Perfect Puppy in 7 Days: How to Start Your Puppy Off Right Paperback – August 1, 2011

Easy, quick read that has left me feeling much more prepared for the pickup of our new pupper. Dr. Yin does a great job of teaching some basic principles and how to implement them step by step to achieve a more enjoyable well mannered puppy. She provides checklists and step by step guides accompanied by pictures and personal anecdotes that deliver puppy education in an easy to digest format. I only wish she provided a slightly better explanation on training some behaviors without the purchase of extra equipment. All in all I am left better educated on the psychology of my dog and more prepared to teach him to become the family companion we desire. Great purchase!

This book is great. It's well written, easy to read, and brief enough. The author is a DVM who specializes in animal behavior, she knows her stuff. And the book has dozens of illustrations that make it much easier to understand how to implement the techniques she teaches.I'm very keen on having well-behaved dogs and this book provides some great techniques to teach dogs good manners "sit to say please" is brilliant. There are some who say "I don't want my dog to be a robot." But, if you've ever seen a dog dash into traffic while the owner screams to get it's attention... Or, like my neighbor who broke 9 ribs and bruised his lung and kidney, just because his son's dog lunged at a squirrel while on-leash... Well, my personal belief is that a well-trained dog reduces the chance of injury to itself and those around it. And this book gives easy, detailed, concise lessons on how to train your dog well.

Very well written and I love the layout with lots of pictures and captions. The puppy psychology is helpful, relevant and easy to grasp. The training plan is completely step-by-step and seems fool proof if followed correctly. I was skimming "Barron's Dog Training Bible" while reading this and learned from that book that Dr. Yin's training method is called "capturing" since you're trying to capture a behavior a puppy will naturally perform (like sitting). I like the theory of this method, though I don't have my new puppy yet so haven't practiced it. I'm more familiar with the training method called "luring" where you hold a treat to lure the dog into the desired position (like sitting). It seems to me that a combination of training methods will ultimately be best over the long term (at least for my comfort level), but Yin's book will get any puppy off to a great start!I have a couple small points of disagreement, but these will be a matter of personal preference. I'm currently reading the autobiographical "A Dog Walks into a Nursing Home" (which I highly recommend) and when considering training methods for her seven-year-old Labradoodle to become a Therapy Dog, that author, Sue Halpern, came across the suggestion to provide all food in a "Kong" feeding toy. Halpern basically pokes fun at the emphatic use of Kong specifically and moves onto another trainer's book, so I had to chuckle when the topic came up in this book. Dr. Yin is also a proponent of NEVER using a dog food bowl and the dog earning ALL food as rewards or getting it out of a food toy or puzzle. Sorry, I just don't agree with this. It seems to me that dogs have a basic right to food and water and shouldn't have to ALWAYS work for it. Sometimes? Yes. Treats? Always should be earned. My two cents, but I'm not a vet or an Animal Behaviorist and Dr. Yin is both.Secondly, I've quickly and successfully housebroken four dogs in over thirty years and NEVER used paper or potty pads in the house, even as a 'just in case.' When I worked, I came home during my lunch hour to let them out and play with them so they were never cooped up for more than four+ hours. I've read other experts say paper training is confusing and dogs need to be clear that outside is the ONLY place to go to the bathroom, and I agree. I'm watching my sister potty train (or not) her year-old Yorkshire Terrier and he consistently pees on his potty pad and then proceeds to poop all over the house. What a disaster! Dr. Yin emphasizes over and over to be vigilant and keep the dog with you while potty training (totally agree - this works!). But she also mentions laying down paper in a playpen area as needed, and I personally wouldn't do this. Again, only my two cents, and that's about what it's worth since I'm not an expert.Other than these two points, I think this book is brilliant! I'm sitting with a stack of a dozen dog/puppy training books and this is one of the only ones to hold my attention from cover to cover. Very practical advice with lots of detailed photographs.

We have elderly, ill dogs and wanted to bring a new dog into our home in hopes the older dogs would help train the new dog. (An older puppy who is 10 months old.) Unfortunately the older dogs are intimidated by the pup's energy and aren't interacting with the pup (at this point). Wanting the new pup to be polite and not take over the house, I frantically searched out puppy books to help me get control without causing issues with the pup that would need to be resolved later. I saw this book by Dr. Yin and decided to buy it.Yes, it is more costly than other training books, but I needed immediate help and I felt this book would provide it. It's worth the cost. The book is printed on wonderful, strong paper with colored photos of a good size to show you exactly what she's talking about. It's not one of those books that will take a long time to go through and there is a TON of information for different scenarios--including growth of the puppy into a dog where you can continue training.With this book you will have a well-rounded dog. I am going to study the book and do exactly as told so I can raise a well-rounded, polite and happy dog.I have absolutely no reservation in purchasing this book and actually, I am very glad I did!!!!Some things cost a bit more....but if it's worth it (which I believe it will be), then it's money very well spent! A well behaved, happy dog is priceless, right? Having the right information and techniques make it possible and this book provides that!

We just got a new puppy and for many months tried to prepare. We are not newbie dog owners but needed to make a serious effort to train our new puppy well. Our oldest has high functioning autism and the puppy will eventually act as a service dog for her. So in our search for the right resources we wanted a solid foundation that training classes could build on. I’ve read multiple books on positive dog training and by far this is the best one. It includes pictures to help visualize exactly what the author is instructing, as well as a super easy to understand protocol for getting your puppy off on the right paw. We have already started with the Learn to Earn program from day one and while I was skeptical at first (like hand feeding a dog- really? Yes really!), I am amazed at the progress already!