The Perfect Puppy : How to Raise a Well-Behaved Dog

by Gwen Bailey

The Perfect Puppy tells you all you need to know in order to turn your pup into a well-adjusted, confident, happy adult dog. Here you'll find the most up-to-date behavioral information. Author Gwen Bailey is a strong advocate of prevention rather than cure, and she shows how to avoid the problems that so many owners encounter. The book offers comprehensive chapters on the importance of choosing a breed that suits your family and home, taking your puppy home, and easing its introduction to a wide variety of environments. In addition, you'll learn about housebreaking, helping your puppy to accept its position in the hierarchy of the human pack, handling and grooming, and the importance of games for both puppy and owner.
Throughout The Perfect Puppy, Gwen Bailey recommends the benefits of reward-based training methods, which help the owner to begin training while the puppy is relatively young and which yield a strong bond between owner and animal. She also explains how puppies learn and presents practical training exercises accompanied by easy-to-follow color photographs. Bailey tells us how to enjoy the lovable puppy stage while making your pup a well-mannered, sociable friend.

Genres: Nonfiction, Dogs, Reference, Animals, Pets, Biology, Education

192 pages, Hardcover

First published March 13, 1995

About the author

Gwen worked for a leading UK national animal welfare charity from 1988-2002 and pioneered the use of dog behaviour knowledge in the rehoming of unwanted animals.

She was the first person to be appointed by a national animal welfare charity as a full time Animal Behaviourist, eventually heading a team of behaviourists.

Gwen has successfully solved behaviour problems in thousands of rehomed dogs, helping to prevent dogs with behavioural problems being passed from home to home and improving the rehoming success rate.

Gwen lectures at national and international conferences, runs training courses for staff at animal charities around the world and has written many books & education leaflets. She is a Trustee for Battersea Dogs and Cats Home.

Reviews

[Phoenix Perpetuale · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Perfect Puppy by Gwen Bailey is a manual from no knowledge of training your puppy and a cheerful appliance on how to and what to do. I would highly recommend this book to everyone who thinks of adopting a puppy, nevertheless even for those who already have a puppy and plans to work on their puppy's intelligence.

[Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting book which accompanied some excellent puppy training classes and reinforced much of the same material.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

A new puppy is coming to our home. Being a first-time pet owner, I wanted to be well-prepared for what is to come. I purchased "It’s Me or the Dog" by Victoria Stilwell, "The Whole Dog Journal Handbook of Dog and Puppy Care and Training", by Nancy Kerns, and this book, The "Perfect Puppy". Of the three, I liked Stilwell’s the best and "The Perfect Puppy" the least. Having read the other two first, perhaps I found this one lacking in new information. It is still a great resource. Chapter sixteen, training practical exercises, in particular is fantastic, and I will likely keep the book just for this chapter. It has pictures and step-by-step instructions for training come, walking on a leash, walking to heel, sit, down, stand, and roll-over.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the author's take on training. It goes along well with my philosophy in raising kids - understanding what is happening in their natural development, making use of critical periods of development (in dogs there is one for socialization), etc. I liked her method of completely avoiding punishment due to the fact that the dog doesn't understand and so it isn't helpful. Lots of great things to keep in mind - like "winning" more games than you "lose" when playing games like tug of war with your puppy so he sees you as the pack leader. It helps him understand your dominance from a dog's perspective. I highly recommend this one!!

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good puppy training book with a lot of good ideas. But someone else reviewed this book and said life gets busy, and then this book just reminds you what you should be doing but aren't. And I feel that sums up my experience perfectly: if I can just get Copernicus to stop biting people and sit when I tell him to, I am going to consider that a win.

[Mel Steadman Hunt · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting and informative book. I read this in preparation for my own puppy that arrives next month and I'm glad I did. While I don't know if I agreed with every single bit of information, the majority was very useful and something I'll refer back to in future when training.

[Uttara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of detail and great chapter on training methods in particular! But i will have to wait a little while to judge the actual effectiveness of this book

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic and easy to understand book. Anyone who is looking to get a puppy should read this first.

[Tracey Cornell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent reference book for 1st time puppy owners. I will definitely be referring back to it from time to time

[Isa Chapman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found the book The Perfect Puppy, by Gwen Bailey, very helpful. I really want a dog and I am trying to learn as much as I can about rearing a puppy. The book talks about things like housebreaking and socializing in great detail. It also talks about things like choosing a breeder and a dog. It explains what puppy mills are and how to avoid buying from them. The book says that, when looking at a breeder, ask to see the puppy with its mother to make sure it is not a puppy mill or the dog inherited anger issues from its mother. It also went into great detail on body and facial expressions. I learned that dogs do not like it when you smile because in the dog world showing your teeth is threatening. I found this book very helpful

[Jake · Rating 2 out of 5]

From what I've read so far, she doesn't think it should ever be necessary to verbally reprimand a dog, and to just distract them from behavior problems instead with toys. To me, that seems like asking the puppy to act out in order to get a toy. I think this would work great with a sensitive and submissive dog, but isn't a one-size-fits-all guide.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple yet effective techniques that really work.

[Maria Izmirlieva · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Essential reading I would recommend to anyone getting their first dog.

Sets the scene well with giving an overview of genetics, breeds and how dogs sense the world differently to us.

