Trained Dogs Make Good Citizens

Ingrid conHausen was a librarian in New Hamburg, Ontario.

This brief manual is based on the author’s own experience in handling and training dogs. She begins with a few short chapters on choosing a dog, house-breaking, and grooming. The two longer middle chapters deal with obedience training and advanced training. The book concludes with short chapters on breeds, behavioral problems, and tricks. The appendix, incorrectly called “Dog Heroes,” is a list of animal heroes from the Purina Animal Hall of Fame. Adequate black-and-white photos and a few line drawings illustrate the text. This manual is suitable for children or adults who wish to embark on training their dogs. Though well designed, this paperback deserves better editing in order to eliminate unnecessary repetitiousness, awkward phrasing, and grammatical errors. One example will suffice: “A dog may come to harm themselves, a member of their family, a neighbour and you may possibly come to encounter a law suit” (p.60). An index would also be helpful for the reader.