Are you thinking about taking on the huge responsibility of owning a dog?

This book is a comprehensive guide for children aged 8+ to caring for a new puppy or a dog - including animals taken from a rescue centre such as Battersea Cats & Dogs Home. It covers all aspects such as choosing the right pet for you, making it feel at home, daily care, what to feed him/her and how best to communicate and train your dog.

The book is endorsed by Battersea Dogs and Cats Home - the most famous animal refuge charity in the country - and illustrated with images from Battersea's photo library and by the quirky cartoons of Jason Chapman, who has been the illustrator for the Home for a number of years.

This book is part of a book series called Battersea Dogs & Cats Home .

There are 64 pages in this book. This book was published 2015 by Hachette Children's Group .

Battersea Dogs & Cats Home is a charity that aims never to turn away a dog or cat in need of our help. We reunite lost dogs and cats with their owners; when we can't do this, we care for them until new homes can be found for them; and we educate the public about responsible pet ownership. Every year the Home takes in around 12, 000 dogs and cats. In addition to the site in south-west London, the Home also has two other centres based at Old Windsor, Berkshire, and Brands Hatch, Kent. Ben Hubbard is an author of nonfiction for children and adults.

This book has the following chapters:

• 1: Introduction: Owning a Dog
• 1: Chapter 1: Choosing your Dog
• 1: A big decision
• 1: Popular Breeds
• 1: Where to Pick your Pet
• 1: Chapter 2: Bringing Your Dog Home
• 1: Get Prepared
• 1: The First Day
• 1: Meeting the Family
• 1: Meeting Other Pets
• 1: Settling In
• 1: Food and Feeding
• 1: A balanced diet
• 1: A Dog's Dinner
• 1: Play and Exercise
• 1: Building trust
• 1: Outside Play
• 1: Understanding your Dog
• 1: Socialisation and Training
• 1: First steps in socialisation
• 1: Housetraining
• 1: Basic Training
• 1: Leads and Walks
• 1: Being a Dog
• 1: Handling and Grooming
• 1: Grooming
• 1: Brushing
• 1: Bathing
• 1: Health Care
• 1: Common Ailments
• 1: Holidays
• 1: Getting Older
• 1: Glossary
• 1: Dogs and the Law
• 1: Helpful Organisations and websites
• 1: Index