When a dog walker with a small troupe of beautifully behaved mutts recommended Dr Ian Dunbar’s free, downloadable book, Before You Get Your Puppy as the best-ever, must-read dog book, of course I went home and read it. An excellent source of straightforward, sensible advice, it covers both the practical – choosing a puppy, crate training, toilet training, etc – and behavioural stuff you’ll want to get your head around before your pup arrives. I particularly like his suggestion that you make your dog a chewtoyaholic so that, a. they don’t get bored and go mad, and b. they end up chewing (and preferring) their own toys rather than your plumptious cushions / finely turned chair legs / prized Manolos.
