4 comments about All the Dogs of My Life.

1. Elizabeth von Arnim lived an unconventional life, shot through with both tragedy and personal success. It is characteristic of the sense of humor found in her writing that she should ignore the sparkling social circle of which she was a part at the turn of the century and choose instead to write the lives of her dogs.
   
   Throughout the book we are given tantalising glimpses of the turbulance - and joy - of von Arnim's wider experiences. This short work will delight both dog-lovers and fans of the author



2. This book is a throughly charming account of Elizabeth von Arnim's sometimes idyllic, sometimes challenging but always witty and amusing life with her beloved dogs. Her writing reflects the experiences of her happy days in Germany with her older husband, five children, and the beginning of many canine characters that inhabit her life. Elizabeth is widowed and moves on to England, Switzerland, and Provence. Each new stage of her life includes new dogs and many funny and poignant memories. She clearly loves her many dogs- some stand out among all of them as her favorites- and shares her life as enriched and enlivened by her dogs' companionship. Anyone who has ever loved and lost a dog will appreciate her regard and love of dogs.



3. I own all 21 of Elizabeth's book..am trying to replace the ones that were water damaged. I would highly recommend any books written by this author



4. I loved this book! I have bought several copies to give as gifts, but will keep one for myself to re-read. Elizabeth von Armin's relationship with the people, dogs, and houses in her life is recounted with a great deal of charm, wit, and droll humor.

5 comments about Dog Bless America: Tails from the Road.

1. My girlfriend bought me this book for my birthday, knowing how much I love dogs. Initially I was simply annoyed at it - "what a waste" I think were my thoughts as I tossed it into the can...but then I got angry upon more thought. This book is so unbelievably bad it's an insult. It's awful when you think about how many really great literary works go unpublished while junk like this (and the other books that follow in this series) get the big GREEN LIGHT and thumbs up. I can only guess that Jeff Selis has some relative or good friend in the publishing business...and a few others who write and submit positive reviews to Amazon. Do not buy this book or any more that follow from Jeff Selis - let's stop rewarding people and businesses for mediocre work.



2. A funny book touching on many dogs the author met on a cross-country dog with his own dog. Only two minor issues: (i) some of the dogs were interesting enough that more than 1 or 2 sentences would have been worthwhile (this is not the structure of the book, however); (ii) p. 74 - "... Lake Erie - the biggest lake in the world..."? simple fact-checking would have been worthwhile.

   But a good, inexpensive photo book for any dog lover - and a particularly thoughtful gift w/o breaking the bank.




3. This is a magical book! The photographs were wonderful, really capturing the magic of these wonderful dogs in a heartfelt, touching, and oftentimes incredibly funny manner! I particularly liked to see which states my favorite dogs came from! It seems there are nice dogs ALL OVER the country! Because of a highly restrictive lease agreement, I am only able to have a cat in my apartment. While I have no qualms with the company of Mittens (my cat!), thanks to Jeff Selis' terrific book, I am also able to enjoy the company of many lovable dogs in my apartment, too!! Thank you, Mr. Selis, for this "doggone" WONDERFUL treasure!



4. Another fantastic and entertaining adventure of encounters, long travels, and human's best companions. Not only do we get to know a new dog from each state but we also get little tid-bits of American history and hilarious detail's of Jeff's daily travel's. Long live Jeff and Otis!



5. What a great book!!! I know all of the dogs and dog lovers across America thank Jeff for sharing this wonderful journey through his photographs. How envious we are that we could not go along but having the book is the next best thing. Share this book with every animal lover you know. They will forever be indebted. A special thank you from Rock & Roll from Memphis (pg. 81). You made our day! The King lives!!!!

3 comments about Man's Best Friend 2006 Vertical Wall Calendar.

