5 comments about My Parrot, My Friend: An Owner's Guide to Parrot Behavior (Behavior Modification Techniques and Their Role in Contemporary Aviculture).

1. Parrots - from budgies to Hyacinth Macaws - are nothing like dogs and cats. For one thing, most of them outlive us. When you get a parrot, you get an individual with the smarts of a 5 year old kid who's emotionally stuck at 2. My Parrot, My Friend gives you all the insight you'll need to get started in and maintain a healthy relationship with your fid (feathered kid). In my 40 years as a parrot companion, this is the first book that I found having everything necessary to ensure you have the proper understanding of the committment needed - time, money, patience, more time, humor - to have a healthy, happy parrot.



2. This book is a good read in bringing one's common sense understanding of parrots in general. I was able to formulate a more educated sense when working with my parrots... basically it gives scientific, common sense information.
   
   A must for the home library.



3. This book was recommended by another bird site as the only book you will ever need to understand your bird. I think I was expecting too much. It reads a little like a clinical tome; too many words, too little said. Yet, the monochromatic photos and diagrams, editing errors, and misspelled words cause you to question the credibility.



4. This book is very thourough.
   I recently got it "out of the closet" and it helped my boyfriend understand my two goffins cockatoos much better.
   It's easy to read, entertaining, and full of useful information.
   Well worth the money.



5. Thinking about buying a pet bird? MY PARROT, MY FRIEND by B.M. Doane will not answer all your questions, but it will give you a broad overview of what to expect from various types of parrots. As the owner of ten parrots, I found little of specific interest about my own birds, I must rely on specialty books for that. However, if you know nothing, you will not know which specialty book to buy. For example, are you thinking about a small bird or a large bird? The author discusses generalized personality traits forgenuses of Psittadaceae( parrot family). Did you know that "budgies" (a.k.a. parakeets) and love birds were types of parrots?

   Coloration, characteristics such as an affectionate nature, and length of life differ across parrot genuses. According to Doane, while most Cockatoos like to be handled, most Cockatiels are not interested in human affection. The specially bred colors such as Lutino Cockatiels may not live as long as birds with the natural coloration. Budgies are most susceptible to cancer (all of them are predisposed to it apparently) and thus most budgies have relatively short life spans. The author provides very general information about how birds grow and develop and how you can work with your bird and encourage him to talk. Plenty of black and white photos.

5 comments about How to Right a Dog Gone Wrong: A Road Map for Rehabilitating Aggressive Dogs.

1. I have a human-aggressive dog and with this book, I have already seen a huge difference! This book is great for a human and/or dog-aggressive dog.
   
   This book covers: the causes of aggression, how to prevent aggression, foundation behaviors and designing desensitization program. It also provides information on controlling your dog in a variety of settings such as: walking on a trail, getting safely into the vet's office, having someone touch dog, guests coming to the door, people/dogs walking past your window, and driving in the car. This book also provides a log sheet for you to record progress.
   
   Also, I saw a review saying if your dog lunges at people, this book isn't for you. I completely disagree. The key is to start the dog far enough away from people so he doesn't react and this is covered in the book.
   
   Overall this is a great book for a dog at any level of aggression. It starts you out with people very far away for a highly reactive dog and takes you step-by-step to how to let someone get near and even pet the dog when you advance. I believe that with this book, as long as you read it carefully and put in the practice time, eventually your dog can be rehabilitated!



2. This book was very well written and had a lot of information about re-training aggressive dogs. I purchased the book because I have a leash reactive dog and wanted to try something different than what I know, and this book sounded promising. This is where the disapointment comes in. Well it does tell the reader a lot about aggression and how to re-condition your dog to realize other dogs equal good things not bad things, it says nothing about how to stop your dog from reacting in the first place. All it says is not to let your dog practice the behavior, basically by avoiding what sets them off which is very hard to do when you live in an apartment and can't AVOID the stimuli, i.e.: other dogs, as the author says to do. If it had more information on how to stop your dogs reaction, aside from turning and walking away, walking the other direction, which is not practical when you have a 100 pound German Shepherd mix on the leash, it would have been more help to me, but overall it wasn't much help. For readers who's dogs just get aggressive if a dog gets too close, this would be a good book, but if your dog is lungeing and barking at just the sight of another dog, it's just a waste of money and your money would be better spent on a trainer.



3. It took the author 4 YEARS to rehabilitate her dog using her method, and its easy to understand why. Nowhere in this book are you taught how to nurture trust and respect from your dog. The advice on training specific commands is worth reading, but probably not what most people that buy this book are looking for. The books I bought after reading this one were so much better. I would highly recommend the books by Patricia McConnell instead. Her 'How to be a Pack Leader' booklet is awesome and sets the stage for success with her other books, Feisty Fido and the Cautious Canine.



