How to Raise a Puppy You Can Live With

by Clarice Rutherford

This classic is newly revised and offers the latest information, including a discussion of clicker training. Puppy owners will find answers to questions about everything from house training to discipline and will learn how to socialize a puppy to promote confidence and a sound temperament. Breeders will learn valuable information about puppy development during the first weeks of life and will gain insights to enable them to give their puppies the best start possible.

Genres: Nonfiction, Dogs, Animals, Reference, How To

Unknown Binding

First published July 28, 1992

About the author

Clarice Rutherford was a Labrador Retriever breeder and trainer for over sixteen years. She is the author/coauthor of four books, including the popular best seller, How to Raise a Puppy You Can Live With.

Reviews

[Kristen Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prepping for Debs arrival 🤗

[Deirdre Skaggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rutherford and Neil do a good job of covering the basics in this book about raising a puppy to be a responsible and obedient dog. I grabbed this from the library to see what it had to offer, and I don't think any advice they offer has gone out of style.

The authors take you through the first several weeks of a puppy's life, week by week, advising you on what to be doing with the puppy during particular time periods. The authors especially stress the proper socialization of your puppy during the "socialization period," weeks 8-12. The advice they give, while nothing fancy, is helpful and worth a quick read-through.

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

From my limited knowledge of puppy behavior and training, there is both good and dated information in here. I thought everything about how a puppy grows and matures was super fascinating and good to know. A lot of the training ideas were great. There is some stuff in here about alpha/dominance that in my understanding isn't considered true anymore, as well as some information about neutering/spaying that is different now. So this shouldn't be the only puppy book you read/follow, but it's still a good primer with some good information.

[Allison Malter · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent straightforward and positive guide to the first year of a puppy's life and the joys and responsibilities for the owner. I will probably reread it often. Our new puppy is coming home soon!

[Fiona Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is THE BOOK for the first year of a puppy's life. If you are getting a puppy, or breeding a litter. READ IT. Then read it again. And again. Then get the puppy, and keep it handy.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Helpful information that covers the first 12 months of your dogs life, from its birth, to successfully acclimating it as a member of your family.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm ready! Maybe?

I guess my true of you will have to wait until I've had my puppy for a while, but I feel like I know more now! I've never had a puppy before, and haven't even had an adult dog since I was a child, so I really don't know that much about dogs beyond how freaking cute they can be and that they like to chew.

This book did a great job of giving an overview and then specific pointers about each topic. I appreciated them being very specific in the process of each step, as well as how to correct when they don't go as planned. Using the already-trained sit command to distract and redirect the puppy from doing something wrong and be able to praise them for doing something right when they follow the sit command is something that sounds useful in many sustains.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simply put, this book made sense. The organization of the book made it easy to follow and easy to find a specific issue (if you just want to skim). It's nothing fancy, but it's full of practical information. I think some dog training books just aren't practical, so that makes this one stand out. I could implement the training suggestions in this book. It also has some useful information for choosing a breed, knowing what to expect, choosing a specific puppy or dog, and selecting a breeder. If I do decide to get a puppy, this book (or Good Owners, Great Dogs) will most likely be my training book choice.

[Dave Manning · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very solid. Some dog "gurus" are whackos, some training strategies are too time-consuming, and some books/videos don't explain the reasoning behind their advice. This book is a great blend of what works from multiple schools of thought, and encourages you to investigate those styles that appeal to you (eg, clicker training-- reviewed, explained, and encouraged, but only touched upon). I do wish there was more positive reinforcement clicker training-- aka "shaping"-- because it teaches the dog to think rather than simply obey, but this book goes places that clicker-only training books do not. Definitely a must have for any dog-owner or prospective dog owner's collection.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fast, easy way to grasp what you need to do if you want a trained (if not show-trained) puppy. The training theory is through positive reinforcement and shies away from punishment or more severe training. If you are looking to train your puppy on the basics and are looking for a way to do so positively, this is the book for you!

