For the Life of Your Dog: A Complete Guide to Having a Dog From Adoption and Birth Through Sickness and Health

Greg's distinctive philosophy and practical tips -- hich have produced his best-in-breed winners -- illuminate every page of this special volume that puts the dog's best interests first. Here are insights into choosing a dog, basic care, training, exercise, and nutrition -- and an overview of every stage of a dog's life. Passionate in his opinions and wonderfully effective, Greg includes:

• Cures for chewing, barking, biting, and other so-called behavior problems
• Answers to the great housetraining disputes -- including the pros and cons of crating
• Specific feeding programs for optimal nutrition -- and for combating the greatest health threat to your dog: obesity
• An exercise program for the canine athlete (and they're all athletes!)
• Training tips for obedience, showing, and search-and-rescue
• Preventive medicine, common illnesses from nose to tail, and age-related concerns
• Advice on breeding, whelping, adopting your second (third, fourth...) dog, and more!

For The Life of Your Dog is an inspiring and eye-opening reference. Delivered with Greg's delightful candor, his sound advice makes it a classic for new and long-time dog owners -- and anyone who has ever loved a dog.

Reading this book was like submitting to an endless lecture from a disapproving grandparent, who alternates between lecturing and bragging.

Surprise! What I didn't expect:
- to learn what & how Greg thinks about himself and his dogs
- so many photos of Greg.. Greg and Greg's dogs


A Nice Additional Perspective on Living with Dogs   September 8, 2003
Brez (San Jose, CA United States)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful

I really liked this book. It added a loving perspective to dog-rearing that I did not find in other books I'd read -- and I read many! Yes it's true that Louganis uses personal stories about his dogs and lifestyle, but I did not find them to be bragging. Instead, he is realistic about what it is like to live and travel with dogs on a daily basis. He also has stories which exemplify the difference between large breeds vs terriers which were helpful to me as the new owner of a Norwich. If you are looking for a book specifically about dog training, this is not it, but his perspective on many aspects of dog-rearing: puppyhood vs adolescence, breeding,illness, and euthanasia are helpful to put the lifespan of your dog in front of you when you start. I personally would have liked a little more on puppy socialization, and that includes interacting with young children, and a little more on housebreaking, but this is a warm tribute from a man who obviously loves his dog family and gives them a great deal of respect.


A Nice Additional Perspective on Living with Dogs   September 7, 2003
Brez (San Jose, CA United States)
3 out of 4 found this review helpful

I really liked this book. It added a loving perspective to dog-rearing that I did not find in other books I'd read -- and I read many! Yes it's true that Louganis uses personal stories about his dogs and lifestyle, but I did not find them to be bragging. Instead, he is realistic about what it is like to live and travel with dogs on a daily basis. He also has stories which exemplify the difference between large breeds vs terriers which were helpful to me as the new owner of a Norwich. If you are looking for a book specifically about dog training, this is not it, but his perspective on many aspects of dog-rearing: puppyhood vs adolescence, breeding,illness, and euthanasia are helpful to put the lifespan of your dog in front of you when you start. I personally would have liked a little more on puppy socialization, and that includes interacting with young children, and a little more on housebreaking, but this is a warm tribute from a man who obviously loves his dog family and gives them a great deal of respect.


The best "all around" dog book ever...   June 6, 2003
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

As a shelter volunteer, when I read this I kept hearing my own voice...talking to people who were wanting to adopt dogs: gently and encouragingly explaining how they should choose a dog (not based upon looks or on their general understanding of a certain breed), how to train their dog in a positive fashion (not using an "I'll show you who is boss" attitude)...It's ALL here...EVERYTHING... everything that I explain over and over and over again as I try to educate potential adopters hoping some of it sticks, and as I try to find the VERY BEST match for "my" dogs. I really don't understand when people say this book is about Great Danes..I didn't get that AT ALL. Just because he uses his own dogs as examples and draws from his own experiences doesn't mean you can't generalize ALL of this material to other dogs, not to mention that there is a large section devoted to terriors (he owns a JRT) and to mixed breed dogs. The only shortcoming I found was the lack of information the absolute necessity of spaying and neutering. Breeding should be left to a very few professionals, and the rest of us need to spay and neuter...and I wish he had touched upon that issue more adamantly. Also, the way the book is layed out isn't really user friendly. It's more memoir style so that you might miss out on some really good ideas and tips that are buried in a paragraph of text. Other than that, this book is the perfect primer for new pet owners. I bought three copies -- one for myself, one for our shelter library, and one for a friend who was contemplating dog ownership.