4. This is a no nonsense concise guide for training and rehabilitating an agressive dog and also their owner. Pam Dennison gives precise step by step positive training techniques that will create a lasting bond between human and dog. It is a must read for the agressive dog owner, but is also common sense training for any dog owner. Her use of positive reinforcement of good behavior rather than punishment for bad will make many dogs' lives happier. Her suggestion to keep a daily log of training is a great tool and she supplies a template. I've already seen great results using her techniques with both my dogs. This is a must read for all dog lovers, easy to read, and full of valuable information and insight.



5. A useful book with straight forward explanations about "aggressive" emotions in dogs. A humane approach to management of these dogs and also helpful ideas to prevent people from making the situation worse and aggravating the anxious animal. A good book for new pet owners who find
   dog handling to be more hazardous than anticipated.

5 comments about The Essential Shih Tzu (Howell Book House's Essential).

1. I fould this book very informative. I just brought home a shih tzu puppy and it helped.



2. This is my favorite book on Shih Tzu. When we have a little of puppies each family goes home with one of these books in their "puppy bags". A must have for the serious Shih Tzu owner.



3. My Shih Tzu recently had puppies so I bought a bunch of these books to give to the new owners of them and I think its great for an owner and a new Shih Tzu owner as well, its easy reading and straight to the point.



4. This is the first time I am getting a dog and it really help me in every way.



5. This is a great book for the new Shih Tzu owner - breeders should think about adding it to the new puppy packets they give to new owners - pretty color pictures

5 comments about Corn Snakes: The Comprehensive Owner's Guide (The Herpetocultural Library).

1. This book has great information on care of corn snakes, in fact for me it went overboard with the breeding of them, which is not bad, just more information than I could absorb. The authors (whom I have seen lecture as well) are passionate about the breeding and keeping of corn snake. This is a must for anyone considering keeping one of these guys as a pet



2. Helps you to know even more about your snakes even if you already know alot this book will help you to know alot more..



3. This book well serves the novice looking to acquire his or her first corn snake. If you follow the advice in this book your snake will do great. Are there other opinions out there? Sure. I recommend reading EVERYTHING you can find about corn snakes. A well read snake keeper is a smarter snake keeper. That said, Kathy Love has been breeding corns for a long time, and knows what she is doing. Bill and Kathy's book is written in a pretty casual style, without a lot of technical jargon and is easily understood by even a complete new-comer to the reptile keeping hobby.



4. To be perfectly honest, I expected more after reading the other online reviews of this book. Bill and Kathy Love are THE corn snake experts in America, but this book just seems to be a re-hash of their earlier articles and works. The pictures were excellent, but so far as all around quality goes, I think one of the "Philip" experts is the one to trust: Philippe de Vosjoli is a veteran of the field with AMAZING books, and Phil Purser is an authority on corn snakes who is actually a readable writer.
   
   I think a veteran keeper could augment his/her library with this text, but the average hobbyist should probably look elsewhere. I was much happier with the **other** corn snake book I purchased.



5. This book came highly recommended to me by snake breeders. The material is wonderful, easy to comprehend and THE absolute resource for the beginner or advanced owner. Definite bang for the buck and wisdom shared by folks who have made raising corns on of their life's work. From the hatching to elder years, this book has it all.

5 comments about The Souls of Animals.

1. A great book which makes everyone aware that there is a lot more to life,



2. I sent this to my brother who was mourning after the death of his best buddy, Smokey. He said he read it all the same day it arrived and it was helpful.



3. Do animals have souls, and do they experience spirituality as humans do? THE SOULS OF ANIMALS offers stories backed with science to show that other creates are sentient beings who also have spiritual lives. From the music of birds to the nature of elephants, THE SOULS OF ANIMALS utilizes numerous examples from nature to reveal evidence of animal spirituality.



4. This book is an easy read. At only 114 pages of large type it took only a short time to finish. Gary Kowalski is a Unitarian Universalist minister who tries to convince his audience of the existence of an "animal soul". Instead of animals being "biological machines", they have souls with the attendant feelings of love, grief, and awareness of self and others.
   
   Admittedly, the existence of a soul (even a human soul) can only be from empirical evidence as opposed to "scientific" evidence. But Mr. Kowalski's arguments are shallow and emotional. He plays upon his readers' sense of emotion and "fairness", "altruism" and "love" of God's creatures.
   
   Ok. I admit I agree with him. I DO believe all God's creatures have souls, are sentient, and experience emotion. It's just that Gary Kowalski's book disappointed me. I was expecting something a bit more compelling. Something more compelling than,"The eyes sometimes speak more eloquently (and more truthfully) than words". Phooey. That may be true but it's not much of an argument.
   
