How to Raise the Perfect Dog: Through Puppyhood and Beyond

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Based on Cesar’s own detailed experiences raising individual puppies from some of the most popular breeds, How to Raise the Perfect Dog is like having Cesar right beside you, as your own personal expert, coaching you and your dog from the first day of your life together. Some goodm mentions with crate training, toys, how to play, how to train, go for walks, stop barking, socialize dog to humans and animals, etc. Teach him to 'sit'. One helpful command to teach your puppy is 'sit'. To start off, stand in front of your puppy with a treat in your hand that he can see. Firmly tell him to 'sit', then push his bottom down until he is sitting. Once he is there, give him the treat and praise him.

While parts of this book did sound like one massive advert for specific puppy breeders, as a whole I found it interesting. Don't get me wrong. I love my four-legged kids, but when next time happens and I go and get myself another pup, I will do things differently. Cesar does have a few really good points about what to look for etc. (Although I will still get a rescue dog. I will not be supporting breeders while there are dogs who need homes.) Hm, now what could you possibly do to your dog that might result in "adverse effects" (dog-speak for "getting bitten and/or creating a fearful and/or aggressive dog"). And if you ARE doing something that results in "adverse effects" ... gee, maybe that's a clue that you shouldn't be doing it. Cesar Millan is a best-selling author, public speaker, and the internationally acclaimed star of “Cesar 911,” as well as the original, Emmy-nominated host of the “Dog Whisperer” program. With “Cesar 911,” he brings more than 25 years of dog experience and his status as the most recognized and sought-after authority in the field of dog care and rehabilitation directly to communities terrorized by unruly hounds. From the bestselling author and star of National Geographic Channel’s Dog Whisperer, the only resource you’ll need for raising a happy, healthy dog. The book contains everything you need to know from how to select a puppy that would suit you and your lifestyle, to what to expect at each stage of your puppy’s life, importance of nutrition & vaccination, the common mistakes of dog training, how to correct problems, to how to bring out the best in your dog.

The author of this book is a self-taught dog behaviorist, trainer, and television personality. He founded the Dog Psychology Center in California and the Millan Foundation to aid in the rescue and rehabilitation of dogs. He has published 5 books for dog owners on behavior and training. One of his basic beliefs is that people must respect dogs as animals and not “co-opt [them] into being our friend, soul mate, or child” (p. 3), as this leads to unstable dogs with behavioral issues. The first twelve months or so of a dog's life are the hardest work, but Adam Spivey can help. He will help you both thrive as you learn to understand your dogs needs and behaviours. Adam's simple, straight-talking approach takes all the nonsense out of dog training and puts your pup at the centre of everything you do. That said, I was looking forward to reading this book. I was curious as to what he could say that hasn't already been said numerous times on his show. The biggest criticism I found was that the book is more of an emotionally laced contribution than a logical step-by-step manual. The method and manner in which the author talks about a dog is as if everyone should have their entire life revolving around the animal – which may be possible for him but not everyone else. Yes, I agree that there are a few many human beings whose entire life revolves around their pet but please not me.

Preventing and dealing with common puppy problems such as inappropriate jumping, chewing, and barking are covered thoroughly, with examples of how breed may contribute to certain problems. If a behavior such as inattention can not be prevented, tips on redirecting that behavior are offered. Throughout the book he explains that all members of a household must be consistent in their approach to training and discipline, as well as how that discipline must be timed precisely. How to Raise the Perfect Dog tells you everything you need to know to train your puppy, with straight-talking advice from Southend Dog Training founder Adam Spivey. At the end of the book, there’s a section that has the most common behavioral problems with dogs. This is nice since you can use the headings to skip the topics that aren’t pertinent to your dog. But, even these sections are extremely short and are missing the steps needed for training. Good book but I'm skeptical about Cesar Millan. He seems like a nice guy, great success being the Dog Whisperer on tv and all. But Cesar hasn't gone through any education or schooling on dogs or animals. It's all from first hand practical experience which you should take with a grain of salt. So after putting my baby to sleep who was part of my family for thirteen years, we decided to adopt a new puppy. She's a rescue and I wanted help getting to establish good behavior and socialization early on. Since I love reading, I went and bought a bunch of books including this one.Much like the television shows featuring this TV entertainer (he is NOT a dog trainer), there's a clear "Don't try this at home!" warning and another advising readers to seek the advice of a professional. Well, if Millan is not a professional (and clearly, by all dog-training standards, he's NOT), he has NO business giving dog-training advice.