1. Next to my husband out Weimaraners' have always been "My Best Friends".
   
   I have been receiving or buying the Man's Best Friend Calendar every year, since the first one came out. It makes me happy just to look at the beautiful Weimaraners all gussied up. I also receive the Puppies Calendar every year. I keep Man's Best Friend in my kitchen and "Puppies" in my office. They are great because they have plenty of room for recording dates and appointments



2. I've used Man's Best Friend calendars for 7 years. They always get a reaction, usually a chuckle. They're fun and do what they're supposed to do. Give you the date.



3. I've gotten these for the past several years, and though I looked for something different this year, ultimately I couldn't resist. These are some wonderfully expressive photos. Each month has a full-page image and a smaller pic on the calendar page that is thematically or otherwise related. There are some classic Wegman pics here (though not recycled images from earlier calendars) and some interesting more recent ones. A wonderful gift for a dog/art lover, on extremely high quality paper with gorgeous color. Still not sure how he got the dog on the bicycle.

5 comments about You Can Teach Your Dog to Eliminate on Command.

1. I was bitterly disappointed with this book as I thought it would help my terrier learn to kill on command instead of controlling his number two's. The editor should have given this publication a clearer title to avoid confusion.



2. I was a bit skeptical when I read the previous reviews for "Eliminate on Command." I wasn't sure if these folks were "for real" or just joking about the book. Before I could read the book the evening of the day I received it, my hubby grabbed it and read it through in one sitting. I thought, "Fine, I'll read it tomorrow." He immediately began the training process, which is used on the dog's everyday, normal walks, and my hubby explained to me what we must do with an agreed upon "command" or "trigger word" for our precious Yorky's elimination. I followed through with the same command. Since she already understood the word "potty," we selected "potty-go," which fit into the category of a two or three syllable command. "...[T]he entire training time needed to accomplish your goal is less than five minutes during the entire week," (p. 9).

   After only four days (while I read the book!), Abigail obeyed my hubby's command by immediately squatting and doing her business! I was stunned at the rapidity of the learning process/conditioning. PPC ("Piddle and Poop on Command," or "Positive Potty Control"), works well for a dog of 6 weeks or above. However, there are a few things which must be remembered. The command and praise must be used while the dog is eliminating, and this should be done for about 7 days--the command or trigger word being used approximately 50 to 75 times. But after the dog obeys the trigger word, the command should be used a few times each week only. Dr. Smith emphasizes that one should not over-use the command once the dog is trained.

   Dr. Marjorie Smith says that "...PPC alone cannot housebreak your puppy, but it can help you enormously in your house-breaking efforts and greatly speed the development of reliable housebreaking patterns" (p. 23). Her book includes delightful illustrations of dogs in different training positions, and the dedication with a beautiful illustration on page 12 in memory of her three dogs is very touching. This lady truly knows her business, and I'd love to learn more about other training needs from her vast experience with animal behavior.




3. While it can be hugely convenient to put your dog's elimination on cue, beware of a potential down side. I trained my dog to do this, and now she thinks she has to wait for the command before she's allowed to go. She'll hold it to the point of exploding before she'll go without the command.



4. I got myself a 300-pound Great Dane and taught him to do this using Smith and Stibbard's method. It's great for getting rid of those unwanted peddlers and solicitors who come to your door these days selling everything from Avon cosmetics to the latest s_x gizmo. Well, actually, some of the s_x toys are pretty interesting, but since my pet gerbil got jealous I had to return them.

   So far it's worked great except for the salesman who's suing me in small claims court for ruining his $100 Florsheims.




5. Smith and Stybbard have written a gem in this book. It's certainly helped me to take control of my dog's idiosyncratic toilet habits. My pug Grendel now dances to my tune, be it on walks, in the garden or merely impressing friends and family. A word of caution - take care when choosing your "command words" and "smart phrases" to avoid words your dog is likely to hear on the television. It took 4 episodes of Ali McBeal before I realised that my "full evacuation" command was in the theme song.

1 comments about The New Complete Golden Retriever.