   So that said, the book is a nice book and I hope whoever reads it enjoys it. Jonni



5. After reading all the Amazon reviews, I thought I'd purchase this book. I came away feeling a little disappointed. Don't get me wrong - it was quite an interesting book, however I had great expectations due to the other reviewers.
   
   I think the thing that annoyed me, is that the author has not done his own researching for facts, but is constantly quoting other people's books/reports.
   
   It did have some nice moments - my favourite being the elephants chapter. And I guess a positive thing was that it made up my mind to become a vegetarian, so that's a good thing too :)
   
   So, it was OK....I was just slightly let down after reading all the previous glowing reviews.

5 comments about Beyond Fetch: Fun, Interactive Activities for You and Your Dog.

1. I really enjoyed this book. I own many dog books and this one is on the top of the list.



2. "Beyond Fetch" is beyond fun! It includes great ideas to keep you and your pup(s) busy and execising (whether it's the brain or body)! It also includes a plethora of reasources, making it easier to navigate and implement the ideas included in the book. It is a must-have for any family with dogs!



3. I was not very impressed with this book. Most of the tricks were just too silly and required a few people to do. Maybe they would work better for someone with small dogs and kids.



4. I love this book and thought it was great. There are all sorts of things you can do with your dog. For example it gives you instructions on how to make jumps, a tunnel and other things.



5. Unless you want your dog to be food possessive/agressive, ill-mannered, and riddled with ANXIETY, this is not a book for you. Having studied the mind and behavior of our canine companions for 22 years, I find this book to be a VERY POOR CHOICE and (at times) bordering on dangerous.

3 comments about Training the Young Horse.

1. I highly respect Pippa Funnel, and this book is just wonderful. I have a young horse that I'm schooling and it helped me to understand just how important the basics are for a young horse, and how to go about introducing them to certain things. I especially found the jumping section very helpful. This book has big, glossy colour pictures throughout, and very easy to understand instructions which explain how to go about each new schooling exercise. It also shows what not to do, which is why I gave this book 4 stars and not 3. Showing what's wrong and the outcome of what could happen if approached wrong really sold this book to me, because there are many books out there which tell you what to do, but not how to recover when anything goes wrong.



2. 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.



3. 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.

4 comments about Fight!: A Practical Guide to the Treatment of Dog-dog Aggression.

1. I was stuck with a fear aggressive dog, which is hard as is. Then let's add in the fact he's 80lbs of solid muscle and deaf! I needed help, and thankfully, was working at the SF SPCA, where Jean Donaldson was working, and so I purchased her book.
   It was a huge help, because up until that point I was lost on what to do, I'd never had a fear aggressive/aggressive dog before, and my deaf boy had been the perfect dog park dog, until he was beat up by two related dogs (and no, they were not pitbulls)- my dog is the pit. He was terrified, and would not fight back, it took several minutes before I broke it up (other owner was totally oblivious). After a trip to the pet er, he was sutured up, and returned to the park a week later. At that point I noticed cautious/fearful behavior, and when a small dog mounted him, he freaked out. Not knowing how to respond, I made his fear worse, by tightening the leash when we approached dogs.
   The book gave us HUGE progress! He went from being so scared of any dog he saw, and wanting to kill them a block away, to actually being able to walk past dogs, and/or say a quick hi without a problem. It's taken us a long time, but this book was tremendous help (in fact, more help than our $500 trainer!)



2. This book has the right approach about positive reinforcement, desensitization, and counterconditioning. However, it really is geared towards a trainer who access to several dogs than for the every day dog owner with dog-on-dog aggression. I was *so* disappointed to read that most lessons involved having access to many dogs (3-6) who are well-behaved so that you can socialize your dog to be friendly with them. I simply do not know that many people with dogs. Plus, how are you supposed to ask someone to help you with your aggressive dog? Surely, most folks would be reluctant and not want to risk a fight.



3. This book is amazing if your dog is within a reasonable aggression range. It has good tips on how to deal with unwanted behavior and is quite smart in it's honest approach.
   If you have a very dog aggressive animal, however, this book will do little to help except provide a quick comment of a single success story involving a pitbull and a trainer who devoted herself for six months to the dogs' rehabilitation. How that trainer approached the situation is not explained. What caused the success is a mystery.
   Given that people at their wit's end may purchase this book and hope for an answer, understand that it may not contain what you are hoping.



4. Jean explains in easy to understand language what to do and how to handle a dog that responses aggressively to other dogs. If you are a professional trainer this book is a must. Dog owners struggling with a dog that barks or lunges at other dogs: this book will help you and your dog.

