No comments about Essential Dog: The Ultimate Guide to Owning a Happy and Healthy Pet.

No comments about Pet Pals: My Dog (Pet Pals).

2 comments about The Ideal Horse: How to Train Him and Yourself.

1. If you need a glitzy presentation to get you interested in spending time with your horse, DON'T get this book. If you are looking for a big, beautiful, and colorful book about horses to display on your coffee table, DON'T get this book. But if you are seriously ready to spend time with your horse(s) and are ready to tackle the subject of training far beyond any superficial level, THIS BOOK WILL NOT DISAPPOINT YOU! Though the print is small,the book is a jewel in which you will find the procedures (HOW to do everything) carefully explained and systematically laid out for you "simply for the taking!" The basic black and white photos are just that, very basic photos inserted into the text to clearly make a point. Phillips presents all the components of elementary dressage training. I have found most of the other books on horse training which have flooded the marketplace recently,to rely heavily on gorgeous photos, presumably to boost sales. Many of them seem to have holes and gaps in the information presented. Armed with Phillips' book, which is a 1982 reprint, you will need NO additional training books in your personal library...Yes, he says it ALL!



2. i need more information and methods how to tain your horse race
   and what is a new idea for tain your horse racining.

5 comments about Grrr!: The Complete Guide to Understanding and Preventing Aggressive Behavior.

1. Uncle Matty is old stuff. Leave him behind and check out Patricia McConnell, Ian Dunbar, Jean Donaldson, Brenda Aloff, Ali Brown and the like. Uncle Matty is almost as bad as Cesar Millan is rehashing old info that has been debunked and discredited.



2. As an amateur trying to learn more about canine agression, I was actually quite disappointed with the content of this book. Overall, there is no significantly new or insightful information in this book, and frankly, much of the information about specific types and symptoms of agression problems in dogs can be had for free, often in better detail and more scientifically presented, on the internet, particularly if one searches for information generated by professionals in the field of canine agression, such as scientific papers presented to veterinary journals.
   I DID, however, find the chapter on agression testing to be helpful -- I haven't seen this type of testing recommended elsewhere, and I did find it interesting and helpful to see the results of these tests on my young puppy. That being said, I am working on canine agression issues from more of a preventative than a curative or treatment basis, and I would have to give SERIOUS second thoughts about trying some of the suggested tests on a large, mature, and seriously agressive dog. To be fair, the authors also suggest a great deal of caution when performing these tests on older dogs.
   The vast majority of the book is merely a recycled basic obedience course book -- sit, stay, heel, come, etc.. And, while I certainly would agree that a firm command of obedience is especially important to a dog with behavioral issues, I alread have several good books on the subject, such as those by the Monks of New Skete. Had I known that most of this book was just a rehashed obedience manual, I would have saved my money and skipped it. Based upon the title, I just expected a lot more out of this book than I got. For someone who really wants a good, in depth book about canine agression issues and their treatments, I'd say to spend your money on a copy of "Clinical Behavioral Medicine For Small Animals" by Dr. Karen L. Overall from the University of Pennsylvania. Although this is a very expensive book (it is a textbook for veterinary students and also a reference book for clinical veterinarians), it had the answers I was seeking and was definitely worth the money.



3. My 3 dogs recently start fighting and was frantic about what to do since they live inside with me 24/7. I had fights that landed one of my dogs in the ER room so this was a serious problem. I have obedience trained all my dogs so I am not a novice. I heard this author on the local radio station where I live and thought his book may be helpful. It was not. It is very basic stuff I already knew. I found Patricia McConnell, PH.D.'s 30 page pamphlett "The Cautious Canine"to be much more helpful than this author's 230 page book. If your problem is strickly aggression and or fearful shy dogs then this book does not address enough detail about what to do. I think it may be a good book for any new or inexperienced dog owner that covers basics. I have since restored peace in my house with some new ground rules and appointing the right dog to alpha status so it can be done.



4. Your pooch bites the postman. Your dog nips at your hands when you pet her. Your canine companion chases cars and bicyclists and joggers. You call this man's best friend? This has got to be one of the best dog-training books we've ever sunk our teeth to, as author Matthew "Uncle Matty" Margolis, the renowned dog trainer and host of "Woof! It's a Dog's Life" (along with Mordecai Siegal), teach how not to allow Fido or Rover to sink their teeth into it as well. The advice is practical and easy-to-follow: The authors identify 10 distinct categories, describing each one and explaining why problems occur. There are also aggression and puppy personality tests that will help owners identify and correct specific behavior. Finally! You can get rid of the problem --- not the dog.



