Customer Reviews
A disappointment - By: J. M. Skinner, 27 Jun 2008 
I was given this book for a birthday present, but was very disappointed with the content. There is a great deal of posturing, fluff & glamour but very little practical advice. Lots of 'I cured this dog' but very little of 'How'.
Great pictures, but very little else to commend it. Sorry.
Excellent for beginers and new pet owners - By: L. Butterworth, 04 Feb 2008 
I watch victoria on the T.V & am always facinated. I purchased the book & read it in a flash. Very easy reading & a good insight into a dog's mind. Excellent for a new pet owner with a good layout.
Excellent tips - By: jammy person, 25 Aug 2007 
The book is littered with excellent advice & tips for you & your pet. What Victoria doesn't know about dogs could possibly be wrote on the rear of a postage stamp. I have tried various things in the book & they worked for me & my dog.
Read this book before your puppy arrives! - By: S. Gough, 26 Sep 2006 
What a fantastic book! I was thoroughly engrossed for about 3 days while I read it from cover to cover (and still tried to cook, iron & clean in between) & was so glad I had alll the information to hand before our mad puppy arrived!
My husband & I had decided the time was right to bring a puppy into our family now that our children were getting older (8 & 10) & could hopefully show some responsibility. (Plus the fact that my youngest was sending me daily emails begging for a puppy!!!) We chose a West Highland Terrier (and named him Wellington) & arranged to pick him up a couple of weeks later. Having been reallly impressed with Victoria Stilwell's "It's me or the dog" TV series, I decided to see if her book could help us with our new addition.
Within a week or so of arriving with us our new puppy was sitting, laying down, rolling over & staying on command. Ms Stilwell's training tips are easy to follow by owners & dogs alike!
We also knew what food to feed him, especiallly since Westies are prone to skin conditions & these can be exacerbated by pet foods with a high cereal content (alll this information was gleaned from this fab book!) It gives you the pros & cons on wet & dry dog foods & also tells you the products you should never feed your dog.
The housetraining information is straight forward & three weeks after arriving with us, Wellington is now only having the odd accident.
Victoria Stilwell's book is set out so that you can flick back through to review what she suggests on certain subjects & is therefore very easy to use.
I recommend you definitely read this book before your new puppy arrives. I do however agree with a previous reviewer who found that it did not contain as much information about older dogs with problem behaviour. I think the information in this publication is geared more to people with new puppies.
How useful! - By: Sally Ann Thomas, 23 Aug 2006 A fantastic tool box for controlling your dog in book form.
Should be compulsory reading for any new dog owner.
There are a lot of books on the market... My recommendations for what it's worth in no particular order:
This book ... get an understanding of how your dog thinks
Marley & Me (John Grogan) for what happens when you don't train your pup (still a good story mind you)
Shakespeare my Butt! (John Donoghue) to show that owning a dog can be hilarious...it isn't alll heartache & hard work!
The Perfect Puppy (Gwen Bailey) back to a basic right & wrong manual
