Book Review:

By David Appleby MSc
Publisher: The Pet Behaviour Centre
Upper Street, Defford,
Worcestershire, WR8 9AB

THIS little book could be called a complete guide to socialisation and conditioning, and would be a real companion book to The Fast Track Puppy Survival Kit.

If you want your puppy to develop into a happy and well-balanced dog, physically and mentally, then you will make sure it is well socialised from the moment it enters your home. If your dog has a fear of noises, people, other dogs etc it is almost certain that it is because of a lack of socialisation in its puppy days.

Puppies learn to socialise from the moment they are born up to about 14 weeks. After that it is too late to learn - repairing the damage at this stage takes a major training programme that is never guaranteed to be successful.

Socialisation is more than just making sure the pup is comfortable out walking with its owner. There are many aspects of habituation. For instance for grooming your pup it must become comfortable with you or the groomer or the vet handling its ears, clipping nails, cleaning its teeth, wiping its eyes, brushing its coat etc.

And when out walking it needs to pass other dogs without barking or pulling on the lead, or pass other people without walking towards them expecting to be patted. It needs to be comfortable when a train, bus, car, plane, or any other city or country noise is heard.

Writer David Appleby has dedicated this book to the memory of Derek Freeman MBE, a puppy walking and breeding manager for Guide Dogs for the Blind, who originated most of the principles in this book and crusaded hard to have them accepted by his country's canine authorities.

I have a limited number of these books available at $8 plus p&p $2 - email Ziggy.peters@xtra.co.nz. or for international readersm, write to the above address. - EP