5 comments about Mother Knows Best: The Natural Way to Train Your Dog.

1. If you're looking to train your dog, this is a good book that shows you how. I would recommend Train Your Dog - The Positive Gentle Method and maybe a dog obedience class (that will help your dog learn to socialize) also.



2. When this book was published in 1985 the concept of natural training was revolutionary. The Monks of New Skete followed in 1991 with a book advocating the same concept of training. However, the principles of a more natural training method have been greatly refined over the years and some of the advice that is contained in this book is wrong (or wrong in most situations).
   
   The author is adament that food should not be given as a reward, reward should be positive attention only. The Monks also believed this but weren't so adament. More recent books have recognized that different breeds respond differently. Breeds bred for close human interaction, primarily the herding breeds, are more closely focused on humans, breeds bred to act independently such as Beagles, and other hounds, and terriers, are not closely attuned to humans and respond better to food rewards. Hey, it's animal behavior 101 that lab rats are rewarded by food and learn from those rewards. Interestingly both Benjamin and the Monks work primarily with German Shepards.
   
   Benjamin also maintains that you can bring a dog back to the scene of its crime, i.e. where it destroyed a pillow, show it the destroyed pillow and correct the dog's behavior. All the recent books acknowledge that you can only correct a dog's behavior if you catch the dog while it is in the act.
   
   Potentially dangerous advice that she gives is to grab a dog by both sides of the neck and get in its face to stare it down. That is threatening and confrontational and may work with puppies but other books warn against that approach with agressive dogs as it will incite them to attack and bite.
   
   There are better books out there pass on this.



3. I have been a dog trainer for many years. This is one of two books that I suggest to my clients. So much common sense with a dash of humor. Easy to read and implement to your training program. Great book.



4. This is a very good book for training yourself to talk to dogs.



5. Big suprise, dogs know that we aren't dogs. The gig is up, dogs don't relate to us the way they relate to dogs. Get a book that really teaches you how dogs think and learn.

5 comments about Cold Noses At The Pearly Gates.

1. This book brought so much comfort to me after the loss of my very best friend- little girl Ni-Ni! With so many unanswered questions and so much uncertainty when we lose our four legged companions- it was in reading this book that I found and continue to find comfort in Gary Kurtz work... Cold Noses at the Pearly Gates. For anyone who has suffered this type of loss this book will bring you peace in knowing we will meet again in heaven! I highly recommend this book!!!!!!!!!!!!



2. Gary's book was the 3rd book I had read on pet loss, having experienced the very tragic loss of my beautiful cat Tyson (sadly hit by a car on May 18th 2008). While I am not overly religous, I found this book incredibly uplifting and helpful in coming to terms with my grief and understanding my beautiful boy's spirituality here and beyond. Gary is a very personable writer and while reading the book you feel like you are sitting on his back porch speaking with him. Of all the 'religious / Christian' pet loss books Ive read, this is by far the best.



3. I lost one of my favorite cat's in April. This book really helped me in my time of grieving.I am so glad I found it. It did not take away the grief and sadness, but it helped a lot and made it a little easier.



4. interesting opinions from the author, I felt some of it a "bit over the top"....but the day we had to put our beloved 15 year old "schnoodle" to sleep, I was inconsolable, and spent a fortune on line looking for books that would maybe support my ideas & thoughts, especially Scripturally, that we could see our pets again when it is OUR time to go to Heaven...



5. I actually found this book in my bookshelf several days after my beloved little dachshund died. I don't remember buying it, but there it was! Anyway, I was terribly disappointed in it for most of the reasons that have already been cited in other reviews.
   
   My main complaint is that he effectively dashes the hopes of readers who are not Christians by stating that while God created us and loves all humans and all creatures, only those who accept Jesus Christ as their savior will see their pets in the afterlife. To my way of thinking, If God loves all the creatures He created (as stated in the book and the Bible), He will accept all His creatures into Heaven. To say that God will only accept Christians into Heaven is an insult not only to the billions who are not Christians but, in my opinion, to God Himself.

5 comments about Horsekeeping on a Small Acreage: Designing and Managing Your Equine Facilities.

