The best puppy training books to buy in the UK (Our 5 favourite)

Training a dog is hard work, but trying to train a puppy is on a totally different level. It takes patience, love, and the willingness to be nibbled on every now and then. Luckily, you're spoilt for choice when it comes to puppy books to help you through this initial training period, although choosing which to read can be difficult. That's why we thought it would be useful to round up our 5 best puppy books that you can buy in the UK. Let's get into the guide:

Perfectly Imperfect Puppy by Graeme Hall

Graeme Hall is a well-known dog trainer who presents the excellent tv show 'Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly' on Channel 5, which is well worth a watch if you're interested in dog training tips. His book, 'Perfectly Imperfect Puppy', is more focused on puppy training and is ideal for anyone who has an energetic pup that they want to get more control over, without dampening their happiness or curiosity. This book outlines what is essentially a programme that can be followed by any dog owner, and it's a really useful guide. We'd highly recommend this book, but we'd also highly recommend watching Graeme's tv show too! You can get your copy of the book on Amazon, but we'd actually recommend listening to it on Audible via Amazon. It's narrated by Graeme himself, plus you can listen to it for free if you use the Audible 30-day free trial and cancel before you're charged. Check it out here - amazon.co.uk

The Ultimate Guide to Raising a Puppy by Victoria Stilwell

This is another book written by someone you may recognise off the television - Victoria Stilwell is the host of the great tv show and YouTube channel 'It's Me or the Dog' and definitely knows her stuff when it comes to puppy training. We love this book because Victoria encourages you to focus on positive reinforcement tactics to train your puppy rather than some of the old-fashioned, stricter approaches. The book also helps you to understand what your puppy is thinking and gives you tips to get on their level. We love it and definitely think it is worthy of the title 'ultimate guide'. Get your copy here - amazon.co.uk

The book your dog wishes you would read by Louise Glazebrook

This book is interesting in that it is much more about training you rather than training your dog, which is ideal for anyone with a puppy as a first dog as it can be a bit of a wake-up cal!! It's written by Louise Glazebrook, who is regarded as one of the top 'dog whisperers' in the UK. This book will make you realise how much is involved in looking after dogs, and is probably best read long before you actually get your puppy. There are some interesting techniques in this book, such as getting your dog to look at you, but they're proven and they're all great skills for a dog owner to learn. Get your copy here - amazon.co.uk

From Wolf to Supermutt and Everything In Between by Erika K Gosi

The first thing we'd say about this book is that it is actually about a woman training a mature dog, but we included it at the end of this article as a bit of a curveball because we think the principles and ideas in the book apply to anyone with a puppy also. When canine behaviourist Erika adopted her dog Mila, she didn't think she'd have to do any basic training with her, but she soon realised she would have to. This book outlines how Erika re-trained Mila, and also gives insights into how we can learn to think like our dogs. Get your copy here - amazon.co.uk

The Perfect Puppy by Gwen Bailey

This is one of the most popular puppy books you can buy in the UK and has been in print for more than 10 years, with a number of revisions and updates. The most notable thing about this book is that is designed to be very simple and straightforward - this is a book without any fluff, just step-by-step information to make raising a puppy feel easy. Get your copy here - amazon.co.uk

Final thoughts

Raising a puppy can be a daunting prospect even if you're an experienced dog owner, so it really helps to have a handy puppy guide on-hand for when those difficult moments inevitably occur. Hopefully, the 5 books we've recommended in this guide will help you on your way to becoming a puppy pro!