[Byrd Alyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Invaluable read for every "first time" canine companion. When my girl, Inua, was first brought to me, and cowering under the couch for two days straight, this was the book I turned to. It lead me into responsible canine companionship in no time flat.
(Inua will turn 12 y.o. this Sat. Feb 2nd!!)

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very clear, straight-forward and thoughtful dog training guide.

[Grace2016 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very helpful

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great little book, practical advice! Positive training methods only!

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this was a good book, I don't remember. I'm really tired from getting up with a puppy at 6 am every morning.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tried and true. This book has been around a long time and continues to be one of the best books to have on hand if you’re raising a new puppy to the point of being required reading.

[Natasha Chilton · Rating 1 out of 5]

I do not suggest this book to new dog owners at all. Obviously it's an older book so the training methods are a bit dates. Dominance/alpha theory has been proven to not be correct and thanks to many scientists and trainers we have come a long way with dog training! This book gives a skewed view of puppy/dog behavior that has now been found to not be correct. I highly suggest reading 'How Dog's Learn' by Mary Burch and Jon Bailey before touching this book as it educated on how a dogs mind ACTUALLY works! Positive methods for puppies has been found to work much better now days and not using corrections until the puppy is 5-6 months old. Research true Balanced training and find a great trainer to help along the way. Good book for trainers who already know how dogs work and how to do the puppy raising. But I do not suggest this book to new puppy owners at all.

[Dr. Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was a bit repetitious, but maybe that is a good thing in training a human how to train a dog via repetition. I just wish that less time was spent on how to choose a puppy and more time on how to train a puppy.

[Flynt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A classic among dog aficionados & after reading it I now understand why. A great how-to book chockful of good information. I gave it a 4.5 only because IMO their advice on spay/neuter is outdated.

[Brenda Schenck · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good info but really for first time puppy owners. And should be read before bringing puppy home.

[Emily Branton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect puppy raising book! Sections are short and sweet and easy to read. Focused on the practical application of raising a puppy. Some info is maybe a bit dated, but largely stands up!

[Elizabeth Mosley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just finished this to try to prepare for the arrival of our new puppy. Some useful information. I especially liked the sections on interpreting to body language of your dog, and the puppy personality test at the end. Seems like a good, basic introductory level book. I wish there were a larger section on house training, as that's the thing I'm most anxious about. Now if it's just as easy in real life Rutherford makes it seem in the book!

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book contains a lot of good information for puppies of all breeds. This is a great book for any new puppy owners or anyone thinking about getting a puppy. I often refer back to the book for training tips I may have forgotten. Easy read, especially if you love puppies!

[Shootsie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although this was a well written book that covered most topics I needed to know about my new puppy, I was a bit disappointed that it didn't touch at all on puppy adoptions. I also wish that it had gone into a bit more detail about crate training. Still, a good book worth reading.

[Mary Ellyn Cain]

I may review some of these puppy/dog book I'm reading. I picked up about 20pounds worth at the library. So far only reinforcing what I already know, but I'm looking for practical advice to use before I get into trouble with this wonderful poodlelab I am trying to get along with.

[Shanon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Even though we got our dog at 1 year old (well past many of the various stages described in the first half of the book), I still enjoyed reading about puppy development and rearing. A great book for anyone bringing home a puppy.

[John P · Rating 4 out of 5]

An good reference to the commands, rewards, corrections, and games in training a puppy that is a complement to the best reference, The Art of Raising a Puppy by the Monks of New Skeete (1991 edition).

[Carole Allan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book with some really solid strategies for raising a puppy. Easy to follow and understand. My only objection is with the recommendation of a flexible lead. It has been my experience as a member of the veterinarian community that there are safety risks associated with flexible leads.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book it had a lot of good info on how to train my new puppy! I reccommend this book to anyone who needs some help in teaching and training your puppy, so you can live with it.

[Jiffy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book seemed easy to read and logical... I guess we'll see if my rating changes after we have a dog.