1. This is probably one of the first books you should buy when considering keeping your horse at home. It gives enough information to be helpful and to start making intelligent decisions about what you will need to keep your horse and improvements needed to your property.
   
   It's a great jumping off point that will let you know where to go from here and what aspects you will need to further explore. Worth the money as a basic manual.



2. This book is the best I've seen on building or buying a small equestrian property or horse farm. Warning - this is not the book for starting a horse business or operation, but it certainly covers all the bases from zoning issues, to how to lay out your property to handle weather situations and parts of the country. A really great guide book.



3. The book covers everything from horse behaviors, to feeding, and to horsekeeping. A very thorough book that covers many areas of owning a horse. Goes into enough detail for any horse owner keeping horses, even if they don't have acreage. I was impressed by how informative this book is, every horse owner should read it.



4. This book is a great resource for those wishing to build an equine facility - on any scale. However, this is not a guide book for horse ownership. If you board your horse somewhere, you do not need this book. If you are shopping for land and want to build your own horse place, then this book is perfect. If you are trying to figure out if your set up is safe and good for your horses, then get this book. If you are dedicated to making the best out of your land and your horse, then this book is the perfect resource, and it will help you decide if your land is right for horses or if horses are right for your land. Appropriate land use is important, and Cherry Hill shows how to incorporate horses into your land management practices - or is it incorporating good land management practices into your horsey haven? Her ideas and standards for barn design are also good industry standards. I highly recomend this book for architects and land planners who design equestrian homes/communities/barns.



5. This is a nice over view for a first time horese ownwer and acrage ownwer very informative.

5 comments about Creature.

1. It is obvious by looking at the other reviews that the controversy over this book's layout is frustratingly bifurcated for the undecided buyer. The book has a delightfully bold layout and my review is as follows; the white backgrounds create a uniformity that stabilizes the book page to page. Additionally, the white aids the effort to capture the intrinsic 'creature' within each animal. Unless there can be an appreciation and an understanding for the blankness within this book, its purchase will sadly be seen as a waste. It is comforting to know that, regardless of harsh critics and naive readers, the book was driven solely by simple design. In our capitalistic economy today, it is difficult to create a sound book without trying to appeal to public tastes, but Andrew Zuckerman succeeded with Creature.



2. The photos in this book are amazing. They are very detailed and clean, accompanied by the white background every animal comes alive. The back of the book helps you identify what each creature is. There is a massive amount of 'blank' space in the book, which some reviewers dislike. It is intimidating at first, but really draws your attention to the animal. My only dislike about this book is how bulky it is. For such sleek photos, the book is extremely thick, large, and heavy (though this does mean the photos are of decent size). I hope you have a big coffee table.



3. Andrew Zuckerman's photography is amazing and awe inspiring. Looking at his images becomes a meditation.



4. The book was created to show the elegancy and wonder of the animals in our world. The pictures are clear and very close up to capture the beaty of the animal. The creator of this pictorial has done an excellent job. I am very pleased with the book.



5. The photos in this book are absolutely amazing. Mr. Zuckerman truly captured the personality of each animal. In looking at these pictures, I almost felt like I was having a conversation with each individual. This book is a beautiful work of art!

5 comments about Puppies For Dummies (For Dummies (Pets)).

1. This book has good solid information and I have recommended it to many of my friends with new dogs. It was a fantastic resource for me regarding my first dog.



2. This book is great for people like me who have never owned a dog! There are a few chapters in the beginning that i didn't find helpful, however. I had already chosen my puppy before i bought the book, but if your are searching for the right puppy and have any questions, then these chapters would be perfect for you! I still use this book to reference back to, my puppy is only twelve weeks old, so there's still a long way to go!



3. This book should be given with every new puppy - even before the puppy goes home with you. Covers all major aspects of puppy raising and training. I cannot recommend this book enough.



4. The book offers some schedules for walking your puppy, but lacks the "before" part - how much he should eat and how soon he might need to go, for example. I agree with reviewers who say the book is superficial. If you've had dogs before at all, this book is probably adequate. If you're like me, and the only other pets you've raised successfully have been hamsters, this book is NOT enough. In less than a week, I had to buy more books that cover the same topics in more depth.