5 comments about The Pawprints of History: Dogs and the Course of Human Events.

1. I am throughly enjoying reading Pawprints of History. It is very insightful and easy reading about how dogs helped shape events and people of history. I have recently also picked up other Stanley Coren books- How To Speak Dog and the How Dogs Think. Mr. Coren is delightful and his love of dogs shines through in his work!!! Not to be missed.



2. This book is more a bon bon than anything substantial. But if you like dogs, you'll find this book a hoot. The premise is simple: dogs have had an impact on history.
   
   The book commences with a chapter on dogs as sentinels. Thereafter, we read stories of the role of dogs in the lives of people as varied as Saint Patrick, Sigmund Freud, Richard Wagner, Charles I, Alexander Graham Bell, George Washington, Sir Walter Scott, Frederick the Great, Christopher Columbus, George Armstrong Custer, and so on.
   
   In the last chapter, the author asks the question (page 291): "If dogs have had such an influence on human culture and history, it is quite reasonable to ask, why is it that we don't see canine contributions cited in standard political, social, and cultural histories?" The author provides no definitive answer, but his book is a lot of fun to read. Dog lovers will enjoy seeing "The Pawprints of History." One caution: There are a number of very bad factual errors in the chapter on General George Custer; this at least raises in my mind the accuracy of historical accounts elsewhere. But this is still an enchanting book.



3. This is an excellent and well-researched book describing how humans and dogs have interacted through history. It includes a wealth of interesting information about both individual and societal attitudes towards dogs and how those attitudes impacted events. Although the book is about the role of dogs in history, the stories humanize historical events by showing how compassion towards or fear of dogs affected individual people and societies. Great book.



4. Dogs are my passion, in this wonderfully written book I've found that I am in GREAT company. It was well written, some of the stories could have been shorter. But it made me laugh and cry, and after almost every chapter I was amazed at what I didn't know about the people in the chapter. The research was extensive for this book. So if you love dogs and you love history you will really love this book.



5. This interesting book discusses the relationships between several noteable people and their dogs. At least one cynical Washington D.C. politician said that "if you want someone to love you in this town, buy a dog," and you will find he was not the first one to conjure up that thought. The author shows how people such as Florence Nightingale, Frederick the Great, Robert Burns, and Sigmund Freud were all warmly touched by the positive side of their dogs. These people, who somehow seemed so intensely boring in History class, never seemed so human as when interacting with their dogs. Dogs have served as companions for many others who needed a consistent friend, and they often served as inspirations for those who enriched our artistic and aesthetic lives (perhaps because they were so cheerful and so honest). Oh, by the way, the author gives us some pretty interesting lessons in history and the arts, too, so this story is not just about the canids. If you are looking for a good book to curl up with, and read to, your animal companions, give this one a try.

5 comments about The Feline Mystique: On the Mysterious Connection Between Women and Cats.

1. I wanted to read this book to further explore the question posed by the title and thought there would be some answers. If you have never read any books about cats and their history before, then there is much scholarship and lovingly done research in this book and that does make it worthwhile. She is obviously well-meaning, sincere and loves cats. However, the book doesn't really explore the "mysterious connection" in any interesting or conclusive fashion. Sadly, too, her writing is a bit clunky, repetitive and formulaic, especially in her various interviews. It felt like a research paper that someone suggested could be made "more interesting" with interviews with female cat owners. I just thought it would be a better book. The book on this subject has yet to be written.



2. Not a particularly entertaining read. It reads like a thesis paper, scholarly and ponderous. Felt like I was doing homework.



3. This is a great book, especially for those that would like to know WHY so many wonmen are adopted by cats! We never really own a cat, nor should we and I think women understand this, as explained in the book. Cats are part of the family and because of that, the bond it strong. This book helped me to understand why.



4. This book has been very insightful for me and some of my friends (this was a great gift item!). What I found most intriguing was the reconstruction of the make-up of "The Old Cat Lady" myth. It makes sense that it was built out of confusion, disdain, and the urge to make women feel repressed.
   
   The stories presented here are very enjoyable, and I found myself retelling them to several friends. It's nice to realize a bit of a community here.
   
   I thought this book was going to be totally unrelated to most of the other books I've been reading lately that are about Wicca. I was pleasantly surprised to find a little blurb about Wicca in chapter 3. I am definitely glad for the positive coverage, the more informed people are about various ways of life, the less bigoted the world will be.



5. A great book for any women who loves cats. It tells about the very apprent female and feline love affair that's gone on for thousounds of years. It's really informative and interesting. It will make you feel closer to the special feline in your life. Remarkable book.