5. When your best friend that you take everywhere and spend so much time with suddenly turns on you or exhibits aggressive behavior, it is devasting. How can my dog do this to me? It's like any other member of the family turning against you. This book helped me get over that feeling and look at the problem from my dog's point of view. I read the entire book and when I finished, I realized that aggressive behavior in dogs is a dog thing and I learned to understand the factors. I was able to determine that I needed some professional help. I have to say the book is the reason I got help and the reason we're back to normal. I think everyone who lives with a dog should read this book.

No comments about Boxer: Your Happy Healthy Pet.

5 comments about The Baroque Bohemian Cats' Tarot Deck.

1. I totally love the pictures on this deck. They are fun and beautifully executed. I haven't had much time to work with this deck, and the size is a little hard to work with, but all in all I really love it.



2. I really was excited to get this deck, and I wanted to like it, but when I received the item, I was disappointed.
   If you are a collector of tarot decks, and you collect decks for artwork purposes, this deck was disappointing to me. The cats looked photoshopped into the cards. Some cards it was executed nicely because you didnt notice that things were photoshopped and it worked smoothly, it made for a very enchanting card. However, on many of the cards, it was very noticable, even distracting. So objects looked dropped in with no consideration to shadow or placement of light. I wish the quaility of the artwork flowed through out the whole deck instead being inconsistent on each card.
   For a reading deck, I couldnt recomended this deck for a beginner. The problem is, there is not enough symbolism that matches or cues the reader into the meanings of the cards. Some of the cards in the minor arcana are hard to distinguish which number and which suit it is in.
   I hope perhaps the artist will revisit some of those pieces and modify them to be more consistent. This deck deserves to be given the very best it can be. It's just not there yet.



3. The artwork is worth the price of admission. The cards have a cheap feel to them, but at least, they can be shuffled. When looking down at your layout the colors and the expressions on the faces of the cats give an extra dimension to the read. While this will not often be my deck of choice for reading, I am glad to have it in my collection and certainly believe the money was well spent.



4. "There seems to be some definite, if indefinable, link between cats and tarot...Could it be that people who are attracted to animals as enigmatic, untamable and yet at the same time as warmly emotional as cats also find some of these same qualities in the tarot?" - From the companion book
   
   Karen Mahony and Alex Ukolov, the creative geniuses who run baba studio and Magic Realist Press in Prague, meld lavish costumes, posed cats, stunning Bohemian scenery, and quirky art and architecture in the Baroque Bohemian Cats' Tarot. While many "cat decks" are mostly art decks, this gorgeous Tarot is a bona fide reading deck based on the Rider-Waite-Smith tradition.
   
   Sumptuous fabrics and lovely detailing grace the costumes created by Finnish artist Anna Hakkarainen, while many of the "models" used in the Baroque Bohemian Cats' Tarot were from the Prague Cats Rescue Home. Russian Blues, Tabbies, Persians, Siamese, Orientals, British Shorthairs, mixed breeds--all manner of hue and personality infuse these cards.
   
   From the singing Abyssinian on the 3 of Pentacles to the wide-eyed kitten on the Sun card (which was coaxed to stand up on a horse with a teaspoon of cream!), the almost-human expressions surprise and delight. The fierceness of the Siberian on the Knight of Swords crackles with energy, and the sweet innocence of the 6 of Cups elicits an "awww!" for both its cuteness and the way it captures the essence of this card. The 9 of Cups is a hilarious card, with a British shorthair licking his lips in snarky Puss in Boots fashion. Ms. Mahony writes of this card:
   
   "A somewhat portly and obviously very satisfied cat sits on a barrel in the public room of an inn, licking his lips. Behind him, carved in wood, can be a seen a scene of grand merrymaking."
   
