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Dog Lovers Book Club - December 2023


Santa Paws is coming to town so with only 3 weeks until Christmas, it's time to get those final festive presents organised !

We hope you'll find some last minute inspiration to spoil dog lovers of all ages in this Christmas 2023 edition of the Dog Lovers Book Club.

THE JOY OF PLAYING WITH YOUR DOG
Games, Tricks, & Socialisation for Puppies & Dogs

by Monks of New Skete, Marc Goldberg

Dogs love to play, yet in training, humans can overlook its value and importance. The Joy of Playing with Your Dog reveals how playing can be developed into an invaluable tool to support behavioural development, obedience, and strong bonds. 

With full-colour photographs and step-by-step instructions, this guide from The Monks of New Skete and Marc Goldberg, one of America's foremost dog trainers, shows you how to enjoy a happier dog the "play way."

Does your dog come when called, even near distractions? This book offers games to teach that skill. Does your puppy pick up forbidden objects like glasses, shoes or cell phones? The right training games can correct that behaviour. Do you wish your dog could be more socialised with other people and dogs? The book contains a chapter full of success-making tips and hacks to help your dog successfully make friends. What about dog parks and doggy day care? Learn to assess the risks and rewards to find the right environment for your dog.

From housebreaking a puppy to increasing the lifespan of your senior dog, play is an essential element of your relationship with your canine companion throughout his entire life. Through play, you and your dog learn critical skills together, decrease frustration and improve communication. For example, Fetch - the most basic of games - taps into a dog's prey drive in a healthy manner. It encourages interaction and reinforces commands like "come and drop it". 

A good game puts the owner in control, while the dog follows the rules. Activities like "Red Light, Green Light" and "Go Find" will entertain and delight all involved, but also help with impulse control, developing an "off-switch," and responding to vocal commands.

Applying the Monks of New Skete's renowned approach to dog training to the topic of play, The Joy of Playing with Your Dog is an invaluable addition to the dog training bookshelf!

Hardcover, 224 pages
Publisher: W W Norton & Company, 30th November 2023

Price: $34.46 from 
www.amazon.com.au

HEALTHY DOG, HAPPY DOG
by Rhian Allen

Take charge of your dog's health with a fresh, unprocessed diet. Feeding dogs a fresh, wholefood diet can help with digestive issues, skin conditions, weight management and overall wellbeing. 

In 
Healthy Dog, Happy Dog, Rhian Allen and her team of pet nutrition experts show you how to make simple changes to your dog's diet for lifelong health benefits. This essential guide includes:
  • Guidelines for transitioning to a new diet
  • Feeding guides by age, size and ideal weight
  • Lists of foods to avoid and embrace
  • Healthy snack ideas
  • 65 wholefood recipes
  • Introductory recipes for puppies
  • Recipes and troubleshooting tips for sensitive tummies
  • Recipes for healthy weight management.
Make the switch to feeding fresh and help your dog enjoy a longer, happier and healthier life with you!

  • Paperback, 192 pages
  • Publisher: Pan Macmillan Australia, Imprint: Plum Books, 28th November 2023

RRP: $29.99 from all good bookstores and online. For more information, visit www.panmacmillan.com.au

Enter our Giveaway here before 06/12/23 for a chance to Win 1 of 4 copies of Healthy Dog, Happy Dog!

EVERY DOG DESERVES AN ADVENTURE
Amazing Stories of Camping with Dogs
by L.J. Tracosas

From the backcountry to car camping, mountaintop hikes to beach-day hikes, learn how to keep your dog safe and happy while on an adventure.

In Every Dog Deserves an Adventure, the Camping With Dogs team shares stories, photos, safety tips, and hiking bucket lists to inspire you to get outside and enjoy nature with your dog.


From the Camping With Dogs team, Every Dog Deserves an Adventure encourages people everywhere to go on outdoor adventures with their dog. Whether it's camping or hiking, kayaking or skiing, dogs love spending time with their humans in nature. If you have a furry friend, it's time to go out and find a trail you both love.


With stunning photography and heart-warming stories of how people got into camping with their dogs, this book is a love letter to dogs around the world, from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia. 


Organised by season, each section features photos with various types of dogs, hikes, terrain, and activities, as well as:

✔️ Tips on camping with your pups
✔️ A bucket list of great hikes and trips
✔️ Key items you need to keep your dog safe and happy on the trail
✔️ Delighted dog lovers will learn the power of camping-how it strengthens family bonds and transforms relationships.

On top of that, Camping With Dogs is partnered with local animal rescues to help adoptable dogs find their forever home, so your purchase will support rescue dogs and their mission to help dogs blossom out on the trail.

Hardcover, 208 pages
Publisher: Quarto US7th November 2023

Price: $33.76 from www.amazon.com.au

THE PUREST BOND
Understanding the Human-Canine Connection
by Jen GolbeckStacey Colino

A feel-good, comprehensive exploration of the profound bond between humans and dogs from Jen Golbeck, the "internet's dog mom" behind the massive social media platform The Golden Ratio, and Stacey Colino, an award-winning science writer.

Dogs have been considered people's best friend for thousands of years, but never has the relationship between humans and their canine companions been as vitally important as it is today.

With all of the seismic shifts in today's world, rates of anxiety and depression have been skyrocketing, and people have been turning to their dogs for solace and stability. Amidst these dire realities, something wonderful has taken shape. In the United States alone, dog adoptions doubled during the pandemic.

