Let’s face it, how many times can you say, “take the puppy out often to go to the bathroom, you must train your dog to be a good member of your family and the community, and that it’s a lot of hard work.”

Dog books over the years repeat basically the same message over and over just using a difference approach or training method.

In this age of couples using puppies as replacement children or substitute spouses, I applaud Sarah Hodgson in her new book Puppy Perfect: The User-Friendly Guide to Puppy Parenting (©October 2005, published by Wiley, John & Sons Inc., $16.95) for giving her readers an easily understandable method to not only train young puppy charges but make it entertaining and fun for us harried humans.

By using the methods Hodgson outlines in her easy-to-read 240-page paperback with loads of bullet points, paw-print stamped text boxes and cute photos, there is hope for all of us who want to create the perfect canine companion from the beginning.

I like the progression of this book, like in most dog books first, the author discusses the types of dogs one can consider before purchasing in terms of personality.  She does a good job of describing how there are different types of dogs based on what the dogs were originally bred to do. She notes that not all dogs are the same and when training you need to adjust your methods and approaches based on these differences between dogs.

If you already have that bouncing bundle of joy, Hodgson gives owners a needed resource with the Puppy Personality Quiz as a great way to understand you puppy’s inner workings. Knowing this will help you deal with your puppy more successfully. But it’s not just all about the puppy, she also includes a quiz to determine your personality and if it matches your puppy. She offers suggestions how to make the two of you work together like the team you are meant to be.

Her “Doglish” glossary at the end of the book is filled with terms to help the doggie-term challenged. And the book has the obligatory chapters on supplies, grooming and feeding time. But I love the chapters on housebreaking, chewing, and barking along with Hodgson’s imaginative approach to cure those bad habits. Her willingness and knowledge giving the reader the reason behind why the dog does that makes the training method make that much more sense.

I am especially fond of the sections on how puppies are champions on “attention getting” which is one of my pet peeves about how owners fall victim to their dogs when trying to remain consistent and a pack leader during training.

Her Puppy Parenting Styles chapter is a gem, in which she uses her experiences as a new mother and sees the parallels of training baby and training puppy. This book is a must-read for mothers who have never raised a puppy before. And Hodgson offers great advice on kids and dogs, which is always a very important consideration before getting a dog.

The only down side I can find in this great book is there are too many times when she says if your puppy growls during this game or that training exercise, “Stop and immediately seek the help of a professional behaviorist. You’ve got a serious problem.” While I empathize with her warning, it scared me the first time I read it. It made me feel like I might be the owner of the next “Cujo.” But I give her credit for waking people up to the fact that they need to be responsible for fixing this problem and taking responsibility for it rather than just dropping the dog off at the local shelter because it’s easier than taking the time and spending the money to fix the problem.

Also, I found it annoying that she sends people to her website first to find another website, say on pet sitting for example, rather than just listing the pet sitting website.

Finally, I love all the games, especially the “push away” game to teach your dog to come. She also classifies the games according to what works best with different types of dogs. Also, the chapter “Enjoying the first year” is an important read, since it is the most important time in a dog’s life. 

For more information go to Hodgson’s website www.dogperfect.com.

Lisa Peterson, a long-time breeder of Norwegian Elkhounds, is the Director of Club Communications at the American Kennel Club. Contact her at ask@lisa-peterson.com  or Dogma Publishing, P.O. Box 307, Newtown, CT 06470.