No comments about Grooming (Threshold Picture Guides Series).

5 comments about What All Good Dogs Should Know: The Sensible Way to Train.

1. Anyone with a serious yearning to understand learning theory will need more in-depth guides than this book. But anyone whose end goal is a mannerly dog who can be a full-fledged family member would do well to start here.
   
   The beauties of this book are:
   (1) It focuses on manners and context - WHY you should teach certain behaviors and HOW to use them in real life. Other books tend to imply that training a dog is a goal in itself - and I've met many trainers who seem to enjoy training just for the sake of it - but your average family wants to train for more practical reasons.
   
   (2) The authors don't waste time justifying themselves or "selling" themselves/their methods.
   
   (3) It promotes realistic expectations and understanding of a dog - simple stuff that everybody really really needs to know but most don't (dogs don't act out of spite; dogs associate their immediate actions with consequences, so you can't punish them for past misdeeds; etc.).
   
   (4) There isn't any bad or dangerous advice (with 1 possible exception, see #3 below), and it steers clear of controversial hot-buttons topics such as dominance theory.
   
   It has a few nuisance issues, tho they aren't a big enough deal to override the positives:
   
   (1) Using the cue (aka command) before the dog knows to associate it with a specific behavior. It is better to get the behavior reliably and then add the word, but it isn't make-or-break.
   
   (2) The only method they introduce for teaching "down" is physical prompting. Prompting is my pet peeve for so many reasons! After you've taught the dog to respond to the prompt, you have to teach them to respond without it - that's double the work. Dogs have an opposition reflex, so pushing or pulling them down will cause them to resist - that's nature, not stubbornness, which the authors don't address. Dogs that don't like handling will shy from prompting. Dogs VERY quickly become collar-wise, and since the prompting requires using the collar, dogs are less likely to respond when they aren't wearing a collar (the collar becomes part of the cue, basically). Etc.
   
   (3) It shows its age by referring to choke chains as the last resort for pullers (choke chains are terrible for pullers, by the way, because pulling will keep the chain tight - very dangerous), but ignores modern alternatives such as harnesses and head halters.
   
   (4) There isn't much in the way of troubleshooting. They say go to your dog rather than call them to you for unpleasantries, which is absolutely vital. But what if your dog begins to associate your approach with unpleasant stuff, and begins to run from you? So, you may need another book for "troubleshooting."



2. A friend on mine gave me this book, she currently has 6 dogs and havs used this book to train all of them. I really enjoyed the book. It was an easy read with very easy to understand methods, funny little comics, and it got right to the point. Grant it my Pup is only 11 weeks old and I'm still having some trouble with a few things with her, but not much. I suggest you give this book a whirl especially if you have read other books and feel they haven't helped much.



3. So easy to follow & understand! And, the cartoons throughout are great!
   Without this book, I would have been completely clueless when it came to getting our first puppy housebroken & trained. Because of this book, we now have two fantastic dogs (one who is 1 year and one at 6 mos. old). This book completely debunks so many age-old dog training myths - how to dicipline, not rewarding inappropriate behavior by accident...etc. I would have done a lot wrong without this book! Very humane, thoughtful & insightful into the world of puppies and dogs. If you've ever wondered "why does my dog do that?" you'll find the answer here. Bravo to the authors!



4. This is one book that every dog owner, or potential dog owner, should buy! It doesn't matter if you have a Rottweiler, a Chihuahua, or just a good old Heinz 57 dog, this book is for all dogs. Cute illustrations and sound advice on how to make your dog the good doggie citizen of the year abound in this book. It addresses common issues like housebreaking, walking on a leash nicely, crate training, and much more. I highly recommend this book!



5. This is a good, basic book about dog training. Some of the insite into why dogs do what they do and what they are really thinking is great information to have. But, if you are serious about dog training it will take more than just this one book to give you all the base knowlege you need.

   I would recommend this book to anyone interested in dogs though. The information it has is accurate and useful and the illustrations are fun and educational. I agree with the person who said it would be a great dog training book for younger children to start with. The illustrations make this book very understandable for everyone.

   Add it to your collection for the pictures and basic information, but do keep reading because there are more comprehensive dog training manuals out there.