5. Before getting my puppy in 2002, I read several books on puppies, dogs, and training. My favorite was Puppies for Dummies, the 2000 edition. I can only imagine that the 2006 edition is even better.
   
   Early sections help the reader decide what breed is best for his lifestyle and how to be ready for puppy's first day home. Especially important was the timeline--what training the puppy needs at what age--in order to grow to her best potential. The organization is excellent with easy-to-locate topics: a detailed Table of Contents and a complete Index.
   Throughout the book, Hodgson stresses positive training and reinforcement, offering many important and helpful tips on how to be the most effective teacher you can be.
   
   I tried the "teaching-lead" Hodgson describes, keeping my puppy attached to me by a lead at all times at home. This method is a super way to bond with your dog. Now, as a result, I have a most responsive and well-trained pet, a charmer.
   
   I've recommended this book to friends, every one of whom thought it was an excellent resource. However, I do want to point out that no book on puppy training is useful if one does not use the techniques described....
   
   If you really want to learn how to train your puppy in the most constructive way, get this book!

5 comments about The Dogs Who Found Me: What I've Learned from Pets Who Were Left Behind.

1. As we all know working in rescue, no one sets out to do this. This book is full of just those stories, the dogs who found the author when he wasn't ready and how he made do with each situation. He talks about the experience being in New York for 9/11 and evacuating New Orleans for Katrina. I have had this book sitting on a shelf for the last year and finally got to read it while I was recently on vacation and just couldn't put it down. It read just as if I were talking with any of my rescue volunteers about their rescued pets. Ken Foster does a great job of articulating the emotions and struggles involved in animal rescue. I think it is a great read for any of us as a reminder of why we do what we do.



2. Got the audio book. I was not thrilled with the individual who did the reading, but Ken's stories in the book were easy for me to relate to. He succinctly put into words some of the emotions involved when one is performing animal rescue, including the initial denial that an animal is meant to stay with you. Also, I think he does quite well at capturing the essence of just being one of those people who can't look away when you see an animal in need. It's a state of mind that only a certain type of person really seems to understand.
   
   - C.A.Wulff author of Born Without a Tail



3. I enjoyed this book for the most part. It makes you think about all those dogs out there that need a home or ones who are out there that are being mistreated. I think it is great what Mr. Foster is doing for all those poor dogs out there. Especially Pit Bulls. I also liked all the informative information on shelters, rescues, etc in the back of the book.
   The only problem that I had with the book was the writing style. It wasn't written very evenly and took me longer to get done than usual. All in all it would be a book I recommend.



4. I took this book with me on a recent vacation and started reading it on the plane. I am a true dog lover, I have 5 of my own, but this book did not hold my interest at all. And in fact, it really bothered me. It seems to me that he assumes that if he finds a dog, especially if the dog is in need of a combing or such, that there isn't an owner that is frantically looking for that dog. He just seems to assume the dog was "abandoned" and doesn't make any real effort to find the owner, who may be heartbroken. He is very quick to judge, i.e. when he found the 23 year old woman's dog and made judgements as to her worthiness as an owner, without having all the facts.
   He also seems very reluctant to take a dog in/rescue it, because it may inconvenience his life or he doesn't have room.
   In one case, he took the dog he found, clear into ANOTHER state to turn it into a shelter. As someone whose petsitter lost my dog while I was on vacation, this kind of thing infuriates me! Unbelieveable. I will not be finishing this book.



5. Not bad, as far as dog books go, just didn't make me want to keep reading. Foster did not hold my interest so he's 1 author I can scratch off my list.
   
   It's OK, just not as good as others I have read. This book took me a while to read through because I kept putting it down and getting back to it later. Oh well.

5 comments about Barking: The Sound of a Language (Dogwise Training Manual).