1. I've not seen a more complete book on the subject of Golden Retrievers. While most photographs are black and white, they show an extensive variety as to look. Mrs. Fischer's insight and discussion on Goldens is superb. Her book includes History, Genetics, An Analytical Discussion of the Breed Standard, Training, Field Trials, Tracking, Obedience, Confirmation, Care, Breeding and Raising, Golden Legends, Leaders for the Blind, Pedigrees and more. This truly is a wonderful book that I would recommend to any Golden owner. It's complete. Mrs. Fischer's love of these dogs is evident.

No comments about Dogs Home Alone.

5 comments about The Lost Pet Chronicles: Adventures of A K-9 Cop Turned Pet Detective.

1. Kat's book broke my previous record. I read this book in 1 day. I am a pet store manager in Simi Valley. I post missing pet flyers every day in the window at my store. These pet owners agonize over the disappearance of their beloved pets. I wish this book was around for me to read 10 years ago. I am now telling everybody to read her book whether they have lost a pet or not. I can't wait for her next book. The inside scoop is it will be more of a guide how to find your lost pets. But nothing beats the real thing and that is Kat Albrecht "Pet Detective" Email her at Missing Pet Partnership.



2. I enjoyed reading this book very much. Kathy Albrecht stories were nice to read-I read it front to back in 3 days, however i originally ordered this book to help in finding my lost cat and expected it to be a large reference on ideas on how to find a lost cat. But that wasnt the case there is only 5 pages out of the whole book on this topic. The rest is kathy's adventures in police work, canines, the loss of her pets and how she become a lost pet detective. She does speak of her searches for a few lost pets.
   
   If you want a good read this is a good book. But if you are looking for a lost pet better to go to her website and read the information there.



3. I was at the library searching for something to read, and the beautiful dog on the cover caught my eye. I had no idea that this book would help me deal with the loss of my cat Ruffles, who had been my companion and friend for 14 years. This book speaks to all pet lovers. A great read.
   
   Jeri
   Ashburn, VA



4. The Lost Chronicles by Kat Albrecht is a great book for dog lovers or people that love mysteries. I absolutely love this book! I don't really like to read but I have eleven dogs and this book is definetly my type of book. I especially like how Kat did a wonderful job writing this book using imagery; it makes the book seem as if I was there watching it. It has so many great stories about her dogs, life, adventures, and mysteries. One of the things I like alot about this book is the pictures of her and her dogs. After seeing the pictures, You can picture all the things she's talking about so easily. Another great quality about this book is the supsense and different emotions. While she is telling a story the details she uses makes you have to know whats going happen: you'll find that this isn't a book you can put down. She describes her emotions and dog's emotions very well.This non-fictin book is great for all ages and you'll never have to worry about getting bored while reading. I reccomend this book to anyone especially if your a animal or mystery fan.



5. Everyone who owns a pet owes it to themselves to read this book! Kat's knowledge and experience with tracking dogs is extraordinary, and the valuable information she provides in this book could very well mean the difference in finding your lost pet, or losing it forever.
   Kat shares the ups and downs of her interesting life journey, sometimes joyful, sometimes sad, with a charm, dignity, wit, and grace rarely seen.
   
   I thouroughly enjoyed this book, learned much from it, and do not hesitate to recommend it highly!

No comments about Beyond Basic Dog Training-Workbook.

4 comments about Dog's Best Friend: Annals of the Dog-Human Relationship.

1. I'm enjoying reading this book, but want to note that on p. 201 ("The Ugliness of Beauty"), the author mentions that his dog, Max, "loved chocolate above all other foods." For many dogs, CHOCOLATE IS TOXIC!!! DO NOT GIVE YOUR DOG CHOCOLATE!!!! If in doubt, ask your veterinarian.



2. This is a very useful and informative book about dogs and why AKC breeds have so many health problems: diabetes, bad hips, seizures, etc.