   Because some readers prefer Strength and Justice as either Trump 8 or 11, the deck designers have chosen to keep the Majors unnumbered. In addition to the standard RWS attributions and format, Ms. Mahony and Mr. Ukolov have also added a "good luck" card to the Baroque Bohemian Cats' Tarot: Hermes--which shows a golden statue of the god in a sunny courtyard while a lovely cat clothed in a sage green gown with white ruffles looks on. At first glance, it appears the card backings are fully reversible, but upon closer inspection, you can see the names Ukolov and Mahony on opposing sides. Because the script is so small, however, the backings still work wonderfully for reversals.
   
   The Baroque Bohemian Cats' Tarot is an excellent reading deck, and especially good as a deck for children or cat lovers. Because this deck follows RWS, it can be used in conjunction with many Tarot books, making it a great beginner's deck, as well. I've had quite a few insights with these cards, which I've jotted down in my Tarot journal. While an artistically exquisite Tarot that belongs in every art deck collection, it's an excellent deck for both reading and meditation. (Note: I highly recommend getting the entire Kit, because Ms. Mahony's prose is exquisite, offering additional insights into both this deck and the Tarot in general).
   
   (To see 10 images from this deck, visit the Reviews--Decks section at JanetBoyer.com)



5. Themed tarot decks must show a delicate balance between creativity and integrity to one of the foundational decks of tarot. The Baroque Bohemian Cats' Tarot achieves this lofty goal in a superb and charming way. The familiar traditions of the Rider Waite Smith tarot are enhanced rather than obscured by Karen Mahoney and Alex Ukolov's creativity.
   
   I always 'ask' a tarot deck about what it will tell me, how I should approach it, and how well we will get on, using a simple three card spread. This deck promised me tales (tails?) of intrigue and Baroque fantasy, a dream world where true vision is reflected in the round green eyes of a cat.
   
   One bit of advice--buy the boxed set. The book that accompanies the deck adds so much pleasure to owning the deck. Read the cats' biographies, and enjoy the cats' perspective on tarot.

5 comments about Working Dogs: Tales from Animal Planet's K-9 to 5 World.

1. This book was a wonderful, wonderful publication. It helps to show how canines are working in the world of humans, helping us to become well, to stay safe in the world, etc. This is the kind of story that should make headlines in newspapers, but rarely does. These dogs and the people who help them/handle them/love them SHOULD be spotlighted!

   As for the reviewer who felt that this book added nothing because another book like it was published before, I say that there are NEVER enough books out there like this. I loved reading these stories, just as I did in the other book. I enjoyed watching the stories on Animal Planet, as well. People who appreciate *working* dogs would never be able to get enough of these stories. :)




2. Lots of fun dogs doing lots of interesting things. We liked the bowling dog and the singing dog best.



3. This book is a mediocre (...) book. (There is another book) of the exact same title pulished a year or so ago, "Working Dogs" by C. Owens. I found the original much more entertaining.



4. I was looking for a book for my 5-year old nephew - who is a dog nut - when I stumbled across Working Dogs. After getting it and reading some of the stories to him, I got a second copy for myself. The story and pictures are fabulous and the story of Wheelie Willy brought tears to our eyes.



5. The book just popped out at me and I had to get a copy. Absolutely adorable! It really does make you realize what great hearts and minds dogs have. Great writing and photography too!

1 comments about Massage Techniques for Horse and Rider.

1. I have been performing (and continually learning) massage for a couple of years now and thoroughly recommend this book. Not only does it discuss anatomy and a wide variety of massage techniques but it also goes into passive stretching and provides numerous excellent photos and diagrams.
   
   Importantly this book shows right vs wrong when it comes to many stretches or techniques and this is a book that you can constantly dip into again and again to gain new insights.

1 comments about Bow Wow Yoga.

1. the book is very cute, but doesn't have much practical value. It was advertised to be instructional and so I thought it would have some tips on using yoga-like stretches to help your dog as well as give training tips. Instead it takes quite a few typical dog positions and makes up fake yoga sounding names for them. I enjoyed it for it's entertainment value, but this is not an instructional book.

5 comments about What the Animals Tell Me: Developing Your Innate Telepathic Skills to Understand and Communicate With Your Pets.

1. better. It had alot of interesting stories in it. I think there are people
   who can communicate with animals and I think she is one of them. I wish her tv show was still on animal planet. No, that doesn't have anything to do with the book, I just wanted to say that. For the animal lover, I would buy this book to get a better understanding of your beloved pet.