1. I am a dog owner with a strong interest in dog training and animal behavior and have read many excellent books on those subjects - but I find Turid Rugaas to have a very unique voice. The author believes that dogs are dogs and in our arrogance as humans we have lost sight of that fact; we humans try to train away every natural instinct a dog has and have no tolerance for 'failure' or 'disobediance'. In this book, instead of attacking barking as a training problem to be solved she reminds us that barking is a natural form of communication for dogs and provides tips for how we can listen to what they are trying to tell us. There are, of course, suggestions and methods provided for how to curb excessive or problem barking (and how to determine what problem/excessive barking really is), but essentially her message is, "less shouting, more tolerance and listen!". Another great thing about her books is that they are simple, clear and concise. The average dog owner can read through them quickly and start using the techniques right away.



2. As with other of Turid Rugaas's books, this might seem like too a short book to be of much value. Once you carefully read the book, and start watching your dog, you will begin to appreciate Ms. Rugaas's deep wisdom and understand of all things canine.
   
   After having no success with bark collars, penny cans, and spray bottles - all the standard trainer suggestions - I started using these suggestions. I admit my dog has not stopped barking entirely, I don't want him to, but he is barking much less. Plus I understand now why he is barking and how to change perceptions and break the cycle.



3. As usual Turid writes a great, informative, easy to read book with lots of pertainent information.



4. With every book she releases, my admiration for Turid Rugaas grows. Turid is a role model for others in the dog world to follow - her compassion for dogs and reminder to try to understand their perspective, rather than always imposing our needs, is so important. (For example, imposing our need for quiet by using shock collars rather than understanding that the dog is upset/frustrated/loney.)
   
   In "Barking," Rugaas focuses on an age-old topic. Yet, she does so in such a straight-forward, enlightened and enlighting way that even people who have read a myriad of behavior books can benefit. Her emphasis is on the mental state of the dog, and on how to view and address the underlying source of the barking. Sure, others have taken this approach, but Rugaas's presentation is so simple and plain spoken that I recommend her book above all others on the subject - and to *anyone* who wants insight into this form of canine communication, not just to those who have a barking "problem."



5. I also read a great many dog books, and this is one of the best. Rugaas' descriptions are deceptively simple, and might appear to be nothing new. However, they portray barking as a language we simply don't speak, rather than as a problem to be solved.
   
   Rugaas does provide solutions as well as descriptions and common causes for each type of barking.
   
   This book is well worth the read, and for those of us who are dog trainers by profession or avocation, worth several reads over time. At the price, well worth it, and far better than many books at triple the price.

5 comments about Good Dog. Stay..

1. To even call this a book is an unimaginable stretch.
   I love dogs and thoroughly enjoy reading almost any book having to do with them and their exploits.
   This "Book??" is 83 tiny pages composed of 53 pages of photos of various dogs...cute... and 30 miniature pages of Fluff. And all this from a supposed #1 selling New York Times Bestselling Author!!!!!..And all for ONLY $14.95!!!!
   When was the last time you paid $.50 per page for this kind of exploitation?
   Anna Quindlen ought to be ashamed of herself



2. It's true - I must admit: I just don't like books about animals. Until I read this one! This is a sweet, short honest book about the love of a dog. It's not necessarily about sweet Beau (though really it is), but about how Beau completes a family. And very nice touches about how it completes a woman! A wonderful read that can be read in one sitting - on the sofa with your own Beau sitting beside you. Enjoy.



3. Short and oh so sweet!
   
   Yes this is more of an essay than a full blown novel, but the writing is worth every dime. There are so many phrases in the book that I read and re-read. Spend the money and keep this book for revisiting over and over.



4. This is a 45 minute short story about Anna's dog, Beau. I am not a fan of animal stories as they usually either end up getting hurt or dying. The same is true in this one. It is the life story of Beau and as all life stories, the end is death. That brings tears to me which is why I don't like these types of stories.
   
   I believe Anna wrote this as a way to heal from her lost of Beau more than trying to tell a readable story. This is not to say the story doesn't make sense. It does. I just hear in Anna's own words how much she and her family cared for Beau and how much his loss meant to them.
   
   As with all stories, there are the good times and the "bad dog" times, laughs and tears and general day-to-day life. If you want to hear about a good dog's life, this CD will provide that.



