How to Raise the Perfect Dog Read Free Page A

the rapper Redman, sought out my help in raising Daddy when he was still a playful puppy just four months of age. It was absolutely the most perfect time to start shaping his young mind. Daddy was an eager and receptive pupil to both dogs and humans, and he has grown up to be the best, most positive role model imaginable for his much-maligned breed. He now has his own legion of fans and even has his own Facebook page! He definitely deserves his brilliant reputation. Today Daddy officially belongs to me. He and I share a bond that goes beyond anything nature or science can explain. I believe we have achieved a kind of ideal communion between human and dog, one that I like to use as an example to my clients to prove to them that this kind of healthy closeness with their pet is something very real and within their reach as well.
    On dozens of Dog Whisperer episodes, when I’m called in to help unstable dogs, Daddy has unquestionably earned his props as my right-hand canine. More often than not, however, he’s also my teacher, and I end up following his lead on how to proceed, not the other way around. Daddy possesses that rare quality that you can’t get without a lot of experience and a lot of years on this planet—genuine wisdom. Because his energy is so completely balanced, sometimes just being in the presence of Daddy will turn a troubled dog around. On other occasions, if I’m not sure of how to proceed on a case, I’ll bring Daddy in and closely observe his behavior. One of the most important points I’ve made in all my teachings—and that I particularly want to stress when it comes to raising puppies—is that a balanced adult dog can teach you more about “dog training” than any book, manual, or video. Daddy doesn’t have any diplomas or certificates on the wall of his kennel, but he is the absolute master of dog rehabilitation, as far as I’m concerned.
    As a senior dog, Daddy still takes the same delight in the small moments of life that he took as a puppy, but his advancing years are clearly catching up with him physically. I have recently begun to grapple with the reality that he won’t be able to play the role of my best pal, sidekick, and co-Dog Whisperer forever. I’ve heard some dog lovers who, when considering the demise of a lifelong companion, make statements like “There will never be another one like him” or “I could never love another dog, because no other dog could be as wonderful.” Of course it’s true that there will never be another dog exactly like Daddy, but when I called this book How to Raise the Perfect Dog , I wasn’t being glib. I really do believe it’s possible to raise another dog to be as balanced, stable, well behaved, and as perfectly in sync with me as Daddy has been. I had a plan—Daddy himself was going to pass the baton of his greatness to the next generation—by helping me raise his ideal successor!
    PASSING THE BATON
    A longtime friend of mine, a vet tech who also happens to be from my home state of Sinaloa, Mexico, understands and agrees with my philosophies about raising dogs and also owns a female pit bull that I know to be calm and balanced—an easygoing family dog that had always been a dream “nanny” to his own small children. My friend informed me that he had selectively bred this dog and that she had a new litter of puppies. Knowing of Daddy’s impending retirement and my growing concerns about it, he invited me to come take a look at them, saying, “Who knows, you might find the next Daddy.”
    When Daddy and I arrived at my friend’s house to see the litter, I was relieved to find the bitch just as affectionate, gentle, and submissive with human kids as I had remembered. She had the ideal temperament for a family dog and was also an active, alert, and attentive mother to her pups. The temperament of a pup’s parents is vital, because temperament is a characteristic often passed down from generation to generation. My friend showed me a photo