Bringing a puppy into your home is a happy activity, but it's also daunting. For many of us, happiness truly is a warm puppy, but there's a downside.

Puppies are a lot of work. Housebreaking is time consuming, and it takes some puppies months to "get" the concept that urination and defecation must be done outdoors. Some puppies are world-class chewers, destroying clothes and furniture. Most puppies will cry for a night or two, and some might fuss and cry for weeks.

All of these issues are good arguments for adopting an adult dog from a shelter, by the way. But many people want puppies.

People who have raised puppies have pretty good advance warning about what they are in for. What about the first-time puppy buyer? Bookstores and the Internet offer a dizzying array of puppy-rearing books. How do you choose the right book?

I've found a really good one. It's written and edited by the faculty of the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University. The title is "Puppy's First Steps." The subtitle is "The Whole-Dog Approach to Raising a Happy, Healthy, Well-Behaved Puppy."

The $24.95 book is published by the trade and reference division of Houghton Mifflin Co. One of the book editors is veterinarian Nicholas Dodman, a best-selling author and renowned animal behaviorist.

The chapters on training and dealing with behavior problems are worth the purchase price of the book. Chapters on health, preventative medicine and nutrition are also especially good.

At Tufts, the veterinarians emphasize positive methods every step of the way.

"Our experience has demonstrated that dogs behave better and more consistently when they are rewarded for their good actions rather than punished for their bad ones," they say in the book preface.

"Each year, 13 million households in the United States adopt a dog, often a puppy. ... The next year, half of those households surrender their young canine charges to shelters and pounds," the book says.

Housebreaking problems are among the biggest reasons owners relinquish their pets. There's a whole chapter on that, including a detailed daily schedule telling exactly how to produce a housebroken dog.

Here's one of the tips from that chapter, which would be useful to owners of older puppies and adult dogs who aren't completely potty-trained.

The headline says "Catching Puppy in the Act":

"Once in a while you may see your pup in the process of urinating -- or beginning to strain for defecation -- on the floor. Do not yell at her or show anger in any manner . That will only teach her not to go in front of you. It won't teach her not to go in the house. She'll just do it secretly.

"Instead, make a startling noise, by clapping loudly or banging a drawer. That will cause the pup's bowel and bladder sphincters to shut down, or pucker up, automatically. Then put her on her leash and take her outside to finish the deed."

A common behavior problem for many a dog is overly enthusiastic jumping on people. Labrador retrievers are famous for this, and it can be a nightmare for people who have a lot of visitors.

Here's what the Tufts docs suggest:

"Stand still. Don't do anything. Don't tell him 'Stop it,' don't pet him, don't laugh at how cute it all is even though you're not thrilled with the jumping, and don't push him off. Pushing him off as he jumps on you is construed by the pup as a game and will just reinforce the notion in his head that you're a big squeaky toy. Instead, turn to stone. Your puppy will give up after a couple of minutes, or even less time. ... When he does, come alive. Smile, pet him and give him a reward" such as praise, petting or a food treat.

Even experienced dog owners might want to check this book out, for much of the information and advice can be applied to adult dogs.