The most dedicated dog people I know of are on this board, so I figured you can help me. My nephews, ages 10 and 6, will soon be getting their first dog. I would like to get them a good, but simple book written for kids about training you dog in basic obedience.

Any suggestions? Cole, the 10-year-old, is an advanced reader.

Thanks in Advance!

What a wonderful gift to give this young man. A great foundation is so very important to create a terrific relation.
When I teach a puppy class, I have to go over the many books in our clubs library or my own. One that seems to be good read would be New Art of Dog Training - Balancing love and discipline

I feel one of the best behaviorists around is Dr. Patricia McConnell and she is out of Wisconsin. She has a wonderful radio show on public radio and also you can get DVDs from her seminars. The Other End of the Leash is a grat book.

The Complete Handbook of Dog Training by Thomas A Knott is a very basic read if obedience showing might be in the future.

Personally I feel one of the best things is classes. Best for socialization and learning. Hopefully there is one in his area. Although there are classes at Pet Smart type places but they may not be as good as a local club. I would suggest he go for a CGC with his dog so that he have a goal.

Great luck and thanks for being so good to him! Merry Christmas.

Tori,
I second the literature that PeggySue recommends but I also underscore her suggestion that the boys should actually take their new dog to a good basic obedience class (other than the PetSmart/PetCo variety). The good classes will help with puppy/dog socialization as well as teach both the dog and the owners how to establish the proper relationship.

Dogs usually think of children as part of their pack rather than their leaders. It's important to change that perception in a structured way where both the children and the dog understand their roles.

Training isn't as much about teaching the dog proper behaviors; it's about teaching the owners how to give proper direction and appropriate rewards and corrections.

Congratulations and good luck.

Jim

Thanks Jim and PeggySue! I really appreciate the recommendations. I've never had a dog myself, but I've always appreciated the importance of training in building a strong bond and a happy dog. I'll let you all know how things go.

Tori,
dogs are NOT cats. Dogs need direction and they want direction. Cats neither need nor want direction. They have it figured out, thank you!

Dogs are pack animals and unless the dog is a super alpha, it wants a leader to tell them what it can and cannot do. Even the super alphas want a leader that is stronger then them to give them the proper guidance for behavior. Our Annie Fay was a super alpha and the best girl in the world because she gave status to me, Linda and Rose Ann, Linda's sister. Even she needed time off from managing the rest of the pack and she was relieved when we took it over.

So, training is really an opportunity to give the dog an authority figure they can trust who will tell them what to do; reward them when they do it right; correct them appropriately when they do it wrong; and still be their companion to whom they can give their love.

It's complicated. Kinda like human relationships .

Good luck.

Jim

Jim, that is so true! I think the cause of so much bad behavior in dogs is the lack of leadership in the humans. The dogs get so stressed having to always be the alpha and lead. It is truly a stressful place for them.

It is complicated and interesting. In our home, all humans are over the dogs. Even the kids and we make sure of it. Puppies test the kids. We had a couple of issues, once with Dot, and a bunch with McGuire as young puppies.

Its a quick lesson in the home that NO, you are not higher. You may not be above the kids. Kids are older now and the next time a young dog is brought in, it will be a non issue. Kids are too dog savvy now.

And no, no one gets beaten in this house. It is things you would never think about, like McGuire likes to move people out of their seats so he can have their spot. If he is in my spot, it is a MOVE! and he is out of it in a flash. He will move my husband though. My husband only moves because he paces back and forth and the pacing drives him nuts. I'd send him to his crate for the pacing, but, he's his special dog.

I speak dog. I read body language well. I like a confident, dominant dog. They make GREAT show dogs. Dot's handler says she shows like a doberman and is a joy to have travel with them. That is a big deal in a whippet. McGuire is happy and confident in the ring. A little too happy sometimes, but, I'd take that over scared/timid

One thing I can suggest, is to go to a GOOD breeder and have them help you choose a temperament for the family that will fit. Or, go to the shelter and have them help you. They have staff that have spent time with the dogs and tested them. They have an idea of the dogs personality and can help match the right dog with the family

Tori,
what Julie says is very important and something you may read in the literature that PeggySue has recommended. We don't have kids in our home but we have children who live next door and all our puppies are trained from birth to respect those children as superior to them. Higher in the pecking order.

But in a home situation, the behavior has to be reinforced constantly, especially with new puppies in the home. The child has to know how to "manage" the puppy but also how to me a manager. Keep in mind that most children have been at the bottom of the pecking order in their own home and now they are being asked to behave with authority over another living being. They have to learn how to be in charge without being cruel, or inconsistent or unreasonable.

It's like people in a work situation that suddenly get promoted to supervisor. They may not know how to lead or how to give direction. If you've always taken direction, that's not something that you learn by osmosis. Same with children and dogs.

As Julie says, most dogs -- even the most dominant -- don't want that responsibility. They want to know that their humans are in charge -- even if they test them from time to time . Our Annie Fay would express her dominance by tunneling between our legs and pausing so we could scratch her butt. We accepted that behavior because it was adorable (she'd dance when her butt was scratched) but we gave it a command so we could tell her "no tunnel". And she'd obey with a twinkle in her eye to let us know that she knew the game.

I second Julie's suggestion that the pup should be from a reliable breeder or a good rescue organization. We do a lot of one-on-one teaching of new puppy owners who buy our pups. It's the only way we can be sure the puppies will be integrated properly into homes with children or other animals.

Jim

It was a learning experience starting with Dot. The first puppy since we had kids. My two(now passed) mutts knew the kids from infants and they knew they were MINE. To the adult dogs, they were a part of the pack to be protected and respected as my charges. That was with a VERY ultra alpha bitch. They were her charges. It was her job to keep them safe. They were very little then though.

The kids were 6(almost 7) when the puppies were born here. There was one incident of Dot snapping at Tanis at about 3 months old, just establishing pecking order. She had 3 seconds of believing she might meet Jesus with all the commotion I made over it. The message was clear to her

McGuire, well, he was a hard case. Tanis must have an air about her that I don't see. She is usually the target and I don't see her doing anything I would find that would to set off bad behavior

He bit her in the face more than once. It was not an aggressive move, it was dominance. He was putting her in his place. He is still a very dominant(but sweet) dog. It took a few things to break him of that(and that was all around 9-10w old!!) This is not something I would suggest to just anyone, as the timing has to be perfect, but, he went for her again and I snatched him by the neck skin, flipped him on his back and had Tanis straddle over top of him, stare at him until he turned his head.

He never did it again, ever. This was done with me right there, supervising and I knew what to do. Do this to a fearful dog and you'll ruin it. McGuire is extremely confident.

Anyhow, my kids can jump on my dogs and wake them up from a sound sleep and I have no fear they would be bitten. They can do anything to them and have no worries. BUT, my children are trained to respect the dogs too. They don't do anything that would make the dogs want to bite them

Dogs and their owners need training. Congratulations to you for your thoughts on this manner...

Unfortunately, there are many dogs euthanized or in shelters when basic training would have made them viable members of a family...

While all dog breeds and their owners need training, it, IMO, even more important with larger dogs than with smaller dogs.

Our dogs include several Maltese (which don't exceed 7 pounds) and a great goldendoodle (golden retriever - standard poodle cross) who is 70 pounds at one year.

We got our Goldendoodle at 7 weeks and immediately began training her. We first trained her to sit for her treats so we wouldn't have a dog which would eventually weigh 70 pounds jumping on us. The other basic commands we taught her were sit, down and stay; along with walking politely on a leash.

She is actually better trained than any of the Maltese but, we can easily stoop down and pick up a Maltese so the down command is not really that necessary.