Frank Bennett
The Long-Life Dog · one owner's manual

Find out what every day with your dog is telling you.

A plain manual for every year of your dog's life: what to watch, what to do, and when to call the vet. From the first day home to the grey-muzzle years.

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  • Instant download after payment
  • Phone, tablet, laptop or desktop
  • General care, every stage of life
The Long-Life Dog: an owner's manual for every year of your dog's life
The gap that costs dogs

“Dogs hide pain. That is the whole problem.”

Owners are told to watch their dog and never told what to watch for. That is the gap this manual closes.

  • Pain that hidesA sore dog will still wag its tail at the door and eat its dinner.
  • Small things turn bigA lump, a limp, a long drink of water: caught in a week, cheap. Caught in a season, not.
  • Bad advice, everywhereForums, videos and the neighbour down the road, all sure about all of it.
  • Books written for clinicsWeighty veterinary volumes, not a manual you can read on the kitchen floor.
  • The body sends the billA dog ages faster than we do, and the middle years pass while we are busy.

Know the signs, spend five minutes a week checking, and you catch the small things while they are still small.

Spot it early

The small signs of pain and illness, and the five-minute weekly nose-to-tail check.

Know when to call

The difference between a visit this week and one tonight, in plain words.

Start right

The thirty-day settle-in plan for a new puppy or a rescue dog.

Try it on your own dog

The price tag on the puppy is not the cost of the dog.

What a dog really costs is food, vet visits and everything else, added up over a whole year. Put in your own numbers and see the real figure.

$
$
$
YOUR YEARLY COST
$1,710

That is $142.50 a month, or $4.68 a day.

Illustration only; nothing is sent anywhere. The Long-Life Dog shows you what to budget for at every age.

  • The first year costs the mostShots, neutering, training and all the gear land in one year.
  • Prevention is cheaper than a billA weekly check and the right routine catch problems while they are small.
  • Older dogs cost moreVet visits and diets change as your dog ages, so plan ahead.
  • Know what is normalYou cannot spot a problem early unless you know your own dog's normal.
What’s inside the manual

One manual. Every year. Nothing dressed up.

One book for the whole life of your dog: what to watch, what to do, and when to get help.

952pages in all
191short chapters
19parts
12printable cards
Get the manual, $34
The Long-Life Dog manual and its two companion PDFs
The Long-Life Dog cover
The book

The Manual

952 pages · 19 parts

What to watch, what to do, and when to call the vet.

  • 191 short chapters, each answering one plain question, in the order you will meet it.
  • From choosing a dog and the first thirty days through the teenage months, the middle years and the senior dog.
  • Food, exercise, grooming, training, travel, children, renting and the end of life, all handled plainly.
  • 12 printable cards for the fridge: when to call the vet now, toxic foods, heat and bloat, a lost dog plan.
  • The book says what it is: general care, not veterinary advice, and it points you to your vet.
The First Thirty Days cover
The plan

The Thirty-Day Plan

the first month · one page a day

Three five-minute sessions a day, so a new dog settles in without a fight.

  • Days 1 to 3: one room, one bed, quiet, and the same two walks at the same two times.
  • Days 4 to 10: house-training rhythm, and the crate made into a place the dog chooses.
  • Days 11 to 20: alone time in short steps, the first vet visit, the first car trip.
  • Days 21 to 30: the lead, the recall, and the household rules everybody follows.
  • The whole month on one page at the back, to put on the fridge.
The Twelve Cards cover
The cards

The Printable Cards

12 cards · print them yourself

The cards you want on the fridge door, not in a book on a shelf.

  • When to Call the Vet Now: the signs that will not wait for Monday.
  • Toxic Foods and Substances, and the plants and pellets to keep out of reach.
  • Heat and Bloat Warning Signs, with the first thing to do while you ring the vet.
  • A Lost Dog Plan, a First-Aid Kit list, and a check for travelling by car.

One manual, sold on its own. 952 pages, 191 short chapters in 19 parts, 12 printable cards, and a free update whenever the book changes.

Get the manual, $34
In a nutshell

Know the signs. Check every week. Call in time.

What the manual helps you do, in three short steps. It does not replace your vet and never tells you to treat an illness at home.

1. Learn what is normalFor your own dog, at your own house. Then the odd thing stands out. (Illustration.)
2. Check every weekFive minutes, nose to tail, the same order every time.
3. Ask at the right momentThis week, today, or now. The book tells you which.
Look inside

Real pages from the book.

Tables, checklists and plain steps you can use the same evening.

Page from Part 7: the weekly nose-to-tail check
Part 7The weekly nose-to-tail check, start to finish
Page from Part 2: days one to three
Part 2Days one to three: the settle-in plan
Page from Part 6: foods that are toxic to dogs
Part 6Foods that are toxic to dogs
Page from Part 8: the signs of bloat
Part 8The signs of bloat that will not wait
Page from Part 11: when a dog becomes a senior
Part 11When a dog becomes a senior
Page from Part 12: a good days and bad days diary
Part 12A good days and bad days diary

Read a chapter free

Part 2: The First Thirty Days. Twelve pages, no email required.

Get the free chapter
Frank Bennett
Meet the author

Frank Bennett

Frank is a dog owner and writer, not a vet. On his YouTube channel, Frank Bennett Dogs, he talks about living with dogs in plain words: the food, the walks, the training and the worry, and the viewers who watch it are mostly dog owners too.

This manual grew out of the questions that keep coming up there. It sets out how to read a dog’s posture, when a limp is urgent, what a vet needs to know when you ring at eleven at night, and what a dog really costs to keep, in plain English, from the owner’s side, and fair to the good vets and breeders who do things properly.

Knowing what is normal for your own dog is the skill. Once you do, the odd thing stands out, and you can say so clearly to your vet.

The book speaks as a book, not a memoir: examples are illustrations and their numbers are labelled as such. Where health is involved, it tells you where to check: your own vet, your local emergency clinic or your pet insurer.

Watch Frank on YouTube

Before you buy

Questions owners ask

Are these printed books?

One PDF manual: 952 pages, 191 short chapters in 19 parts, plus 12 printable cards.

What can I read them on?

Anything that opens a PDF: a phone, tablet, laptop or desktop. No app and no account.

How do I get it after paying?

Checkout is handled by Commas. As soon as payment goes through your download link appears on screen and in your email.

Is it for puppies or older dogs?

Both. The book follows a dog's whole life, from choosing a dog and the first thirty days through to the senior years.

Does it cover the whole life of my dog?

It is written for owners in the UK, the US, Canada and Australia, and it says where the rules differ.

Is this veterinary advice?

No. It tells you what to watch for and what to ask, and never how to treat an illness at home.

Are there signs I should never wait on?

Twelve of them: when to call the vet, toxic foods, heat and bloat, a lost dog plan, a first-aid kit list and more.

What if it isn’t for me?

Email partners@thejonmac.com within 30 days. If something is wrong with your download we fix it the same day.

Every year with your dog is a year you cannot get back. Know what to look for.

A plain manual for every year of your dog's life: what to watch, what to do, and when to call the vet. Instant PDF download.

Get the manual, $34
The Long-Life Dog
One PDF manual · $34
Buy now