Proper motivation is imperative for the successful training of your canine. Your little puppy will respond better to your commands if they are rewarded for their good behavior. Always reward good behavior with food treats, toys, cuddles and words of appreciation. Puppies remember the rewards that it received and will likely increase the frequency of its good behavior. Positive reinforcement works much better than punishing dogs. Do not hit or spank your dog as it may cause fear or inculcate aggressive behavior. 6. Obedience Tutoring: Every dog should be taught to respond to basic commands like “No”, “Stop”, “Sit”, “Stay”, “Come”, and “Quiet” to name a few. When the pup learns to understand your basic commands it becomes quite easy for you to train the puppy. It can be quiet challenging for the little puppy to understand human words. Dog owners should keep patience and continue with their efforts. In this book, Cesar adopts five calm puppies (most from elite breeders) and raises them from puppyhood. Yet, not all puppies are created equal and a calm puppy is not always available or what you end up getting.What I found impressive was the logic behind every action that he suggested. He has this crazy yet amazing logic to make you realize dogs can be controlled without force but by understanding them Having 2 cute dogs at home, along with a sweet-loving-wife who watches ‘The Dog Whisperer’ almost everyday with total excitement and yes, a full-blast volume (with me covering my ears thanks to my over-priced ear-phones while on my PC), I just had to read a few instructions from the world’s best and most famous Dog Trainer – Cesar Millan. I found some of the general advice in this book helpful. However, it wasn't quite what I expected. The idea of following actual dogs through their puppyhood is a great idea and seems promising--until you find out that all the puppies are from top-notch breeders and perfectly fit Millan's "calm-submissive" ideal. I know MY puppy certainly does not meet that ideal, nor is she from any sort of top-notch breeder, so it made a lot of the puppy-specific stories kind of useless. This book would be more helpful to read if you're in the process of getting a puppy and want to know what you should take into consideration. There are several obedience tutoring classes or puppy manners classes for you to choose from that primarily help dog owners in training their pet. Such classes are very beneficial as dog owners get professional help in disciplining their dog. They are good places for the little pup to socialize with other pups and for you to meet other dog lovers. Puppy training classes teach your little pups on how to behave in different situations. Such classes help build onto the puppy’s confidence and reduce its fear and anxiety. Puppy manners classes are an easy way to train a dog to be perfect. 7. Quality Time Together: All in all it's a good guideline, with a few sour spots like the over analyzing of certain things and some pointless stories. Still if you keep the important stuff from it, you 'll have a good idea of what to expect when a new puppy comes to your family. Read it along other books to get a wholesome idea.

I would say the one thing I learned was to treat your puppy the same way a mother dog does instead of treating them like human babies. Put a leash on all the animals and then put your new puppy on one side of the fence and your other animals on the other. Let them sniff each other through the barrier for around 30 minutes. New York Times bestselling author, Cesar Millan shows you how to raise the perfect dog and prevent behavior issues before they start, including:

Let me start by saying that I grew up in a house full of dogs (when I graduated college, my parents had 4 indoor Shelties), and am currently a dog owner. As such, I can thoroughly appreciate Milan's television show, and have applied some of the principles he endorses to my own life to good effect. Dog owners need to set up a schedule for their puppies. A schedule helps the puppy to get adjusted to a routine. It should be fed on time, taken for walks and outings, and has a fixed poop and pee schedule. Adhering to a schedule helps you predict your dog’s behavior and makes behavioral training easy. 5. Use Rewards: But this one is great mostly for new parents. Filled with important things that someone who never cared for a puppy needs to be aware of and some interesting general ideas. I still don't like the idea of the "perfect dog" though. He begins the book by adopting 4 puppies of different breeds of “medium-level energy;” a pit bull, a Labrador retriever, an English bulldog, and a miniature schnauzer. He writes about raising these puppies as dogs first, as breeds with instinctive behaviors second, and lastly as individuals, as they mature from puppies to adolescent dogs.