Product Description

Does your dog's schedule need more arranging than your own? Does the mere prospect of leaving your dog make your spine stiffen? While you are at work earning the money to buy dog food, is your dog having your dining room chairs for lunch? Are you searching for the line on your tax form that says "co-dependent?" If the answer to even one of these questions is "yes," the odds are that you are living with a Latchkey Dog.

With more men and women on career paths that require extended office hours leaving "nine to five" in the dust, the dog, which was for centuries a worker, has now become a waiter. The dog's day no longer revolves around "what can I do?" but instead "where is everybody?"

Anyone who has ever owned a dog knows well the depth of love and attachment that instantly develops, rearranging your heart-and your life-so that nothing will ever be the same again. Add to this love a good dose of daily guilt at leaving your beloved canine behind, and the result is a dog whose behavior resembles that of El Nino It seems that somewhere between Donna Reed and surfing the Net, we've created the Latchkey Dog.

As significant trends emerge in dog behavior, dog trainers, canine behaviorists, and veterinarians are being called upon to address such sensitive issues as separation anxiety, aggression, and obsessive-compulsive disorders. Jodi Andersen takes a closer look at what prompts such behavior. In a world in which indulgence is often mistaken for love, and in which dog training has become synonymous with discipline, many dog lovers are struggling to find a balance between the kind of love that makes us feel good and the kind of love that is good for our dogs. Andersen believes that a balance can be found.

The Latchkey Dog offers a remarkably insightful and unprecedented view of the modern dog and owner. Using as examples the dogs and owners she's come to know through many years of canine training, Anderson offers extremely clear and manageable, step-by-step instructions that will permit you to get your house back in order, while teaching your dog to be useful, working member of your family.The result will be a return to a harmonious and healthy household -- for you and your dog.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #838287 in Books
• Published on: 2000-12-01
• Released on: 2000-12-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 224 pages

Review
A sound, charming, accessible, and entirely sane look at modern dogs and their owners. -- Caroline Knapp, author of Pack of Two

About the Author
Jodi Andersen has spent the last twenty years raising and training dogs. With her instinctual understanding and innate knowledge, she has developed a unique style of behavioral training -- teaching dog owners how their own life-styles ultimately shape the behavior of the dogs they love.

Ms. Andersen trains privately in New York City and is actively involved in dog rescue and training through the League of Animal Protection. She lives on the North Shore of Long Island with her husband, two daughters, and two dogs.

The Latchkey Dog is her first book.

Customer Reviews

The Best "loving,living with and training"your dog book yet!
This book is a must read, funny, informative manual/guide. The best one I have read yet. I ordered 20 to give to every person I know who owns (or is owned by) a dog . It is a what-to-do AND how-to-think for dog owners, those who are home with their dogs and those who are not.. The bottom line is that the two most important things a dog owner has to do is establish, with the dog, a common language, and then make the dog a useful, working member of the family. When dogs are clear about their jobs and what you expect of them, a happy household is the result. The stories in the book are great. Plus the book is funny, "Dogs who push their owners around in the house usually pull them around outside the house." Great read, real life solutions to every day getting along!

The Latchkey Dog
This is an informative, easy to comprehend book on how our behavior affects our dog's behavior. I highly recommend this to both novice dog owner and experienced handler. I am a breeder with 7 dogs of my own and I found new insights as well as reminders of things I already knew but was forgetting to implement (like making my dogs "work" for love and food). Reimplementing these ideas has already created happier and better behaved dogs in my household. Another topic Anderson spotlights is selecting a dog. From a breeder's standpoint her suggestions on matching owner/lifestyle to breed characteristics are invaluable to guarenteeing a happy, premanent home for my pups. A must read!

A MUST HAVE FOR ANY DOG OWNER OR FUTURE ONE!!
I was browsing in my local bookstore today when a salesperson placed this book on the table and the sad, but precious, dog on the cover immediately struck me, as well as the clever title. As the owner of an eight-month,energetic yellow lab, I welcome any suggestions on dog training so I immediately began to page through the book and was hooked! The author demonstrates a smart, clear approach to dog training, as well as sharing funny stories from her experiences as a dog trainer. I HIGHLY recommend this book for anyone who owns a dog, is about to own one or is just thinking about it. An excellent resource for dog training!!