2 comments about Treats, Play, Love: Make Dog Training Fun for You and Your Best Friend.

1. understanding the behavior from the dog perspective is helpful in understanding how to treat problematic behavior



2. Some twenty years Burnham wrote one of my favorite training books, *Playtraining Your Dog* -- purportedly as a rebuttal to the mordant severity of Koehler, et al. *Treats, Play, Love* is something of a sequel to *Playtraining,* something of an updating -- and equally superb. When my copy arrived from, I sort riffled the pages as I walked from the mailbox into the house, and all of a sudden, I realized I was sitting at the table, still wearing my jacket and scarf, and reading the damn thing. It's that good. This would be an excellent book to give someone who wants to get started in dog sports. There are whole sections worth quoting.

5 comments about Dogs Bite: But Balloons and Slippers Are More Dangerous.

1. I think that this book is a must-read for dog trainers, home-owners' insurance salesmen, and anyone involved in dog legislation. It includes facinating graphs and statistics that put things in perspective.
   Still, the author recommends training and education for people and dogs.
   If you're involved in breed ban legislation you should consider reading this book.



2. Another pro-dog diatribe, attempting to justify dog ownership by trivialising the danger to children and the elderly from unconstrained dogs. There's something rather perverse and unnatural about 'owning' a mammal, whose utter dependence and williingness to endure anything strokes the fragile ego of the owner. Whether these types of books - of the polemical pro-dog type - spring from the PR department of the large petfood industry (very likely), or they are simply self-justifying therapy by dog owners, enough is enough. There are a few billion humans on this planet who could use the thousands that dog owners waste on dumb animals each year. And an environment that could benefit by ridding it of the massive damage that millions of dogs create annually.



3. It's true, as the author tells us, that more people die in wars. But with people like Saddam and Bush in the the world, whaddayagointodo?
   It's true that more people die by swallowing random objects and choking on them, but with stuff like marbles and Kentucky Fried Chicken in the world, whaddahagointodo?
   It's true that more people get killed and messed up in car wrecks, than get killed and messed up by dogs, but with all the cars and all those people commuting and driving to WalMart and Disneyworld and all the rest, whaddayagointodo?
   Hey, dogs are all right! They just kill people, maim people, just like their owners would like to do themselves, but can't do, because they'd go to prison for it, and then get messed up themselves, bad, so the dogs rip into neighbors and passers by, and it's all right, "oh I didn't know he was out" or "what did you do, stomp at him?" or "I think you were trying to get into my yard, don't you respect private property" or "he doesn't like people who look like you, there was a [guy of your ethnic group] who used to beat him, you know some people just don't like dogs", hey you know "every dog has one bite", or maybe two or ten ...
   You know, like "guns don't kill people, people kill people" just the same thing, we're just talking about dogs, this time ...
   "There are no bad dogs." Right? Right. Just bad people. Like just about everybody who owns dogs. When are you people going to do something about yourselves?



4. A couple of months ago I received a request to review for my EZine (www.behaviorlogic.com) a new book that was being published, and I'll reproduce it here. The book is called Dogs Bite But Balloons and Slippers are More Dangerous by Janis Bradley. It was published this year by James and Kenneth Publishers in Berkeley. (ISBN 1-888047-18-6).
   
   The book reveals the reality behind the terrifying headlines about dog attacks against innocent humans. The fact of the matter is that while dogs are more likely to kill children and the elderly than hale and hearty adults, they rarely commit fatal attacks on humans of any age. A far greater risk to children is their own parents.
   
   Bradley has produced a variety of statistics on the death and injury rates produced by various causes. More people die of fork lift accidents, balloons, and 5-gallon buckets than die of dog bites. And of the high number of reported dog bites (Some 800,000 each year in the US) remarkably few actually result in medical care.
   
   This book is important to dog lovers right now, especially those who have certain breeds such as the dreaded pit bull or look-alikes such as the Staffordshire Terrier. The media focus on pit bull attacks has made them into pariahs, when in fact, they can be gentle, loving pets. Even a cocker spaniel or a dachshund can kill someone. In fact both breeds have. But no one is threatening to ban those breeds.
   
   Bradley writes in an engaging and personable style about legislation, liability, breeds and appropriate strategies for managing the dogs in association with the people in our homes. If you want to get past the hype to the truth about dog attacks, this book is a wealth of information.