2. I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Although I've been around pets all my life, I didn't understand that they can read your thoughts. I now realize that this is crucial to communicating with your pet. You can talk to them with your voice, but they get the non-verbal stuff too (unlike most humans). I used Sonya's instructions for communicating with your pet and was able to successfully "talk" to my cat. He showed me that he understood exactly the thought that I sent to him. I'm still struggling with 'hearing'/understanding my cat -- sometimes I get it and sometimes I don't. Sonya's right - you have to be completely relaxed and patient. Sometimes I'm just too busy. But I'm continuing to practice.



3. Sonya's book is great! It has helped me understand the animal world much better. Thanks to her book I am now able to better understand my cats and the animals around me. I help my family and friends with their animal problems now. I am very thankful to Sonya for helping me to better understand the world from an animal's point-of-view. I have no doubt that people can communicate with animals telepathically. If you are truly open to the idea, want to communicate with your pets, and have a true love for animals, then you can develop your ability to communicate with animals. Sonya tells in her book about the many animals she has encountered over the years; by telling people of these stories she has opened up the reader to what animals are like and how they perceive us. This book is truly a must for pet owners in order to better understand their animal companions. She tells ways to effectively get through problems that a person might be having with his/her pet and then gives helpful tips to help remedy the situation. The stories she tells apply to every pet owner. In the book, she has covered almost every animal you could possibly have. I recommend this book to anyone who has pets or works with animals. I give it five stars! Sonya truly is a gift from God!



4. I am trying my best to make telepathic contact with animals. To that end, I have read over ten books on the subject, this being one of them. I had problems with this book right from the start.

   My biggest complaint is that this is a book, like most that I've read, of interesting stories but very, very, little on how to actually do this yourself. I buy these books so that I can learn how to do this... yet of the 207 pages in this book, 10 are devoted to teaching us how to do this ourselves! Too little for my taste plus those 10 don't give any real concrete instructions.

   But there were other things about this book that stuck in my throat. Fitzpatrick opens the book by telling us how, when she was a kid, animals would tell her the towns gossip (who was having an affair, who was beating his wife, etc.)which they knew by simply eavesdropping on us. Then, further along in the book, she tells us that if we go on vacation without telling our pets first, they won't understand where we are and get scared. Huh? Which is it? do they understand our thoughts and words when it comes to planning an affair but not for planning a vacation?

   If that is not enough to make you save your money then there's this...the Discovery Channel did a show on Animal Telepathy. One segment was about this woman. A veterinarian gave her six photo's of six animals from the clinic whose ailments had been already been diagnosed. She was to communicate with them and find out what was wrong with them. She blew it. She missed six out of six, not even close.

   If you want a book that tells you, in explicit detail, how to do this, with exercises and background material that explains why, then I'd get "Straight From the Horses Mouth" by Amelia Kinkade. Of the ten or so books on the subject that I've read, this is the only one that really and truly tells you the how's and why's of it.




5. I am trying my best to make telepathic contact with animals. To that end, I have read over ten books on the subject, this being one of them. I had problems with this book right from the start.

   My biggest complaint is that this is a book, like most that I've read, of interesting stories but very, very, little on how to actually do this yourself. I buy these books so that I can learn how to do this... yet of the 207 pages in this book, 10 are devoted to teaching us how to do this ourselves! Too little for my taste plus those 10 don't give any real concrete instructions.

   But there were other things about this book that stuck in my throat. Fitzpatrick opens the book by telling us how, when she was a kid, animals would tell her the towns gossip (who was having an affair, who was beating his wife, etc.)which they knew by simply eavesdropping on us. Then, further along in the book, she tells us that if we go on vacation without telling our pets first, they won't understand where we are and get scared. Huh? Which is it? do they understand our thoughts and words when it comes to planning an affair but not for planning a vacation?

   If that is not enough to make you save your money then there's this...the Discovery Channel did a show on Animal Telepathy. One segment was about this woman. A veterinarian gave her six photo's of six animals from the clinic whose ailments had been already been diagnosed. She was to communicate with them and find out what was wrong with them. She blew it. She missed six out of six, not even close.

   If you want a book that tells you, in explicit detail, how to do this, with exercises and background material that explains why, then I'd get "Straight From the Horses Mouth" by Amelia Kinkade. Of the ten or so books on the subject that I've read, this is the only one that really and truly tells you the how's and why's of it.