|
Published:
June 2, 2025

Puppies For Dummies

Overview

A guide to puppy ownership that's just as fun to read as your puppy is to play with

Puppies For Dummies equips you with the latest advice on starting out right with a new puppy. Dog expert and influencer Sarah Hodgson offers dog parents trusted input on caring for a new companion, including updated information on creating good habits and routines, keeping your puppy healthy, and curbing common frustrations, anxieties, and aggressions, especially in the post-pandemic world. This timely and uplifting guide covers everything from choosing a puppy that fits your lifestyle to preparing your home, selecting the right products, and mastering age-appropriate training to set your pup up for a lifetime of success.

  • Knowing what to expect when bringing a puppy into your home
  • Understanding how to communicate and read your puppy's body language
  • Establishing routines for housebreaking, socialization, and sleep training
  • Addressing challenges like jumping, nipping, barking, anxiety, and aggression

This Dummies guide is your go-to resource on how to best integrate a puppy into your life—and how to make sure that pup stays happy and healthy.

Read More

About The Author

Sarah Hodgson is a trainer, behavior consultant, podcaster, and bestselling author of numerous books, including the recent Dog Anxiety For Dummies. With more than 40 years of professional experience, her friendly, force-free techniques have empowered pets and their people all around the world.

Sample Chapters

puppies for dummies

CHEAT SHEET

Owning a puppy is definitely fun, but it’s also a huge responsibility. You’re caring for a new four-legged member of the family. You need to keep your puppy safe and healthy, instill good manners with puppy house training and habits, and teach basic puppy commands so that other folks enjoy your puppy as much as you do.

HAVE THIS BOOK?

Articles from
the book

Puppies love to play and, like children, can learn most of their life lessons by playing games and having fun. Think back to your childhood: What are some of your fondest memories? Most everyone learns their most important life lessons — like how to share, use patience, and speak respectfully — in preschool or by playing sports and games with friends and family.
Are you a tech-head? Don’t let adopting a puppy slow you down. Check out the options described in this article for products that can make your life and your puppy's life safer, organized, and more fun. Never attach anything to your puppy that delivers a shock, spray, or vibrating sensation. Marketed as training tools, these items are inhumane and have lasting effects on your puppy’s otherwise trusting and cheerful demeanor.
Does your dog communicate? Yes! Here’s an overview of your dog’s body talk: Consider how learning how to listen to your puppy will improve your relationship. Puppies are like kids — they are much more eager to listen to you if you learn to listen to their side of the story, too.A great influencer who shaped modern dog thinking long before it became scientifically cool to do so was Nicholas Dodman, DVM.
This article gives you 10 quick puppy temperament tests, which you can administer while you’re deciding whether you and a puppy are compatible. Of course, you can’t get a completely accurate snapshot of your adult dog — other factors are equally if not more important, like socialization, training, and consistency — but these tests are a good way for you to determine each candidate’s sensitivities and get a realistic view of their early conditioning.
Owning a puppy is definitely fun, but it’s also a huge responsibility. You’re caring for a new four-legged member of the family. You need to keep your puppy safe and healthy, instill good manners with puppy house training and habits, and teach basic puppy commands so that other folks enjoy your puppy as much as you do.
To train your puppy, pair the following basic puppy command words with each specific action and use them consistently. Give positive reinforcement with treats and attention, and start early: The younger your puppy is when you start, the more attentive she will be to directions and ideas. Source: ©Shutterstock/Art StudioJack Russell Terrier puppy in training.
Some people still think that dogs don't think or experience emotions. Although it's true that dogs don't have the intellectual capacity of some other mammals like dolphins, they have other strengths and intelligence that we have yet to discover.Dog cognition has become a global obsession. In the past decade alone, a scientist has figured out ways to monitor dogs’ brain activity, decode their DNA, and do comparative analysis with human and other mammalian brains.
https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6630d85d73068bc09c7c436c/69195ee32d5c606051d9f433_4.%20All%20For%20You.mp3

Frequently Asked Questions

No items found.