5. I wish I had gotten a copy of this to the Senator that created the 'dangerous dog' law for Oregon that just went into effect this year.
   
   This is a book that every dog trainer needs to read so they can educate their clients.
   
   I'm looking forward to Janis' visit to CSDogBookReview (YahooGroups) as a guest author in March. It should be very interesting!

No comments about Puppy's First Steps: A Proven Approach to Raising a Happy, Healthy, Well-Behaved Companion.

2 comments about Russian Tortoises (Complete Herp Care).

1. I really enjoyed this book!
   We have a new Russian Tortoise and needed a beginner's guide of how to house, feed and care for our tortoise. The pictures are wonderful in the book and the author took the time to point out different thoughts, controversial ways and the "why's" of caring for your tortoise when it's not in its natural habitat. I would recommend this book to those wanting to know more about their new pet. My children enjoyed the pictures and the chapters are thorough, yet not exhaustive. For the family needing more than what the pet store gives you, this book is the perfect solution.



2. I thought this book would be more detailed in scope than it was. In fact, I think the website http://www.russiantortoise.org/ is in some ways more informative than this book. I would still recommend purchasing it if you want to absorb as many viewpoints as you can. I feel the author was writing a primer, and not an extensive book on the subject of tortoises. This would be an excellent book for the newbie to tortoises, but for one who has cruised the internet on the tortoises, it may be a disappointment, but it is still worth owning.

5 comments about Great Danes.

1. This was an ok Dane book. I bought Great Dane: Model of Nobility and that is the best book for anyone wanting to know about Great Danes. It gives all the info you could ever want. It is out of print, but you can get it from a marketplace vendor or you can go to the author's dane website. Just google Jill Swedlow and you will find it. She has where you can print it out for free off of her site.



2. From the first sentence of the boook, there is a recurring theme that "Giant Dogs bring Giant Responsibilities." While this is certainly good advice, it was repeated so often throughout the book that I got the impression that the author was trying to discourage readers from getting a Great Dane. He spent a lot of time discussing health issues (always the problems the dog can get)but little time discussing what to do about them. AFter reading the book, it is enough to make a prospective owner consider opting for another breed. If you read the book, balance it with information from another Great Dane book, as this one is biased against new owners.



3. Service is great and the book arrived in new condition. Its a great resource for people willing to have a great dane puppy.



4. I purchased a great dane and really was looking for something breed specific to find information to help me to care for my dane correctly. It answered my questions very well and in easy to read and understand language. A must for any first-time dane owner. Many beautiful Dane pictures. And very economically priced.



5. I like this book to loan people who are considering getting a dane, as well as keeping a copy for myself. I think it explains how wonderful they truly are, but also explains the responsibilities of owning this breed. In many ways, they're more like an exotic pet and do have special care requirements, which he explains. He tells of the ups and the downs and makes you realize that your life won't be the same and you must be sure that this is what you want. Of the two people I've loaned my spare copy to, one got a dane and adored it & another decided against it. And I have another person who wants to borrow it, as they're considering a dane. Very helpful to a new or prospective dane owner. Also has many beautiful, naturally-taken dane pictures throughout.

5 comments about Cat: Seventeenth Anniversary Edition.

1. I love this book! I may buy more for friends. It arrived on time in excellent condition.



2. Alas, Bernard "Hap" Kliban is gone, but his genius lives on in "Cat", a book of cartoons that captures the personality of the cat as seen by cat lovers. Strangely enough, Kliban was a cartoonist for "Playboy", contributing cartoons for that publication until his death. The cat cartoons were discovered by a "Playboy" editor and the 1975 book "Cat" was born.
   
   Kliban's cats are rotund bug-eyed creatures with a smile on their faces that says the joke is on you. The cartoons include the cats doing nonsensical things as well as performing deeds that you always suspected they might be guilty of as they interact with dogs, mice, people, and in some cases impersonate people. Included among the cartoons is a cat playing a banjo singing a tune of his own making with the lyrics "Love to eat them mousies. Mousie's what I love to eat...". For those that can remember the days when a television was a heat emanating device that invariably attracted napping cats there is a cartoon of a couple sitting in front of a television with a transparent cat standing in front of the screen. Their comments: "We enjoy the television set now that we got ourselves a transparent cat!". Interspersed among the "Kliban cats" are truly beautiful and elegant drawings of Kliban's own real-life cats, to whom he dedicated this book.
   
