No comments about Training the Sheep Dog.

5 comments about Dream Horses: A Poster Book.

1. I purchased this along with the Breeds poster book but was disappointed in the quality of the photos. You could so easily tell that they had been altered mechanically. In the style of Robert Vavra but way behind in quality. I was sorry that I bought this one for my horsemanship camp students. The very young set 6-8 did like the magic and the unicorn but the older kids found it corny. High quality paper and the possibility of tearing out the pages as posters are why I gave it two stars. This is nice for decorating a room with if you have a younger child but like I said the alterations are too visible for an older child.



2. My horse loving 8 yr old daughter got this from santa for christmas and loves it. The pictures are beautiful and are printed on nice photo type paper. Also the pages are very easy to take out without ripping the pictures. For now we are keeping the book together, until we buy some picture frames for them. Once they are framed we will display them either in a collage on one wall of her bedroom or display them as a border.



3. This book is gorgeous in its layout and pictures of horses ready to be framed and displayed. There is a great variety in both the horses and the environment -- some pictured singly and others in a group. Very nice! My granddaughter was ecstatic!



4. The first customer, Luan Gaines wrote a perfect review. I too bought this for my one of my little girls who loves everything & anything horses. She looks at each & every page over & over.The rest of the world just melts away when she & I have this book open. This poster book of horses was beautifully put together. Sheer genius!!! Stunning photo after photo! Your horse lover will treasure this gift forever.



5. This picture book is full of beautiful pictures of horses. All of them are amazing and beautiful. All of them, however, are pictures of horses in motion. A lovely sight, undoubtedly, but I also enjoy pictures of horses in stillness, and in this regard, the book comes empty.

2 comments about Training the Young Horse.

1. There are a lot of pretty pictures in this book, with the occassional good piece of advice. However, to title the book "Training the Young Horse," you are allowing your readers to expect to get information about how to train a young horse. This book has as much information as a letter to the editor would. It's a joke.



2. How can you not be a fan of Rolex Grand Slam winner, Pippa Funnell - an inspiration to all riders. As you'll discover in this book, she's down to earth and modest about her success. She admits to being "a bit soppy with my horses"; but what that translates to is a genuine respect for the horse and a true understanding of partnership. Similar to the book by Jennie Loriston-Clarke, "The Young Horse, Breaking and Training" (see my review), this book covers a lot of material, but nonetheless provides a structured program for training the youngster and an excellent starting point for future reading into specific areas. It also gives trouble shooting advice for when things don't go as planned and is well illustrated with photographs. An enjoyable read, I highly recommend.

3 comments about Practical Scent Dog Training.

1. This book was poorly written and I WOULD NOT recomend this book to anyone who wants to seriously go into scent dog training. This book is very vague in detail. This book was not very well organized. I think that this author does not know what she is actually writing about. I think of her not qualified to write about scenting



2. This book covers all of the basics of tracking and air-scenting (search and rescue). It is very practical, readable and well laid out. You can use its exercises for teaching your toy poodle to find your lost keys, to prepare for the AKC Tracking Dog tests, or to begin SAR training.
   Even if you do not have a dog, Practical Scent Dog Training is fascinating reading. There are clear explanations of how scent is deposited (I always wondered) and diagrams showing how it is effected by environmental conditions. I had no idea that dogs were capable of doing some of the things that this book details!



3. This is an excellent book. It's a step by step practical training guide for air scent, evidence search, disaster search, and tracking tests. You can start with very young puppies. Not only that, but many of the training methods outlined can be used just for fun, even if you're not in search and rescue. I recommend this book to everyone interested in seeing their dogs use their noses, whether they are interested in actually doing search and rescue, just want to know a little more about SAR, or want to play around with the concepts.

5 comments about Who Moved My Bone: A Guide for Multi--Dog Households.

1. My husband and I got a Siberian Husky and decided after a few months that we would like to get another since we kept hearing that huskies love company. The breeder that we've been going through was always very helpful with any questions that we had, and when we expressed interest in getting another puppy, she recommended that we read this book. It was such a big help in not only deciding whether or not another dog was right for us (we also have 2 cats), but it helped in our preparations for actually bringing the second puppy home and how best to introduce her into our home with our other 3 animals. While we obviously have some trying moments between our 4 pets, this book helped me to understand them better and to be better able to help them adjust. Very good book!!



