Product Description

The authors of Good Owners, Great Dogs offer advice on picking the best breed for a family dog, avoiding common dog/toddler problems, training an older dog to accept an infant, and other topics.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #76154 in Books
• Published on: 1994-04-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 96 pages

Customer Reviews

Brings much-needed common sense to kids & dogs subject.
Kilcommons does new families a great favor with this book. "Child-proofing Your Dog" is a common sense approach to introducing your new child to your dog, preventing problems, and ensuring a long, close relationship. He dispels myths and gives new parents an idea of what to expect both from their dog and from themselves. He identifies often-missed (or exused) signs of dominance in dogs, explaining the natural progression from dominance to aggression if left unchecked. In cases where there is a specific problem involving advanced aggression toward a child he advises going to a professional, as would any responsible dog trainer in print. Kilcommons and Wilson have years of experience and wisdom in dog behavior and training; they've written a trustworthy, important 'preventative manual.'

If your dog is going to be around children this is your book
This is a very good, concise reference that will help your dog or puppy get used to those interactions with short, fast-moving, screaming little people without making him a nervous wreck. Although primarily a book for owners who are prepping their young dog/puppy for future child/dog interactions, if you have an older dog that is not used to children these tips prove very sound advice as well. Also, like any good authors, if you have serious dog/child aggression and dominance they recommend that you get personal professional help. What I really like about this book though is the chapter on "DOGPROOFING YOUR CHILD". So many times it's always the DOGS fault for behaving inappropriately with children. It's nice to know that for once an author is stressing the importance of teaching your child how to behave around dogs. In the end, they also state that perhaps you would be better off without certain breeds of dog if you're going to have children. It's not fair to the dog. Sometimes you have to make that your primary concern. All in all an excellent book. One I would recommend school libraries buy so that children read and learn from it as well.

A Dog Trainer's Point of View
This book has helped hundreds of my clients understand the psychology behind the child-dog relationship and it has helped them avoid many of the common mistakes people make when dogs and kids mix. Brian and Sarah don't get into a lot of specifics on how to correct established problems, which is actually a good thing. It would take volumes of books to address exactly how each individual breed, temperament and problem should be handled. That perspective is best left to a reputable, thorough and non-violent trainer. Brian and Sarah give you good specific information on how to keep common problems from developing and some great general rules that apply to every breed of dog. None of their instruction is damaging to the child-dog relationship, which is saying a lot compared to many other authors of dog training books. Overall, this book is light, entertaining, non-clinical, and informative. I recommend it to any dog owner that has regular contact with children.