Adopting a Dog: The Indispensable Guide for Your Newest Family Member

At last, an indispensable guide to the unique needs of the 2.5 million dogs adopted every year in America.

Unbelievably, there has never been a comprehensive training-and-care guide written for the adopted or "pre-owned" dog. Manuals abound for the puppy, even for the adult or mature dog, but Adopting a Dog has established itself as the standard work for this exploding population. John Ross and Barbara McKinney provide invaluable advice for every kind of adoptable dog: the older puppy, the overactive or unhousebroken adult dog, the shelter pooch, or even the mature canine in need of one last, loving home.

As previous dog owners know, great intentions are not enough to make your new pet a well-loved, well-behaved part of your family. Your enthusiasm after rescuing a homeless dog can quickly turn sour when problems appear. After all, it's not unusual for adopted dogs to bring all sorts of behavioral baggage with them. In fact, their behavioral problems may have been the reason they were given up in the first place.

Here, in one comprehensive volume, you will find an abundance of commonsense, canine advice―everything to make your dog adoption an unqualified success. Adopting a Dog covers common problems and provides realistic, effective solutions to:

• determining which dog is right for which home
• finding reputable breed associations, rescue organizations, and shelters
• helping your dog get along with kids and older adults, as well as with other pets
• retraining approaches for curing obsessive barking, separation anxiety, housebreaking problems, and fear biting
• overcoming the scars of previous abuse.

At the heart of Adopting a Dog is a pet-focused training program. In an easy-to-use, step-by-step style, Ross and McKinney show you how to overcome training challenges that are common to so many adopted dogs. You can teach your dog to behave, whether he is unruly on the leash, jumps all over guests, steals dessert, grabs the kids' toys, or struggles during a much-needed bath. Adopting a Dog is sure to be a standard reference work for any dog owner's home. Originally published in hardcover under the title The Adoptable Dog.