The Intelligence of Dogs Dr. Stanley Coren
Positive Perspectives 2 Pat Miller
Excel-Erated Learning Dr. Pam Reid
How To Teach A New Dog Old Tricks Dr. Ian Dunbar
On Talking Terms With Dogs Calming Signals Turid Rugaas
Don't Shoot The Dog Karen Pryor
Click To Calm Emma Parsons
Barking The Sound of a Language Turid Rugaas
Stress In Dogs Martina Scholz and Clarrissa von Reinhardt
Your Dog's First Year Mordicai Siegal
How Dogs Think Stanley Coren
Through A Dog's Ear Joshua Leeds and Susan Wagner
How to Speak Dog Stanley Coren
Bones would Rain from the Sky Suzannne Clothier
Tales of Two Species Patricia McConnell
Food Pets Die For Anne Martin
Fiesty Fido Patricia McConnell
Dogs Are From Neptune Jean Donaldson
Oh Behave Jean Donaldson
Train Your Dog Like a Pro Jean Donaldson
Dominance Fact or Fiction Barry Eaton
The Cautious Canine Patricia McConnell
For The Love of a Dog Patricia McConnell
Getting Started Clicker Training Karen Pryor
Dogs Are From Neptune 2nd Edition Jean Donaldson
Help For Your Fearful Dog Nichole Wilde
Dr. Pitcairns Natural Health For Dogs and Cats.
When Pigs Fly Jane Killion
Culture Clash Jean Donaldson
Inside Of A Dog Alexandra Horowitz
Dog Sense John Bradshaw
Dog Age Dondi S. Dahlgaard
The Canine Thyroid Epidemic Jean Dodds
Genetics And The Social Behavior of the Dog. John Scott and John Fuller
Don't Leave Me Nichole Wilde
What Is a Dog Ray Coppinger
 
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#6 ·
When we brought our puppy home my kids were 11 and 12. My 11 year old was (is) going on 21 and my 12 year old has special needs, so they are complete opposites. DD is a big reader but she skimmed through the puppy books and seemed to absorb more from YouTube videos because they show you how to do things. DS benefited the most from books that are more along the lines of what to expect when you bring a puppy home (like they sleep a lot and nipping is normal and what to do about it), and training philosophies in general.

The books on how to teach your puppy cool tricks have basically been untouched. It’s “too hard” to use a book to follow every step compared to the ease of YouTube ;) I’ll see if I can find the titles of some of the books we ended up with.
 
#7 ·
The biggest things I can think of that I should have spent more time on with my kids before we brought our puppy home are 1) limits and planned ignoring isn’t mean (ignoring puppy crying in his crate was so hard for them) and 2) “watching the puppy” means the puppy is right next to you, not across the room while you’re watching tv! Any book that includes any of that is fantastic in my opinion.
 
#8 ·
@ EvaElizabeth - great advice, thank you!
@ Dave - thanks for all the info!

Appreciate it!
 
#12 ·
There are many books that are available for god training, but I recommend you to buy 101 Dog Tricks
Book by Kyra Sundance and Training the Best Dog Ever Book by Dawn Sylvia-Stasiewicz and Larry Kay, these both are **** good, I got these from couponcodify, on there many others re available, if you wanna buy or need more options you can check on there.
 
#13 ·
Does your mom have access to some way of watching some training videos, either on a flash drive or DVD? If the struggle is with potty training, immediate intervention is really important and if you are able to somehow set her up with some videos, I think it would be really helpful, even if it’s conjunction with a book. The Kikopup videos are some of the best at explaining both the concepts and process of potty training, IMO. There are DVD’s but I think they’re more advanced training concepts. If you could record the YouTube videos for her to see, I think they’d help a lot. I’m trying to think of ways to help her view them without internet.

How old is her puppy?

Almost every book on training I read implied that potty training would be over in 2 months, some even implied 2 weeks! I don’t remember getting a lot out of the potty training portions of any of the books. They do walk through the process, and some have troubleshooting sections, so it’s better than nothing, but they do imply it’s faster than it really is. Please tell your mother it will take time and not allowing too much freedom is really important. While she’s figuring out her approaching and/or waiting for her book to arrive, have her keep the puppy tethered to her, within arm’s length, or in a very small expen all of the time. It will make it much easier. Let her know it’s normal for Havanese puppies to take longer to be fully trained, but she can eliminate accidents quickly if she sets up an expen and takes him out often for a while. Then she doesn’t have to babysit the puppy every minute unless he’s out of the pen. They are very smart, a lot of them just can’t hold it for 4-5 hours until they’re a bit older.
 
#14 ·
I do like the Best Dog Ever because it outlines a plan for exactly what to do every day over time. If I had to choose a book I’ve read for your mom’s situation, I think it would be helpful because it covers a broad range of issues and how to address them in the context of real life. Just keep in mind she’ll probably need to modify the suggested potty schedule a bit, but it talks about how to do that. It’s also a positive training approach.
 
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