Perfect Puppy in 7 Days: How to Start Your Puppy

8 reviews for Perfect Puppy in 7 Days: How to Start Your Puppy

1. 

   Kathy – February 20, 2025

   A hopeful lifesaver!
   We have elderly, ill dogs and wanted to bring a new dog into our home in hopes the older dogs would help train the new dog. (An older puppy who is 10 months old.) Unfortunately the older dogs are intimidated by the pup’s energy and aren’t interacting with the pup (at this point). Wanting the new pup to be polite and not take over the house, I frantically searched out puppy books to help me get control without causing issues with the pup that would need to be resolved later. I saw this book by Dr. Yin and decided to buy it.Yes, it is more costly than other training books, but I needed immediate help and I felt this book would provide it. It’s worth the cost. The book is printed on wonderful, strong paper with colored photos of a good size to show you exactly what she’s talking about. It’s not one of those books that will take a long time to go through and there is a TON of information for different scenarios–including growth of the puppy into a dog where you can continue training.With this book you will have a well-rounded dog. I am going to study the book and do exactly as told so I can raise a well-rounded, polite and happy dog.I have absolutely no reservation in purchasing this book and actually, I am very glad I did!!!!Some things cost a bit more….but if it’s worth it (which I believe it will be), then it’s money very well spent! A well behaved, happy dog is priceless, right? Having the right information and techniques make it possible and this book provides that!

2. 

   J. Bush – February 20, 2025

   I recommend to all my clients and all dog owners
   This is not a book to sit back and work your way through begrudgingly. This is the only behavior/training book I have ever come across that is actually interesting, engaging, and works! There are small paragraphs but the rest is pictures. I learned about Sophia Yin’s Low Stress handling right after vet school and quickly became certified. It changed my life- both as a veterinarian and with my own animals. As a vet, every day I witness or deal with 90% of dogs behaving like crazies, and it’s entirely because of their lack of desensitization and training. All breeders should read this book because a lot of the work can be done from 3 weeks on. By the time most people get a puppy (9-12 weeks), the prime desensitization period is ENDING!Do not be fooled by the title, it is a reference to the fact that she got a puppy for her father and had 1 week to start it off right so that it would have a better foundation before the parent’s took over.The house training advice and program is literally fail-safe. As Sophia discusses, if an accident happens during this program, it is always the person’s fault and it is easy to identify the cause and fix it so for next time.I can’t emphasize enough how a vast majority of dog’s lives would be so much better (less behavior disorders, anxiety-separation or otherwise, and better, safer behavior) if they were started off with this book. It can be used for dogs of any age, just as with everything, the longer a dog has learned “bad” behaviors, the harder it is to replace them with good behaviors consistent enough to become almost reflexive.Puppies are a lot of work and this is the blue print for how to do it. This training should start not only before the puppy gets placed in a home but from the first second you get your puppy.As a vet I also inspect litters for cat and dog breeders and you can tell the ones that are handled a lot, exposed to many things and those that are just churned out with minimal interactions and experiences and are frozen and frightened. Every breeder should be starting their puppies off right- getting them used to inside, outside, water/wet, being held and not set down the moment they cry out.Puppies are a LOT of work, EVERY interaction you have with them teaches them something and you shouldn’t get a dog that is going to get stuffed in a crate for 8-9+ hr a day and then be expected to play for 30 min in the evening and then just go to bed with you. They need to play, learn, get tired, have appropriate stimulation, and have something constructive to do to keep their minds occupied and their emotional health normal. At least once a day I am asked to prescribe drugs to ‘calm’ a young dog, and at least once a week I am consulted on people who want to euthanize their 1-2 year old dog for behavior issues, and this is heartbreaking. The time commitment and physical and emotional needs of a dog go far beyond a walk a day and throwing food in a bowl twice.

