Book review: 'Fetch! A How to Speak Dog Training Guide' is a phenomenal resource for kids (and even adults!)

A long long time ago, when I was young, I had a dog. She was a Cocker Spaniel and her name was Heidi. As in, Heidi Joan of Bark.

We thought we were sooooo funny and witty, giving her a name like that! 

Anyway, I loved Heidi, but she was terrible at obeying. She ran away every chance she got and could barely shake, sit, or stay (staying was a rarity for her). When we took her on walks, she pulled so hard on her leash that it was taut. The entire time. We got good arm workouts on our walks.

I wish I'd had access to a book like Fetch! A How to Speak Dog Training Guide, because I think Heidi would have been much better mannered. This new book by National Geographic Kids explains how to train your dog in more than 30 different tricks. I hadn't realized there were more than the three tricks we'd tried to teach Heidi until I read this book.

Yeah, I'm a newb.

But the authors of this book, Aubre Andrus and Gary Wietzam, aren't. This team knows their stuff! And, along with giving easy, step-by-step instructions, they also share more than 100 photos to go along with their explanations.

This book explains when to start training your dog, if old dogs really can learn new tricks, why it's important to train a dog, and, probably the most important, how to understand your dog. If you can understand your dog, training him will go a lot easier for the both of you!

Fetch! also teaches about the best kinds of toys for your dog, how to DIY toys, and has some fun quizzes to test readers' knowledge. While this book doesn't go into dog illnesses or different breeds, it can be a wonderful tool for first-time dog owners, long-time dog owners, and everyone in-between.

Fetch! A How to Speak Dog Training Guide is a clean book with nothing offensive in it. While this book is geared to middle elementary to junior high-aged kids, older ages can definitely benefit from it as well. 

Book breakdown

176 pages with color photography
Best for ages: 9-16
Educational factor: medium
Moral content: contains nothing offensive