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Introduction | |
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About This Book | |
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Conventions Used in This Book | |
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What You're Not to Read | |
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Foolish Assumptions | |
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How This Book Is Organized | |
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Just the Facts Ma'am | |
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Living with Your Mixed-Breed Dog | |
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Training 101 | |
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Keeping Your Dog Healthy | |
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Having Fun with Your Dog | |
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The Part of Tens | |
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Icons Used in This Book | |
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Where to Go from Here | |
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Just the Facts, Ma'am | |
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Mixing it Up: Introducing the Mixed Breed | |
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A Mutt by Any Other Name: Defining Mixed Breeds | |
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A Tale of Two Dogs: How Mixed-Breed Dogs Come to Be | |
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Even Toy Dogs Aren't Toys | |
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They Don't Call 'Em Man's Best Friend for Nothin' | |
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Designer Dogs: Not Your Mother's Mutt | |
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The Pros and Cons of Designer Dogs | |
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The pros | |
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The cons | |
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The Major "Labels" in the Designer-Dog World | |
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Oodles of Poodles | |
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A basket of Toys | |
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Intelligent perceptions: Border Collie hybrids | |
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A Little of This, a Little of That: Deciding Which Mixed Breed Is Right for You | |
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Asking Yourself the Right Questions | |
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Do you have enough time for a dog? | |
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Do you have enough money for a dog? | |
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Are you ready to give your heart to a dog? | |
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Looking at the Different Breeds | |
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On the hunt: The Sporting Group | |
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Ain't nothin' but a hound dog: The Hound Group | |
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Workin' like a dog: The Working Group | |
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Tenacious terriers: The Terrier Group | |
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Big personalities in small packages: The Toy Group | |
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All shapes and sizes: The Non-Sporting Group | |
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Round 'em up: The Herding Group | |
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Considering Age: Puppy or Adult? | |
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Gender Bender: Male or Female? | |
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Adding It Up: The Right Dog for You | |
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Choosing Your New Best Friend | |
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Finding Your Very Own Mixed-Breed Dog | |
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Breeders | |
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Shelters | |
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Rescue groups | |
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Knowing Which Questions to Ask | |
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Matchmaker, Matchmaker, Make Me a Match: Temperament Testing | |
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Be gentle: Testing for touch sensitivity | |
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What's that? Testing for movement and object sensitivity | |
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Who's the boss? Testing for dominance and submission | |
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I'll get that! Testing for possessiveness and retrieval ability | |
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Follow the leader: Testing for social skills | |
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Living with Your Mixed-Breed Dog | |
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Getting Ready for Your Dog's Arrival | |
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Dog-Proofing Your House | |
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Removing chewing hazards | |
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Protecting your furniture | |
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Pushing up daisies: Giving your dog a place to dig | |
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Born to run: Making sure your dog can't escape | |
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Your Mixed-Breed Dog's Bedroom | |
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Crate or pen? Your dog's first place to sleep | |
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Thinking outside the box: Letting your dog sleep outside a crate or pen | |
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Bedding | |
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Giving Your Dog a Place to Eat | |
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Stocking Up on Supplies | |
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Collars and leashes | |
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Dishes and bowls | |
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Toys | |
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Bringing Home Your Mixed Breed | |
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Giving Your Dog the Guided Tour | |
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Walking her in and showing her around | |
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Greeting the family | |
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Meeting other pets | |
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Taking her out to do her business | |
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Showing the dog her sleeping area | |
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Fighting Those First-Night Blues | |
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Scheduling Time for Your New Dog | |
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Exercise and playtime | |
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Feeding time | |
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Potty time | |
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Chasing the Chuckwagon: The Basics of Feeding | |
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The Basics of Nutrition | |
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Types of Dog Food | |
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Commercial dog food: Canned or dry | |
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Homemade food | |
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Raw diet | |
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Don't touch! Foods and plants that are poisonous to dogs | |
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How Much to Feed | |
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Feeding according to your dog's age | |
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Feeding according to your dog's size | |
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Special Dietary Needs | |
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It's My Treat: Giving Your Dog a Little Something Extra | |
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Grooming Your Mixed Breed | |
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Why Grooming Matters: Inside and Out | |
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Brushing Your Dog | |
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Cleaning Your Dog's Ears | |
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Look, Ma - No Cavities! Brushing Your Canine's Choppers | |
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The Eyes Have It: Caring for Your Mixed Breed's Eyes | |
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Mani/Pedi Time: Clipping Your Dog's Nails | |
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Bathing Your Dog | |
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Checking for Parasites | |
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Preventing parasites | |
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Curing parasites | |
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The Daily Once-Over: Checking Your Dog for Problems | |
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Exercising Your Dog | |
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Knowing How Much Exercise Your Dog Needs | |
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Puppies | |
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Adult dogs | |
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Older dogs | |
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Finding an Activity Your Dog Enjoys | |
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Walking | |
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Jogging and running | |
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Biking | |
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Fetch | |
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Hiking | |
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Swimming | |
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Horse and hound | |
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Training 101 | |
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Housetraining | |
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When You Gotta Go: Looking for Your Dog's Warning Signs | |
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Scheduling Potty Breaks | |
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If you work away from home all day | |
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If you work out of your house | |
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If your schedule changes frequently | |
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Crate-Training to Prevent Accidents | |
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How the crate works | |
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Introducing your dog to the crate | |
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Teaching your dog to go in a specific area | |
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Teaching your dog to get it done faster | |
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Other Training Methods | |
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Paper training | |
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Using a litter pan | |
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Watching for Success | |
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Observing your dog | |
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Giving freedom only when she earns it | |
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Working on Some Advanced Housetraining Techniques | |
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Training your dog to potty on command | |
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You rang? Getting your dog to ring a bell when she has to go | |
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Hup, Two, Three, Four: Good Manners and Basic Training | |
