Essential reading for new puppy parents
When you’re planning to bring a puppy into your home, you will naturally want to make sure you know as much as possible so that you can give your pup the best start. Luckily there are plenty of books, podcasts and social media accounts with useful advice that can help you get started. However not all of these are created equal. Although many of these are created or run by qualified and experienced professionals who know what they are talking about, there are an equal number of social media figures and TV personalities who have an excellent PR team, but lack the education to be able to provide evidence based advice on puppy development.
The first few months of a puppy’s life are a critical period for socialisation, development and relationship building so that they grow up to be happy, confident and relaxed in new situations. This is why it is so important to follow advice from a trusted professional who understands puppy development as well as having puppy training skills.
The Best Puppy Books
Doggie Language, Lili Chin
Although not a book specifically about puppies, this is my number one book I think every single puppy and dog owner should have on their bookshelf. In fact, I provide a copy for all my new clients as I think it’s that important! This book is a pictorial guide to dog body language using beautiful illustrations of what canine emotions like fear, joy and aggression look like in real life. I think being able to read what our dogs are telling us is absolutely essential and I recommend this book to everyone as a really simple and accessible guide.
Easy Peasy Puppy Squeezy, Steve Mann
This was the first book I bought as a new puppy owner and before I got started with dog training. I still think this is great because it’s written in such an accessible way, there are plenty of entertaining stories and step by step guides for things you can teach your puppy. Some of the highlights for me are his ‘backpack walk’, which is such a lovely idea of just spending some time with your dog whilst also embracing their natural behaviour.
The Perfect Puppy, Gwen Bailey
This book has recently been updated and revised with a new user friendly design and the most up to date findings in canine behaviour. Gwen Bailey is an accredited Clinical Animal Behaviourist and the founder of Puppy School UK, so you can be sure that the information contained in this book is based on the latest scientific evidence and encourages the use of ethical training methods. I love that this book covers much more than just training and helps you to understand elements of canine behaviour and body language.
How to Raise a Puppy: A Dog-centric Approach, Stephanie Rousseau and Turid Rugaas
Whilst many puppy and dog training books focus on obedience and manners from a human perspective, this book takes a dog-centric approach that focuses around a puppy’s needs. There is plenty of advice for before you bring the puppy home as well as what to do when they arrive. This is a great book to help you understand your new puppy and what they need so that instead of trying to make them fit into our human world, you can create a puppy friendly world for them.
Introducing your Puppy to Grrr-less Grooming: Techniques for a calmer grooming experience, Sue Williamson
Regular grooming is an absolute essential for most dogs but can feel somewhat overwhelming for new puppy owners trying to brush their wriggling ball of teeth and fur for the first time. This book is a brilliant guide to how you can introduce puppy grooming slowly and gently, so that it ends up being something your dog is relaxed about instead of being a stressful experience for everyone.
Bonus: The Best Puppy Podcast
The Happy Dog Podcast - Happy Puppy Mini Series
This podcast is run by Kimberley Grundy, who is a qualified and accredited Clinical Animal Behaviourist. Although this podcast is brilliant anyway, the Happy Puppy Mini Series in particular is perfect for new puppy owners who are looking for some expert advice. Recorded in collaboration with the lovely ladies from Treetops Dog Training, there are episodes covering choosing your puppy, the first 24 hours, socialisation and more. Everything is explained in a really clear way so it’s great for new puppy parents and puppy professionals alike!
A Word of Caution
The authors and professionals I’ve mentioned in this article are by no means the only reputable public figures, there are plenty of other brilliant books, podcasts and blogs with valuable information and advice on puppies. However there are certainly also some that I absolutely would avoid.
There may well be a few puppy books you’ve seen promoted widely that have not been included in this list and there is a reason for that. In simple terms, anyone who uses slip leads, leash ‘corrections’, verbal corrections or other more aversive tools with dogs or puppies are to be avoided at all costs. Please feel free to get in touch if you’d like me to look into any advice you’ve heard or books you’ve come across and would like to know whether they are ethical and credible.
The key to giving your puppy a smooth and relaxed welcome to your home is being as prepared as you can. It’s a good idea to start doing your research before you’ve even chosen your puppy, so that you can make sure you are choosing the right breed for your home and lifestyle as well as finding a puppy who has been well bred and received essential early socialisation. It’s a common myth that puppies are a blank slate and ‘it’s all in how you raise them’, but genetics and early experiences have such a huge impact on a puppy’s development that it’s essential to choose a puppy that has had the best start in life.
I offer pre-puppy consultations for prospective puppy parents to help them make the best choices to set them up for a long and happy life with their new canine companion. Please feel free to book a free introductory call with me if you’d like to learn more.