Your Dog: The Owner’s Manual
by Dr. Marty Becker with Gina Spadafori
Grand Central Life & Style, 2011, ISBN: 9780446571326
This is a practical, information-packed, easy-to-read book. You will enjoy while you learn, and you’ll keep it handy as a practical reference. In four sections it lays out how to find the right dog for you and your family; basic care for a happy, healthy dog; training and socialization so that you have a dog you can take anywhere and who is a joy to live with; and more weighty health care matters, including selecting a veterinarian, being prepared for emergencies, and caring for an aging dog.
The section on finding a dog covers the advantages of shelters, rescue groups, and responsible breeders, as well as why pet shops, casual backyard breeders, and “click and buy” websites are disastrously bad sources for a new puppy. Please read that section carefully; the convenience and immediate gratification of such sources are not worth the increased vet costs, the potential early grief, and the conditions the parents of your puppy are living in. Responsible breeders and rescue groups, on the other hand, will match you with the right puppy or dog, give that puppy or dog the best start possible, and be there with advice and assistance if you have problems. In addition, the responsible breeder will have screened her dogs for health problems common to the breed, and done her very best to make sure your puppy or dog can expect a long, healthy life. Shelters aren’t able to provide the same amount of background information, but most dogs in shelters are good pets who just need a new home—and likely some additional training, but nothing beyond most people who want a dog in their lives. Also, you’ll be saving a life, and this is in most cases the least expensive source for a new pet.
In the section on basic care, they cover food, exercise, safety, basic health care. Among the recommendations that may surprise many readers: Throw out your dog’s food bowls! Dr. Becker recommends feeding your dog with food puzzles and toys such as the Kong Wobbler and Kong Genius toys. Meal time will be more fun for your dog, whose ancestors had to hunt for a living, and in working for her meal will get more exercise and be less at risk of weight gain. My own dog gets some, though not all, of her meals this way, and her bouncy eagerness at the sight of one of her food toys is a reward in itself for going to the trouble of preparing it.
Section three covers training and socialization, and the importance of helping your dog to be comfortable and confident in new situations and with unfamiliar people and dogs, as well as how to achieve this. Taking the time for good training and socialization will multiply your pleasure in your dog, as you and he will be able to spend more time together, doing more different kinds of things together—including dog sports, if you’re both so inclined.
Some of the hardest topics are saved for section four. Our dogs’ lifespans are much shorter than ours, so we will see them through puppyhood and young adulthood and maturity, into old age and the last days of their lives. Good veterinary care, as well as a high-quality diet and good exercise, holds off the deterioration of old age, and makes your dog’s senior years golden years rather than painful ones. And when major illness or injury strikes, or in late old age, we need to be prepared, with a good relationship with a veterinarian, with the resources to provide care, and the honesty with ourselves and openness to our pets to know when treatment is right, when hospice care at home is best, and when it’s time to say good-bye. Dr. Becker deals with these difficult topics in an honest, sensitive, and helpful manner. One suggestion I want to highlight, because I believe many people are still not aware of it, is pet health insurance. Pet health insurance works more like car insurance or indemnity health insurance for humans than like HMOs; you use the veterinarian of your choice and pay, and then get reimbursed. Selecting the right insurance policy for your pet can make the difference between being able to treat something treatable but expensive, and having to euthanize your pet simply because it’s impossible to afford the bill.
Overall, this is an extremely practical, helpful book that you’ll be glad to have on your shelf throughout your dog’s lifetime.
Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this book for review from the publisher. ( )