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Preparing for Training | |
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Targeting: The first step in training | |
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Using a marker: The second step in training | |
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Buying the right training tools | |
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Making your voice and body work for you | |
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Heel | |
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Getting started: The basics of Heel | |
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Trying the Heel off-leash | |
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Sit | |
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Down | |
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Stay | |
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Time | |
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Movement | |
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Distance | |
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Come | |
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The basics | |
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Taking it up a notch: A game of Round Robin | |
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Getting your dog to come from a Stay | |
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Dealing with Distractions | |
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Looking at the different levels of distraction | |
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Introducing distractions to your dog | |
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Helping your dog be reliable off-leash | |
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Finding a Trainer | |
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Tackling Mixed-Breed Training Challenges | |
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Unpacking the Mental Baggage: Helping a Dog Who's Been Abused or Neglected | |
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Alone and Frightened: Separation Anxiety | |
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Recognizing the symptoms | |
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Knowing what to do about it | |
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Severe anxiety: When to seek outside help | |
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No More Mr. Nice Guy: The Aggressive Dog | |
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Recognizing the types of aggression | |
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Knowing what to do about it | |
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Jumping for Joy | |
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Knowing why dogs jump | |
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Keeping your dog's feet on the ground | |
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Curing the insistent jumper | |
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Chewing Your Dog Out for Chewing | |
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Understanding why dogs chew | |
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Solving the problem | |
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From Beggar to Chooser: Getting Your Dog to Stop Begging at the Table | |
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Nipping and Mouthing | |
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Understanding why dogs nip and mouth | |
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Preventing the problem | |
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Curing the problem | |
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Digging to the Center of the Earth | |
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Knowing why dogs dig | |
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Giving your dog a place to dig | |
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Keeping Your Dog Healthy | |
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Finding and Working with a Vet | |
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Choosing a Veterinarian | |
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Spaying or Neutering Your Pet | |
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Microchipping or Tattooing: Keeping Your Dog Safe | |
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Keeping Up with Regular Healthcare | |
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Regular checkups and yearly vaccinations | |
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Baseline tests | |
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Controlling parasites | |
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Addressing Special Health Problems | |
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Skin allergies | |
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Food allergies | |
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Appetite issues | |
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Skeletal disorders | |
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First Aid: Dealing with Emergencies | |
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Gathering Emergency Contact Information | |
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Assembling Your Canine First-Aid Kit | |
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First-Aid Basics | |
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Allergies | |
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Bloat | |
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Broken bones or dislocations | |
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Burns | |
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Choking | |
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Cuts | |
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Diarrhea | |
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Heat stroke | |
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Hypothermia | |
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Insect bites | |
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Poisoning | |
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Puncture wounds | |
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Run-ins with wild animals | |
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Seizures | |
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Shallow wounds | |
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Shock | |
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Snake bites | |
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Vomiting | |
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If You Lose Your Dog | |
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Before your dog is lost: Getting proper identification | |
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What to do when your dog is lost | |
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The Special Needs of Senior Dogs | |
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How Old Is Old: Knowing When Your Dog Has Earned Senior Status | |
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The Early-Bird Special: Feeding Your Senior Dog | |
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Use It or Lose It: Exercising Your Senior Dog | |
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Social time with other dogs | |
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Walks with you | |
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Identifying Health Problems Common to Seniors | |
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Hearing loss | |
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Blindness | |
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Arthritis | |
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Digestive disorders | |
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Cancer | |
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Dementia | |
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Depression | |
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Recognizing Behavior Problems That Sometimes Come with Age | |
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Saying Goodbye | |
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Having Fun With Your Dog | |
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Not Just for Purebreds: Showing Off with Your Mixed Breed | |
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Participating in a Mixed-Breed Dog Club | |
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Competing in obedience matches and dog shows | |
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Competing in agility | |
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Competing in Rally-O | |
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Media Hound: Getting Your Dog on Camera | |
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Knowing what animal agents look for | |
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Preparing for work | |
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What to expect when your dog performs in front of the camera | |
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Traveling with Charley | |
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Deciding Whether to Bring Your Dog with You | |
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Finding Pet-Friendly Places to Stay | |
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Packing for Your Trip | |
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Traveling by Car | |
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Flying with Your Dog | |
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What to do before you leave | |
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Caring for your dog before and after the flight | |
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Leaving Your Dog Behind | |
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Finding an in-home sitter | |
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Knowing what to look for in a kennel | |
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The Part of Tens | |
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Ten Reasons to Spay or Neuter Your Dog | |
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It Doesn't Cost Much - and It May Be Free! | |
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Breeding Is Time-Consuming and Expensive | |
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You Reduce Your Dog's Risk of Cancer | |
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You Help Control the Number of Unwanted Dogs in the World | |
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Your Dog Won't Be as Likely to Stray from Home | |
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Your Dog Will Be on Her Best Behavior | |
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Your Dog Will Be Easier to Housetrain | |
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Reproduction Can Be Risky | |
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Your Dog Will Be a Better Watchdog | |
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Your Dog Isn't You | |
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Ten Fun Activities You and Your Mixed Breed Can Enjoy Together | |
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Competing with Your Dog at the Classic K-9 Show | |
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Participating in United Kennel Club Events | |
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Having Fun at Mixed Breed Dog Clubs of America Events | |
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Training Your Dog to Dive | |
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Joining the Fun at the Australian Shepherd Club of America | |
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Camping and Hiking: Finding Fun Outdoor Activities | |
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Helping Your Dog Become a Good Citizen | |
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Help Your Dog Help Other People | |
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Dancing with Your Mixed Breed | |
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Flying High with Flyball | |
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Index | |