As people have brought furry friends into their lives for the first time or seized this opportunity to deepen the connections they already have, they are looking to understand how owning a dog can change their lives. Now, The Purest Bond explores the benefits our dogs can have on our physical, emotional, cognitive, and social well-being, often without our realizing it.

Weaving together ground-breaking research and touching real-life stories, The Purest Bond explores not just the social benefits of owning a dog but the science of how dogs improve our emotional and physical health, mental acuity, and our ability to focus and absorb information. Most importantly, they remind us of what's right in the world - love, trust, affection, playtime, fresh air, and sunshine - even when so much feels wrong.

Hardcover, 256 pages
Publisher: ATRIA, 14th November 2023


RRP: $53.25 from www.booktopia.com.au

PEGGY & MOLLY
be kind, be humble, be happy
by Juliette Wells

A charming and uplifting gift book filled with gorgeous photos of two unlikely companions.


The unexpected friendship between Peggy the Staffy and Molly the magpie (@peggyandmolly) has captured the hearts of people around the world.

Now, their beautiful bond, which formed the moment Molly was rescued as a fledgling, has inspired an uplifting book of heart-warming photos and simple life lessons about what it means to be a true friend and how we can all learn to be kind, humble and happy.

Paperback, 128 pages
Publisher: Penguin Books Australia, Imprint: Ebury Australia, 21st November 2023


RRP: $22.99. For more details and stockists, visit www.penguin.com.au 

THE DOG LOVERS' COLOURING BOOK
Creative Haven - Adult Colouring Books: Pets
by John Green


Celebrate your love of dogs with this fabulous collection of 31 realistic, ready-to-colour illustrations. The beautiful line drawings feature dozens of the most popular breeds including a Beagle, Boxer, Bulldog, German Shepherd, Golden Retriever, Labradoodle, Siberian Husky, Yorkshire Terrier, and many more. 

The lovable, huggable animals are pictured in a variety of charming indoor and outdoor scenes, offering a wide range of colouring possibilities. Relax and enjoy bringing these irresistible images to life with colour. The art is printed on one side only, and the pages are perforated for easy removal and display.

Paperback, 64 pages
Publisher: Dover15th November 2023

Price: $17.17 at www.amazon.com.au

BOOK CLUB – KIDS CORNER

PORTER AND MIDGE: PAWS AND PLAYTIME
A Kid's Guide to a Happy Dog
by Jennie Chen & Giselle Nevada

Join Porter and Midge on a tail-wagging adventure filled with laughter, love, and boundless play.

Welcome to the world of Porter and Midge, where the bonds between children and their furry friends are celebrated in rhymes, laughter, and endless play. This children's book invites young readers into the heart-warming friendship between two furry companions, Mastiff Porter and Greater Swiss Mountain Dog Midge, and their loving human friends, CJ and Lora.


On a sunny day filled with endless possibilities, CJ's brilliant idea sparks a joyful journey of discovery. As you turn the pages, you'll join Porter and Midge on a fun-filled adventure, exploring imaginative games, engaging canine enrichment activities, and thrilling dog sports. The rhythmic verses will captivate young minds as they follow along with this heart-warming tale of friendship and adventure.

Paws and Playtime is not just a book; it's a celebration of the unbreakable bond between children and their canine pals. Perfect for dog-loving kids and families, this book is sure to inspire smiles and create lasting memories.

Paperback, 32 pages
Publisher: Raise the Woof Press LLC, 12th December 2023


For more information & stockists, please visit porterandmidge.com

THE GOOD DOG 
10-Book Collection (Boxed Set)
by Cam Higgins, illustrated by Ariel Landy

The first ten books in the Good Dog chapter book series are now available in a paw-dorable paperback boxed set!

Bo Davis is a loveable puppy who is an expert in finding adventure on his family farm. Follow Bo and his friends as he searches for his missing dog tag, learns to herd like a pro, finds a dash of luck, and so much more! With easy-to-read language and illustrations on almost every page, the Good Dog chapter books are perfect for beginning readers.

This charming paperback boxed set includes:
  • Home Is Where the Heart Is
  • Raised in a Barn
  • Herd You Loud and Clear
  • Fireworks Night
  • The Swimming Hole
  • Life Is Good
  • Barnyard Buddies
  • Puppy Luck
  • Sweater Weather
  • All You Need Is Mud
Paperback, 1280 pages (total)
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books Youth17th October 2023
For Ages: 5 - 9 years old

Price: $126.80 from www.booktopia.com.au

AN ODD DOG CHRISTMAS
by Rob Biddulph

Come join the Odd Dog on a festive journey to find the perfect present, and perhaps save Christmas along the way… a brand-new, PAW-some story from Rob Biddulph.

It’s Christmas, and this Odd Dog is running out of time to find the perfect present for her pal…

But when she meets a new friend who needs helps, she realises that gifts might not be the most important thing about Christmas after all.

A gloriously festive illustrated story about the real meaning of Christmas, from the bestselling and award-winning Rob Biddulph, the creative star behind the viral and phenomenal #DrawWithRob and author of the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize - winning Blown Away!

This is the perfect story for children aged 3+, dog lovers everywhere and anyone who loves Christmas!

Hardcover, 32 pages
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers, 27th October 2021
For Ages: 3+ years old

Price: $15.95 from www.amazon.com.au 



Don't forget to check our 2023 Holiday Gift Guide for Pet Parents bursting with 27 unique gift ideas to spoil the dog lovers (including yourself) and pooches in your life!

To all our loyal readers over the past 8 years and our most recent ones, thank you for your support and from our pack to yours, we wish you an early Very Merry Woofmas!
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