
Owning a dog in the city has a completely different set of challenges
than owning a dog in a rural or suburban setting. The city is full
of distractions for a dog such as congestion, noise, crowds of people,
cars, buses, bicycles, rollerbladers, trash, sewers, alleys, roadways
and other dogs. Where you can exercise your dog is limited, and
maneuvering a dog through city streets and across busy roadways
is often hazardous. Rat poison sprinkled in alleyways, garbage on
the sidewalk and around bins, and city puddles filled with unknown
substances are all threats to any dog's health.
In this book, Cis Frankel, an urban dog trainer who has trained
thousand of dogs including Oprah Winfrey's cocker Spaniels, Solomon
and Sophie, explains how to deal with the specific difficulties
of living with a dog in the city. Believing that the best city dog
is a well-trained dog, Cis explores the basics of puppy training
(housebreaking, obedience, basic commands) and then delves into
the particularities of training and owning a dog in the city.
Throughout the book, Frankel emphasizes the importance of thinking
of training as a series of patterns that utilize games as a form
of communication. When good communication is established in the
relationship, a door is opened for the creation of a deeper bond.
You learn to communicate with your dog by introducing her to a vocabulary
of words (commands) which are applicable to the environment in she
lives. Training is only hard on your dog if you are raising your
voice to intimidate her or if you physically punishing the dog for
not staying focused. If you approach training as fun, your dog will
see it as a time to play.
The informative and easy-to-access text covers collars and leash
handling, navigating the streets, housebreaking in a high-rise,
managing parks, crowds and roadways to create street-smart dogs,
stressful situations to avoid, and health care specifics for city
dogs. This one-of-a-kind book shows how to get the most out of your
dog while living in the city, and how to get the most out of the
city for your dog.
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