2. This book caught my eye for two reasons. One - I have three dogs and am considering another. And two - as an avid reader of business management books, I thought it was a cute play on the book "Who Moved My Cheese" by Spencer Johnson and Kenneth Blanchard.
   
   All-in-all, Mancuso does a decent job of explaining the basics of how to introduce a new dog to your existing canine family, although the bulk of the book is simply about general dog info (i.e. first aid, medical care, feeding). It is definitetly a better resource for someone who has decided to add a second dog to a one-dog household. As we are now four dog household, the book didn't have a lot to offer that I didn't already know. However, the book is not a total loss to the already experienced dog owner. It includes a very comprehensive chapter on canine emergencies (anything you could possibly imagine) as well as a very detailed chapter on making the decision to put an elderly or ill dog to sleep. Not scenarios that you want to think about, but experiences that we may all have to face.
   
   Mancuso does spend a little too much time boasting about her own dogs and after a few chapters it becomes a bit hard to take.
   
   So, if you're looking for a book on general canine care with a snazzy title and nice cover art, this is the book for you!



3. I purchased Theresa Mancuso's book when my 4 dog family was moving on to 5 dogs (we now have SIX!!). Our last dog to be added was a German Shep dog with onging health problems. I found Ms. Mancuso's book to be a delightful read, something that rests easy for a few pages or chapters right before bedtime. It also helped me integrate my doggie family more tightly than before.
   Unlike the other reviewers, I felt that every chapter had something really good to offer. Even if you already knew it, hearing it from a different perspective helped me to adjust the relationships in my pack. Yes, Ms. Mancuso brings her experiences gleaned from interactions with her own dogs, BUT that's what make the book real. It's not just theory or lesson plans. I can relate to what she speaks about. For example, my favorite chapter is "Talk to the Dogs, and They Will Tell You." And it covers a sense of spirituality of "dogdom" and how we as humans, fit into their realm.
   If you're looking for a totally "practical" and hands-on training book, you might find this book a little "light." However, if you've lived with dogs and sensed their ways with things from a more spirtual aspect, you will find this book most enjoyable, and right on target. I can't tell you how many times I have gone back to the book to see the "big picture". That's pack life!



4. This book was a disappointment. The cover picture is great, but inside, it's what most owners of one dog already know. It doesn't get into the real dynamics of having multiple dogs, but tells the owner, they will have to train two and have more vet bills. Most people would already have figured this out. I recommend "Feeling Outnumbered" by Patricia McConnell if you want more information about multiple dogs.



5. This book offers a clever title . . . and little else.
   
   This book contains very little practical advice about multi-dog households. The majority of the book is general dog info (i.e. first aid, medical care, feeding). Beyond that, the author spends far too much time gushing over her own pack of German Shepherds. For me, this was irrelevant and not applicable at all to my own situation.

5 comments about Training Retrievers for the Marshes and Meadows.

1. Nice book. I chose the book because of the Amazon.com reviews. It appeared to be what my Grandson had requested and he seemed pleased to get it as a Christmas present. We will have to wait to see if the information in the book helped him with the training.



2. I found out about this book in 1991 shortly after I had gotten a Lab puppy that I wanted to train to be a working dog.
   
   I had read all the popular books at the time, but none made it clear to me - what I needed to make clear to my dog !!
   
   I met a man on Compuserve who raised and trained working retrievers in the Midwest. He highly recommended this book, but it was difficult to find, and in those days we did not have "AMAZON.COM".
   
   Anyhow, I finally got the book and my dog Molly became the best working dog I have ever had the pleasure to hunt with. She was nothing short of amazing at spotting birds down, and she could easily blind retrieve the ones she did not see fall (almost always a double).
   
   This book also taught me the concept and importance of teaching "force training" for retrieving, and it indeed works.
   
   Molly is 15 yrs old now and is "retired", but if she was physically able she would hunt with me tomorrow.
   
   So my strong advice here is get this book if you have a young dog that you want to be well trained and a pleasure to hunt with. Also, well trained dogs make MUCH better and happier pets!!
   
   -- Cain



3. This book is absolutely fantastic. After reading numerous other training books and still having difficulty with my young dog I stumbled onto this book by accident. Spencer covers every aspect of training the puppy right through to advanced blinds and marks. His style of writing is very clear and his use of anecdotes helps to illustrate the real life ramifications of various techniques. Until I read this book I had great difficulty training consistent blind retrieves. Spencer's explanation of the correct use of conditioning flags has made it so much easier. I have read this book at least ten times and learn something new every time. I can't recommend it enough.