   If you enjoyed Gary Larson's "Far Side" series and you are a cat lover I'm sure you'll enjoy this book. I highly recommend it.



3. ENGAGEMENT CALENDAR
   "Get ready for a year of Cat gluttony and sloth, mayhem and misadventure, and--as always--a fine disregard for the law. (Laws governing physics and animal behavior come in for especially vigorous abuse from these feckless felines, as well as the law Thou Shalt Not Swipe Thy Neighbor's Sushi and that other law, Don't Juggle With Kittens.) ¶ Now in their third decade of worldwide popularity, the Cats show not the slightest sign of starting to behave like adults. Or like small-c cats, either. They will do whatever it takes to send you through 2006 with a smile on your face. Even if it means hugging a big, smug fish. Even if it means taking a bath. Even if it means missing a meal. Well, perhaps not that last one. ¶ 112 page, spiral-bound weekly engagement calendar with 53 reproductions, and clear plastic covers. Size: 6 5/8 by 8". Calendar features 53 weekly grids and full-page 2006 and 2007 yearly grids. Includes international holidays and a page for notes. ISBN 0-7649-3049-4 . . . Other calendars: wall, mini-wall, and 365-day. Additional publications available in our Kliban Gallery."--© Pomegranate
   
   WALL CALENDAR
   "The debauch continues. Cats have a go at Abstract Expressionism (and simultaneous inadvertent body art), feed a wild variety of birds from a park bench with nary a thought to their own nominally predatory nature, doze in the soporific vapors of a plate of pasta, and pop furtively and in sizeable numbers from the tall grass at the rustle of a sandwich being unwrapped. Other hi- and low-jinx take place as well. ¶ 13 x 12" wall calendar (opens to 13 x 24") with twelve full-color reproductions. ISBN: 0-7649-3053-2 . . . Other calendars: weekly engagement, mini-wall, and 365-day.Related items available in Kliban Cat Gallery."--© Pomegranate



4. This book is my absolute favorite, I have recently decided. My B. Kliban legacy goes back, way back, to my grandmother (we call her "Darling") who fell in love with the Qats back in the seventies (now keep in mind this is not some frumpy old lady. At the time she was the coolest little activist hippie this side of South Street.) Then there's my mother, who, out in San Fransisco around the same time used to roll with laughter at the Cat cartoons with her zany friend.
   Enter me. As a kid, I never really understood Kliban--I also didn't have a cat yet. Then I did--first came Serena, then Zubi, and finally Torquil Hevoir James (AKA Booboo Kitty.) And so I loved B. Kliban. And this book is the most hilarious thing I've ever seen. Now that I'm going off to college, I think I'll frame some pages for my dorm room. And place them randomly around the campus. Most people I know who don't have cats really don't get it, but that's okay. I mean, the drawings are beautiful and whacky enough to get anyone. And the concepts--what was this guy on? Catnip, I believe. Whatever the inspiration, Cat is definitely the besties and the greaties.
   P.S. I don't actually have this particular edition of the book; I didn't even know it was still in print. I have Darling's hardcover copy from 1976, and I love the cover: "Cat" in huge red letters with two of Kliban's pen-and-ink cats looking at it from below. Beautiful, beautiful.



5. I bought this book by accident. Well, not really, but I allowed another reviewer to seduce me into buying the new Kliban Cat Calendar and I saw this book listed as well on the calendar's detail page. I saw the words 'anniversary edition' and decided to order it. It was only after I received it that I discovered that seventeenth anniversary of "Cat" was in 1992, two years after Kliban's death. So 2002 is really the 27th anniversary. All that being said, I want to state that this little book would be fantastic no matter what it's age is, or what the age of it's reader is either. I love this book.