3. 

   anonymous – February 20, 2025

   Easy to read in a day
   Very well written and I love the layout with lots of pictures and captions. The puppy psychology is helpful, relevant and easy to grasp. The training plan is completely step-by-step and seems fool proof if followed correctly. I was skimming “Barron’s Dog Training Bible” while reading this and learned from that book that Dr. Yin’s training method is called “capturing” since you’re trying to capture a behavior a puppy will naturally perform (like sitting). I like the theory of this method, though I don’t have my new puppy yet so haven’t practiced it. I’m more familiar with the training method called “luring” where you hold a treat to lure the dog into the desired position (like sitting). It seems to me that a combination of training methods will ultimately be best over the long term (at least for my comfort level), but Yin’s book will get any puppy off to a great start!I have a couple small points of disagreement, but these will be a matter of personal preference. I’m currently reading the autobiographical “A Dog Walks into a Nursing Home” (which I highly recommend) and when considering training methods for her seven-year-old Labradoodle to become a Therapy Dog, that author, Sue Halpern, came across the suggestion to provide all food in a “Kong” feeding toy. Halpern basically pokes fun at the emphatic use of Kong specifically and moves onto another trainer’s book, so I had to chuckle when the topic came up in this book. Dr. Yin is also a proponent of NEVER using a dog food bowl and the dog earning ALL food as rewards or getting it out of a food toy or puzzle. Sorry, I just don’t agree with this. It seems to me that dogs have a basic right to food and water and shouldn’t have to ALWAYS work for it. Sometimes? Yes. Treats? Always should be earned. My two cents, but I’m not a vet or an Animal Behaviorist and Dr. Yin is both.Secondly, I’ve quickly and successfully housebroken four dogs in over thirty years and NEVER used paper or potty pads in the house, even as a ‘just in case.’ When I worked, I came home during my lunch hour to let them out and play with them so they were never cooped up for more than four+ hours. I’ve read other experts say paper training is confusing and dogs need to be clear that outside is the ONLY place to go to the bathroom, and I agree. I’m watching my sister potty train (or not) her year-old Yorkshire Terrier and he consistently pees on his potty pad and then proceeds to poop all over the house. What a disaster! Dr. Yin emphasizes over and over to be vigilant and keep the dog with you while potty training (totally agree – this works!). But she also mentions laying down paper in a playpen area as needed, and I personally wouldn’t do this. Again, only my two cents, and that’s about what it’s worth since I’m not an expert.Other than these two points, I think this book is brilliant! I’m sitting with a stack of a dozen dog/puppy training books and this is one of the only ones to hold my attention from cover to cover. Very practical advice with lots of detailed photographs.

4. 

   Vic – February 20, 2025

   Da varios tíos interesantes sobre cómo entrenar y cuidar de la mascota. En general ilustrado y con ejercicios prácticos. Buena estructura.

5. 

   Anna-Marie – February 20, 2025

   Up Till now The Book Helped us tremendously getting Our puppy Settled. Not Perfect yet, but we‘ll keep going until we have him there.

6. 

   Daniela – February 20, 2025

   some indications can’t be put into practice if you work outside the home

7. 

   RJ – February 20, 2025

   This is a very good book. Her methodology makes perfect sense and we have incorporated it into our training regime. I will however say that her method works so well for us because of our work schedules, one of us is always home with Max. If you both had to be gone I’m not sure how well this would work. I think you’d have to take holidays to get the most out of it. The pups weaned themselves at 6 wks and we got Max at 7wks. The first day of training he was sitting and looking at us. I can’t believe how quickly he is learning. We have had Max for 2 wks now and he is miles ahead of his counter parts. He willingly goes in his crate on his own to nap, and goes to bed with next to no fuss. He whines when he needs to go out when in his crate. He is also starting to let us know when he has to go out when with us in the house and when she says, when they start wandering around and sniffing, that 100% is the signal to take them out instantly. I also have him sitting and staying while I put his food dish down. He looks at me and waits to be told OK before he gets up to eat. I did deviate a bit from the book in that respect because he’s a huge pup and needs a lot of food but the kibble training still works for us. He’s a lab, a bottomless pit LOL but he’s visibly growing every day so I don’t feel guilty LOL. The first week was completely as she directed. He sits and looks and waits to be told ” ok house ” before he goes in. He also comes when called and is walking reasonably well on the leash. We started last week training him to come when called. I have horse lunge lines and they allow us to be far apart and call him back and forth between us. He gallops back and forth and sits to get his pats and kibbles. This went so well we have been cautiously doing this off leash and it is going well. It also burns a lot of puppy energy. Remember he is doing ALL of this in only 2 wks, he was 8 wks last Thursday. My girl friend is a trainer and bought the book to see what I was raving about and Sophia’s methods are pretty much exactly what she uses in her classes. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It is money very well spent. Cheers

8. 

   Marni Butler – February 20, 2025

   Great book to help you with puppy training. I was recommended this by my vet prior to bringing our puppy home. It’s simple and easy to read and has some great training tips. There’s a few things missing but it covers all the most important things.