4. James B. Spencer's Training Retrievers For Marshes And Meadows will hold a specific appeal for hunters who use retriever dogs in their work. Beginners are taught how to gain rapport and train dogs, from basic obedience to training for the hunt - and receive instructions particular not only to retrieving in general, but to the breed.



5. Before, during and continuing with the training of my current yellow Lab, I have read quite a few books on the subject. I wish I would have had this one sooner! Easy to read and great instruction all in one book.

No comments about The Seven Ages of Man's Best Friend: A Comprehensive Guide for Caring for Your Dog Through All the Stages of Life.

1 comments about Hummingbirds of North America: Attracting, Feeding, and Photographing.

1. ...announced by that high-pitched hum that is the onomatopoeia origins for the bird's name. Dan True explains in his introduction that when he lived in the Palo Duro canyon, near Amarillo, he was actually trying to photograph the bird at the opposite end of the size spectrum - the bald eagle - when his obsession with the hummingbird began. This book is a distillation of his experiences with these magnificent creatures, valuable for the specialist, as well as those who simply hang a feeder in their backyard.
   
   In this book he covers their migration, one of whose principal routes, no doubt due to the uplift provided, is along the Continental Divide. He raises reasonable speculation that the tiny Rufous might actually fly further than the known distance record set by the Arctic tern, which is 11,000 plus miles as it makes its way from the Arctic to the Antarctic. He also covers their colors, mating habits, nesting, and predators. He provides practical advice on feeders, the timing for placing them outside, and the recommended percentage of sugar, which my wife faithfully follows, with excellent results. He also identifies the flowers most likely to attract them. The section on feeding is a good fourth of the book.
   
   Almost half the book is a specific guide to the 16 breeding species in North America. The guide includes their geographic distribution, with maps, excellent photographs of each, their winter locations and size specifications. Of the species, the Rufous is the most aggressive. He also includes a detailed chapter on how to photograph the birds, and appendixes on hummer "trivia" and geographical distribution by state.
   
   This is an essential book for anyone wanting to expand one's knowledge about this most unique bird category.

1 comments about Fashion Dogs.

1. I didn't care for this book, it seems to be trying to be an "Art" book but lacks focus in that, and it is way too short for a coffee table book. The pictures are of poor quality and I had hoped for more fashion for the actual dogs, not dogs as props in fashion.

4 comments about The Guide to Owning a West Highland Terrier (Re Dog Series).

1. Helpful in many ways and then many pages become a generic dog book.
   The parts pertaining ONLY to A West Highland White are too few.
   
   Save and get a more specific book on Westies!



2. I was a bit disappointed with the content as I am a new owner of a three-months old Westie and never had a pet before so I intended to find a book with details or step by step instructions on the topics of training, feeding, groomings, etc. I was not so interested in the content that seemed to be more focus on which product is best for your Westie or only told you to go to the training school. In my coutry, there is no such community or training school for dog no mention especially for my adorable Westie.



3. This book gives great value for the money. I found the pictures especially captivating since they are "high gloss". The author does a fair job of detailing the West Highland White Terrier's history, standard, feeding, grooming, training and showing. However, most of the book reads as if the explanations were taken from other sources (the breed standard is simply the AKC explanation, and the 5 page discussion on Nylabone is nearly a verbatim rendition of the Nylabone manufacturer's insert included with each chewing toy.) However, the author did include various pictures and diagrams pointing out the various components which make up the breed's standard, and this is helpful when attempting to figure out things like "where is the withers?" At times, the text was confusing and contradictory. At one point, the author states p.26 "Now what about supplements of various kinds, mineral and vitamin, or the various oils? They are all okay to add to your Westie's food." Then 3 lines later states "Except on the advice of your veterinarian, added amounts of vitamins can prove harmful to your Westie!" Only a careful reader would pick this up, and one may follow certain suggestions to the detriment of your pet. The pictures were beautiful, but the author should have identified by name the Westie being photographed. Overall, this book is helpful when being introduced to the breed.



4. Has good information but needs to talk a little more about how to train westies. Good information on feeding and toys. Good photos, too. Information on caring for puppies; it has helped me take care of my puppies. Adrienne L.