A few weeks ago I came to this forum and explained my situation (I want to have a dog as a companion but I work throughout the day and wondered if hiring a dog walker in the middle of the day would be proving him/her with enough attention).

I did receive some fantastic feedback and I would just like to keep you all updated with how things have moved on from then.

After speaking with my girlfriends parents (who are retired) they have happily agreed to look after our dog during the day – so there is no need for him/her to ever be on their own.

I have taken on board all of your advice and I have decided to get a slightly older dog and I will probably go down the road of a rescue dog.

I have been emailing a fabulous lady called Jacquie who owns / runs a rescue centre in Rotherham called “Rainrescue”. She has very kindly agreed to let me help out (walk dogs etc) so I can not only (hopefully) find a suitable dog, but will gain valuable hands on experience.

I was looking over the net today and wondered if anybody can recommend any useful books / literature with regards to dog ownership / training etc.

When I eventually have a dog I will definitely take him/her to obedience classes but I would like some reading material now to give me a heads up.

I would like to thank you all in advance for your help in this matter.

What about a labrador ? slighty older around 10 years ?

I hope you find a dog soon Karlos, it sounds like he will have a lovely home.

You can often find advice on dog care through dogfood manufacturer sites, although this is often quite basic. Also vets often have a supply of leaflets on keeping a dog etc. I would go to the library and take out a book on the subject, or have a look on ebay to see if anyone is selling a book on dog care. If you get your own then you will have it to refer to when you get the dog.

Hi Karlos,

That's great news - I'm so glad for you.

If you do a search I think we had a relatively recent thread on here with regards to good books to read. I've got a few so send me a pm if you want to borrow any, I'm at uni at the moment and have no time to read them.

Oh yes!! :)

If you do a search, you'll come across my post which reviewed some excellent books.

In brief:
Jean Donaldson - Culture Clash
Patricia McConnell - The Other End of the Leash

Both excellent. You'll learn a lot about both dog and human behaviour. They're not of the "teach your dog to sit" variety, but I consider them a must-read. There are hundreds of books that will teach you to train your dog to sit, stay, come, fetch. Most of them pretty much as good as each other.

Watch "It's Me or the Dog" when it comes back on C4. Victoria Stillwell also has a book to accompany the series. That one is full of training exercises and is very good for the basics.

I would also recommend "The Power of Postive Dog Training" by Pat Miller. She uses clicker training and the book is full of great little training exercises. Some important, some more like "tricks". The idea being that you don't get as frustrated when training a dog to do something that doesn't matter, but it's a great bonding exercise and increases your leadership status.

Remember, you want your dog to see you as a benevolent leader, not a tyrant. Stay clear of any books that suggest "alpha rolls". Stick to positive methods.

It might be worth getting a book specifically for rescue dogs.

Eg. Old Dogs, new tricks: Understanding and retraining elderly and rescue dogs: David taylor or Understanding the Rescue Dog: Carol Price. I've just found them on Amazon, so cannot recommend them personally.

I've read quite a few more if you become really interested and want others. :D

Especially on dog aggression. But lets hope you don't have to cross that bridge ;)

There are some good ones on dog body language too. If you've never had a dog, that might be a good thing to become aware of.

Great to hear you are taking so much into consideration when looking into getting a dog.

I got my 3 from Cliffe Kennels, Barnsley and they are great.

I have a great book on training and behaviour called The Dogs Mind by Bruce Fogle

Best of luck

Louise

PS I'd recommend a x breed anyday .. they make excellent companions.

Great to hear you are taking so much into consideration when looking into getting a dog.

I got my 3 from Cliffe Kennels, Barnsley and they are great.

I have a great book on training and behaviour called The Dogs Mind by Bruce Fogle

Best of luck

Louise

PS I'd recommend a x breed anyday .. they make excellent companions.


Well i would say weather pedigree are X they all make excellent companions.:rant:

Lets keep this a warm and fuzzy thread please. I don't think Louise meant anything by her comment, shihtzumad but let's not turn it into a debate about pedigrees/crossbreeds.

A really good book that i have benefitted from is SUCCESSFUL DOG ADOPTION by Sue Sternberg.
Sue runs (or ran) one of the largest dog rescue centres in america - and knows a thing or 2 about what to look for. Lots of interesting facts to make you think about and I think you would enjoy it.