5. I bought this book for my husband as part of the grieving process after our 14-year-old black lab died. I expected Anna Quindlen's usual wisdom and frankly I was disappointed. The text was very short; not enough in quantity or quality to justify a book in my opinion. Worse, every page featured those awful cutesy stockhouse dog photos that seem the antithesis of the honest and straight style I expected based on reading her wise columns in the NY Times for many years. The book came across as a celebrity milking something very thin for some extra cash. Come on, Anna, you can do a lot better than this!

5 comments about A Rare Breed of Love: The True Story of Baby and the Mission She Inspired to Help Dogs Everywhere.

1. The subtitle of this book is "the true story of Baby and the mission she inspired to help dogs everywhere." Baby was a puppy mill breeder, the kind of dog which is confined in a tiny cage, forced to have litter after litter, and then "disposed of." Because of the abuse, Baby had only three legs when Jana found her through petfinder.com. She decided to adopt Baby, and flew from Chicago to California to pick up the 9-year-old poodle. This book also has some celebrity commentary on animals, and makes the reader aware, in a fairly gentle way, of the conditions to which animals purchased at a pet store or online may have been subjected. Jana also brings up the provocative question: Where does society draw the line for cruelty? I particularly liked two of the quotes in the book. The first is from Dr. Albert Schweitzer: "Until man extends the circle of kindness to all living creatures he will not find peace." The second is from Gandhi : "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."



2. RESCUE RESCUE RESCUE - yes - please RESCUE a dog. This book is amazing and anyone who even THINKS of buying a dog should read this book first!



3. The author needs to make distinctions. Breeders are not the bad guys if breeder has a few dogs, shows the dogs and breeds after dog has gained status and only with carefully selected partner. A puppy mill, on the other hand, is something to be outlawed. There must be a distinction. A person (breeder) who competes in shows with one or two dogs, worries about their diet and coat texture, makes sure every dog is trained and socialized, takes years to decide on the right mate (if that decision is ever made), cannot be lumped together with a person who treats their 150 dogs like chickens in battery cages just popping out profit like eggs from a hen. Read that line "a friend who worked in animal welfare, and she was horrified that I would even consider buying a dog from a breeder". Horrified to get a dog from a breeder? That is where we part company. Also, has anybody every looked at some of the nastiest puppy mill operators, the Amish, for example, who treat their animals so badly they shame us all. The Amish dump uncounted puppies into the system every year for profit...and where are the controls for any of these puppy mills? Overall a well written book and on a subject that needs to be in the public eye. But, let's get rid of the puppy mills and not the honest and caring breeders. There is a very big difference.



4. If you love animals, especially dogs, buy this book(the proceeds go to the Humane Society in the fight against puppy mills.) I bought several for family and friends and everyone loved it. Some even gave money to donate to the Humane Society who are working with Jana to make puppy mills illegal.



5. This is a must read book. This is an important and compassionate story about a woman's journey to find a dog. In a search for her dog Baby she encountered the horrible conditions dogs endure at the hands of unscrupulous breeders. As a result Jana became inspired to do something about it. She and the now famous Baby, her three legged dog, travel the United States to speak to groups about changing the laws that allow puppy farms to exist. An inspiring story that moves one to action. Bravo, Jana Kohl.

5 comments about Aquarium Corals : Selection, Husbandry, and Natural History.

1. Ever since I received this book, my customers get the opportunity to bring photos of their corla for me to identify them. This is wondrful!



2. I'm new in salt water aquarium. I'm reading, studing, looking for informations to care my reef with safe and with environmental responsability. This book was essencial to construct the knowledgement that helped me in this challenge (to keep sea life above sea level).
   
   Aquarium Corals is: "This is a new field of discovery --come and be part of it." (Foreword by Dr. J.E.N Veron)



3. This book has and continues to help us. I feel it is well worth the money.



4. Great reference with some pretty good insight to go along with it. I wish it would have been more in depth when describing water flow and lighting but it does cover alot of other topics including feeding and coral toxicity. I will refer to it often.



5. This is a valuable asset for any marine aquarium hobbyist, it is well written, easy to read and understand and is a useful resource tool for the experienced and novice reefer.