   There, I've said it, this crusty old man goes all soft hearted when he leafs through a 25 year old book of cat cartoons. As well he should! Kliban captures something entirely different from other feline cartoonists. They aren't kitten cute, nor are they wicked Garfields, as Art Spiegelman points out in his introduction. Instead they are the light hearted chubby denizens of a world of whimsical, good natured self-interest. They relax at the beach, dream of the stars, and steal cheese sandwiched with equal aplomb. They exchange traditional concepts of cat beauty for an enticing comfyness which only a cat lover could understand.

   Love is an important and operative word in this little volume. Not one of Kliban's cartoons is made at the expense of cats. Instead, each opens a door to the essential nature of our furry friends, and the non-judgmental affection that they display to those in their circle of trust. A snarl turns into a lick, a meow into a purr and then all is well. Kliban is the only artist I know who has managed to really capture the feline Mona Lisa smile. You know, the one that cats use to melt their owners. Cats forgive with a grace from which us humans could learn a great deal. And Kliban captures it all. Many of the cartoons are not really cartoons, but innocent studies of the artists own cats, drawn with genuine affection.

   Art Spiegelmann, artist and author of MAUS, provides a short and delightful introduction to the anniversary edition, and there are 16 pages of Kliban's color work for our further delectation. Everyone who likes cats needs to have this book around. Placed somewhere so that it will fall to hand in those irritating moments when we need to look at cats in order to remember what it is to be human.

5 comments about Proper Care of Guinea Pigs (Proper Care of...Series).

1. I have read 3 books on guinea pigs and this is by far the best & most "down to earth". The author has & loves guinea pigs. I have found that none of the books are particularly helpful in assessing gender.



2. This is a colorful book with lots of pictures and content but I wish it were less like a story and more factual.



3. I bought this book when I decided to adopt two sows, based on the reviews this book got. Later after I got the pigs I did some more research and discovered the Cavy Cages website and the Guinea Lynx medical online resource for guinea pigs which included a highly moderated forum so one can read the most up to date information on cavy care.
   
   I give Gurney credit because he touts the benefits of large cage size (he himself has a free-range situation with 37 pigs) and also because of the many high quality pictures of cavies. I have read around 20 books on guinea pig care, and his is by far the most accurate in terms of care, but sadly still lacking.
   
   The organization of this book leaves much to be desired. Although the pictures are delightful, sometimes they are so big and numerous that the text is oddly spaced and hard to read through. Also, the chapter names are vague ("beautiful beasties, to have and to hold".) There are no specific sections on food or adoption, which I believe to be two of the more important aspects of cavy care. Hay, good quality pellets and fresh fruits and veggies need to be part of a cavy's diet. And pet stores often get their pigs from a backyard breeder and/or give inaccurate advice to consumers.
   
   All in all, this is a mediocore book. I highly recommend that if you are looking into getting a guinea pig, do the online research first! Especially check out the two websites I mentioned. This book is nice to buy afterwards, but not for the information, just for the pictures.



4. A must read for any current or potential guinea pig owner! We (the TX Rustlers Guinea Pig Rescue) recommend this book to all our new guinea pig adopters.
   This book has many color photographs which helps in the depiction of ailments your piggies may suffer from, he also recommends treatments and advices on what products you can use to treat the more common / non life threatening conditions.



5. This is one of the best guinea pig books out there. There is a lot of information and many pictures to go with it. Being the owner of six guinea pigs, I do like to read a lot about them. I was trying to find a book that contained more than just words and cute pictures. (Although this book is packed with great pictures!) I had a skin condition on a newly acquired pig, and I really needed a picture or two to help me figure out what I was dealing with. This was the ONLY book out of the ten I own that showed pictures of two of the most common skin conditions - ringworm and mites. Although I do have a knowledgeable veterinarian, I do like to have something on hand that helps me to recognize common conditions so that I know when it's something I can treat or when it needs a trip to the vet. (This time it did - mites!) I wish I had bought this book early on in my guinea pig ownership. I recommend it to all guinea pig owners.

1 comments about German Shorthaired Pointer (Kennel Club Dog Breed Series).

1. From the photo on the inside front cover to The back inside cover. I doubt that you will find anyting you do not like. This Book is totally up-to-date That is what makes it so great. You are not reading a book that was how they did it in them Good Ole Days. The info and photos are all for todays German Shorthaired Pointer. If it misses anything I for one do not know what that maybe.
   
   drayegon