Then goes through how to raise a puppy well using positive reinforcement and reward based training. Lots on training, grooming, house breaking, socialisation, leaving puppies alone, preventing aggression.

The socialisation plan at the back is great! The list of recommended reads are also very handy and I will make use of these.

The number of sticky notes I have in this book is a lot which is a sign it’s a pretty good book and that I’ll be coming back to it.

Some new takeaways:
1) jackpot in rewarding - reduce number of treats/ play when rewarding once puppy knows the skill. Being unpredictable with amount of reward at this point keeps them more ‘hooked’ akin to gambling
2) prevention is always better than cure - set things up well from the start to prevent behavioural issues later
3) the most important thing you can do for a dog is socialise them well - above literally all else. The window for that is so short too - up to about 16 weeks
4) in games, make sure to teach the dog to stop. A good way is to offer higher value treats in exchange when training
5) importance of training in different places to avoid association with environment
6) standard commands and signals table

Had to deduct half a point for some bits being outdated (ie getting puppies at 6 weeks old). However, all in all, an accessible read great for beginners

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to quote (and slightly amend with my own interjections) Judie Holliday's 2011 Goodreads review of this book, because it definitely reflects my feelings: "Like most books of its kind, this one [initially] makes you feel that you can have a lovely, happy and well behaved pup with a little work. Once [the puppy] arrives and life gets busy, the book reminds you of everything you should be doing and aren't [and boy, did I feel guilty for the not being the perfect pet owner]. By the end, I was wondering if just having a dog that will sit when asked isn't about all I could wish for. Good advice, easier said than done. My pup, I fear, will never be perfect." Nor will our ten-month-old Boston terrier, Sophie. I am happy that she has mastered "sit," "lie down," and "come" in controlled situations. When she is distracted, it is another story. Sigh....There is terrific information in this book, but it's a bit overwhelming, even to a person who has owned five dogs over a period of 18 years.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the step by step instructions for teaching tricks. I would have never thought to start with the end of the trick and work backwards so that something the dog already knows how to do follows each part of the trick as you teach it. I much prefer working with rewards rather than punishments but it is hard to remember when they're sinking their little razor blade teeth into the back of your knee and ripping up your favorite work pants. This book did encourage me to persevere even though sometimes it seems that my cute little puppy has forgotten everything I've worked for!

[Gniada · Rating 4 out of 5]

Z jednej strony książka zawiera dużo pożytecznej wiedzy, a z drugiej strony podchodzi do tematu bardzo schematycznie, a niektóre reguły przypominają zimną tresurę, nie budowanie zdrowej relacji z psem. Moim hitem pozostaje jedno zdanie które znalazło się w książce, a dokładniej : "Trzeba sporządzić plan szkoleń z uwzględnieniem godzin zajęć na każdy dzień, aż do ukończenia przez psa dwunastego miesiąca życia." Myślę, że reprezentuje ono dość dobrze, podejście prezentowane w książce. Pomimo to uważam, że patrząc na jej treść dość krytycznie można tak czy siak wynieść z niej dużo dobrego.

[Teresa Biggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I borrowed this book from the library after having a puppy for a couple of months. The puppy was not my first , nor my second but it had been a few years since a puppy had been in the house. I knew most of the info presented in the book but everyone can always use a refresher. There were a few things in here that I had not heard about which was refreshing and the book is filled with pictures which I found very helpful. I would recommend this book to any puppy owner.

[Victoria Cryer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Started this book just before I got Gordon, however I didn't complete it until after he joined the family as I was with busy with uni at the time. A good read with good advice for a first time puppy owner :) the advice at puppy school / obedience school followed the same structure which was all about positive reinforcement. Love it :)

[Jorgen Lundgren · Rating 5 out of 5]

We do not have a dog, never had. But as you get older you start thinking of getting one to keep you going. As a companion and a driver to keep you going. We both love dogs and this is a great little book. I'll buy a copy when the day comes mainly for all the advice and training sessions included in this book, good photos so easy to understand.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know no dog will ever be perfect but I have to say that if you follow the wonderful advice in this book you will end up with a well trained beautifully behaved pup. An excellent manual for any new puppy owner

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Both easy to read from cover to cover and to use as a quick glossary reference guide. Recommended by our vet, this guide has helped us tremendously to get little Arthur and his hooman parents off to a good start. It focuses on the positive approach to training and ongoing fur family life .

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

great book for first time puppy/dog owners and also for folk like me who hasn't had a puppy for 10 years since and now I do because I had to make the difficult decision to let my dog, my gorgeous boy Charlie cross the rainbow bridge

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

A practical book that has proven very helpful as a new puppy entered our lives.

[Masha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book gives us some basic level of knowledge. Apart of this, there’s nothing special.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just ok. Very basic and verrrrry British.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great pictures and sound advice.

[Cameron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Straightforward book about training a puppy.

[Christian Byrne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book with some seriously good tips and tricks to help you raise a well-adjusted and well-behaved dog. Would highly recommend to anybody thinking about getting a new puppy!

[Jill Cordry · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an update of the book I used to successfully train Lucy. The author is British so it is somewhat geared toward the UK, but has US resources.

[Darya · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved the book - it is immensely good for all puppy owners! I loved the step-by-step exercises they offer.