3. This is another book review by Wolfie and Kansas, the boonie dogs from Toto, Guam. When we saw the fetching picture on the cover of "Dog's Best Friend", we thought the book would be primarily about dogs. Actually, the book is more about the humans who breed, train and work and play with dogs. While we think a concentration on dogs would have been more interesting, the sections on these humans are generally pretty good. The book also contains some fascinating history of the dog-human relationship, and even a couple mentions of our island.

   While the individual humans profiled in this book almost all qualify as dogs' best friends, the theme running through this book is that many humans and human organizations have been harming dogs. This harm is done in two ways. First, humans have a negative effect on dog behavior through misguided and cruel training. Author Mark Derr comes close to agreeing with our position that there is no such thing as a bad dog. There are only good dogs trained by bad humans. We do have some reservations about Derr's opinions as to what constitutes "good" or "bad" dog behavior. For example, Derr agrees with our noncanine animal companions of primate derivation that chasing cars is "bad".

   Author Derr also asserts that humans harm dogs genetically by inbreeding purebreds. Derr praises the hybrid vigor of mixed-breed dogs, i.e.--us! Indeed, the physical description of "the perfect dog" in the final chapter of "Dog's Best Friend" is very close to a description of Wolfie.

   We have seen Derr's theories about the genetic superiority of boonie dogs confirmed here in Toto. Foolish humans here spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars to import purebreds, who die within a rew weeks of exposure to local parasites that we barely notice. Meanwhile, boonie dogs are often sent to the slammer ("shelter") to be killed ("put to sleep") or broken ("fixed"). Hopefully humans will read this important book, stop overbreeding purebreds, and give us boonie dogs good homes in exchange for the companionship and protection that we can provide so well




4. This book is certain to raise howls from the members of the AKC! It is scathing in its discussion of breed registration and the responsibility of the AKC in the production of unfit animals. Any person looking for a pure bred pet must read this first. The book brings to mainline dog lovers the knowledge serious dog trainers have been saying to each other for some time- breeding "for Pretty" damages the animals.

   There is room for debate on several of Mr. Derr's contentions, but by and large he has brought important information to light that anyone loving dogs should be concerned about. He has also done it in a compelling fashion without pedantics.

5 comments about Doin' Arizona With Your Pooch!: Eileen's Directory of Dog-Friendly Lodging & Outdoor Adventures in Arizona (Vacationing With Your Pet Travel Series).

1. This book's lodging listings are so inaccurate as to be a serious potential inconvenience for the traveler. Two thirds of the non-chain lodging listings I contacted no longer admit dogs. If it's too much trouble to update the thing, the publishers ought to stop printing it. Save your money.



2. I ordered this before summer and tried to use it. It's 4 years old and most accommodations are wrong. A lot of the other info was still valid, but without a place to stay it didn't go very well.



3. I share my home in Northern Arizona with two dogs and travel all over the state to hike with them. I found this book helpful for Southeastern Arizona and especially for the Phoenix area, but have found numerous inaccuracies for hikes with dogs in Northern Arizona. Basically, the author lists hikes "near" a town and I've found them to be as far as two HOURS away from the town listed. Her directions are often way off, too. I question whether she's ever been to many of the places she lists in her book. The book is probably still worth getting, however, if all you care about is hiking/staying in and around Phoenix.



4. If you like doin' Arizona, and have a pooch, this book is for you! This fantastic piece of literature shows you the classiest toilets to drink from, and the freshest hydrants to mark! Let Max slobber off the edge of the Grand Cañon, run around the Petrified Forest, or just kick back in a doggy hotel. If you're planning on seeing Arizona, but thought you'd have to leave Rover at home, BUY THIS BOOK!



5. I was really suprised as this book offers tons of invaluable information. As an avid Arizona hiker I was amazed to find fido friendly hiking trails rarely mentioned in print anywhere! The book covers hiking trails, parks, lodging and fido info galore. Tips on pooch travel and pet care complete the package. Nice job!