Living with Kids and Dogs...Without Losing Your Mind
by Colleen Pelar
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Book Summary Information
Author: Colleen PelarEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2005-08-15
ISBN: 1933562668
Number of pages: 176
Publisher: C&R Publishing
Book Reviews of Living with Kids and Dogs...Without Losing Your Mind
Book Review: An Essential Guide for Parents Thinking of Bringing a Dog into the Family
Summary: 5 Stars
No parent contemplating bringing a dog into the family ought to proceed without reading this compact little book. As a dog trainer and a mom, Colleen Pelar understands the situation from both perspectives. Her aim is two-fold: to prevent children from getting bitten or otherwise injured by dogs and to ensure that dogs are brought into families that are prepared to provide loving and safe homes for them--with an emphasis on the former. As Pelar points out at the beginning of LIVING WITH KIDS AND DOGS, half of all U.S. children under 14 have been bitten by a dog. It doesn't help that many parents see bringing a dog into the family as simply a right of passage for their children. Oftentimes they aren't really taking into account all of the work, responsibility and expense of caring for a dog not to mention the complex behaviors of dogs and of children towards each another.
Pelar's book is very accessible. Her writing is breezy yet informative. The text itself runs to only about 150 pages, and yet the list of topics she covers is rather exhaustive; from deciding whether or not a dog is the right pet for one's family, to helping kids learn how to interact with a dog, to managing a host of dog behavioral issues, to dealing with the death of the family dog, Pelar dispenses trustworthy and helpful advice. She provides a short summary at the end of each chapter called "Words for the Weary" for those parents too tired to read the entire chapter. (This serves better as a memory jogger than as a true summary; the reader should really take time to peruse the chapters.) However one approaches it, parents who do not have toddlers, or do not have teenagers, or whatever the case may be, will be able to skip those chapters devoted to specific age groups with which they are not currently concerned.
The only criticism that I might offer--and it is slight--is that Pelar tends to generalize about human behavior on the basis of sex. For example, it's unnecessary to have introduced the "Wizard of Oz" analogy, in which men (The Tin Man) intimidate dogs by their supposed frontal advance, and women (The Scarecrow) invite dogs close to them by making themselves physically lower and smaller. (Children, by the way, are The Cowardly Lion, by virtue of their timidity in petting a dog; I never quite got The Tin Man=men part of the analogy.) Pelar makes similar, sex-based comments in other parts of the book, usually to the detriment of males. Why turn off male readers when it would be enough to say that reaching "right for the dog's face" with one's hands is not the best approach to a dog? It doesn't matter whether it's a man or a woman doing that.
I would hope that that sort of blemish doesn't diminish the value of this book for the prospective reader. If you are a parent contemplating bringing a dog into your family, this is essential reading: you owe it to your children to read LIVING WITH KIDS AND DOGS. The greyhound adoption organization through which we adopted our dog insisted on our reading the book; I am happy for the requirement.
Summary of Living with Kids and Dogs...Without Losing Your Mind
At last! A kids-and-dogs book for parents written by someone who "gets it."This is a wonderful book. Useful, useful, useful information?all the main points in an extremely easy-to-read style. As a trainer and a mom, Colleen sees the full picture." ? Dr. Ian Dunbar
Living with Kids and Dogs . . . Without Losing Your Mind by Colleen Pelar, CPDT, covers more than introducing a baby to the family dog. It has chapters devoted to each stage of a child?s life with parental pointers for setting their family up for success while raising kids and dogs together.
~ Parenting books say control your dog; dog-training books say control your kids. The reality is far more complex and goes way beyond placing blame on either children or dogs for being who they are. ~
Living with Kids & Dogs . . . Without Losing Your Mind provides busy parents with simple, realistic advice to help ensure that the relationship between their kids and their dog is safe and enjoyable for all.
You will learn how to ? Help your child and dog develop a strong relationship, built on trust and cooperation ? Set your family up for success with a minimum of effort ? Recognize canine stress signals and know when your dog is getting worried about normal kid activity ? Identify serious behavior problems before someone gets hurt ? Provide specific help for managing the interactions with dogs through each stage of your kids? lives from infancy through the teen years ? Prevent your child from becoming part of a growing statistic?children who have been bitten by a dog.
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