5 comments about The Ultimate Dog Treat Cookbook: Homemade Goodies for Man's Best Friend.

1. I own a dog treat business as a part time keep me busy type venture. While this book has a lot of recipes and ideas, some are complicated and require a lot of time to be spent purchasing items that aren't otherwise in the average kitchen. While the book itself isn't horrible, being a regular dog treat/food maker, it isn't the most user friendly or beginner type book either.



2. I've purchaed several recipe books for my pups and used more recipes out of this book than any other. There are also helpful tips and nutritional information throughout the book. The recipes are fairly easy and my three pups have enjoyed every one I have made so far.



3. Couldn't be more pleased with this book - it has great recipes, tips, and nutritional information on ingredients.



4. There are lots of easy, healthy, fun to make dog treats with things you already have in your cabinets. It was worth buying and I am very happy to have it on my bookshelf.



5. this book has a good selection of recipes but they are complicated and use ingredients like dried milk powder etc... the handy hints are good but some of the ingredients put me off making them.

1 comments about Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan: The Ultimate Episode Guide.

1. This is an enjoyable book for fans of Cesar Millan. It gives a synopsis of episodes, in some cases including a photo. A sidebar tells how the owners and dogs fared long-term, and sometimes a "Behind the Scenes" paragraph tells about what happened that you don't see in the show, such as a production assistant got bitten during the filming.
   
   I was gratified to learn how some of my favorite pet owners turned out. The woman who was anxious about going outside her home continued to improve dramatically, for instance. Some of the owners did not fare so well, however. They were not able to carry through as firm leaders and a few eventually gave up their dogs to new homes. Many made improvements but did not reach the level of leadership that Cesar showed on the show. Others achieved their goal of having the "perfect dog."
   
   I've watched many episodes of the Dog Whisperer and this book reinforces what Cesar demonstrates onscreen. You need to be clear on how you want the dog to act and remain calm and assertive. You should not reward a dog for being afraid by showering him with affection. Dogs are not human children.
   
   This book is for viewers who want more information about the episodes. If you haven't seen the show and want to learn about training your dog, you probably want to start elsewhere, such as reading Cesar's book "Be the Pack Leader: Use Cesar's Way to Transform Your Dog . . . and Your Life."

5 comments about Cat Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook, Fully Revised and Updated (Cat Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook).

1. I have the Dog Owner's edition so, when I became a Cat owner I bought this. I wouldn't dream of not having the book in my household. It can answer all your questions and ease your worries at times as well. A must for anyone that has a cat in the family!



2. A good book.
   Some new stuff, added, is good.
   Negative, they dropped a part on antibiotical uses(a list).



3. We absolutely love this book! It is full of information! It is so useful!



4. The book is well organised, easy to read even if you have no medical- veterinarian preparation, with a table of contents to quickly find emergencies and another one to search for general topics that make easy to browse the book.
   
   The information is all the basics and non basics that any owner or breeder should know. Everyday reading and consultation material. Never got a question without answer with this book.
   
   This book has allowed me to understand more the behaviour, symptoms and best conditions to keep a cat with. With the guides of this book it's much more easier to talk with the vet about what is happening or might be happening to your cat and to help you even suggest what might be happening.
   
   Make me feeling more confident and peace minded about any emergencies that could happen as I've read this book from beginning to end several times and now I am aware of what I have to stare at to quickly react.
   
   This book has saved the life of some of our cats and I will be eternally thankful for that.



5. I'm not a 'big' book buyer but this one is worth it's weight on my book shelf. It's a good one for most of us that care deeply about our feline friends and need immediate answers concerning their health issues.

5 comments about Keeping Chickens: The Essential Guide to Enjoying and Getting the Best from Chickens.

1. This book is loaded with great color photos and tons of good info about how to set-up and maintain a small flock of happy, healthy chickens. Perfect for someone just getting started or, like me, a city gal who just likes to dream about being a farm girl...



2. I really enjoyed this 2007 British book. It is designed for the family considering keeping a few hens in the garden, and is full of information and things to think about. There are (very) brief descriptions of many breeds. A great strength of this book is it's lovely and varied photography (it even has some nice paintings!). It's very entertaining and a FUN read, even including crafts to do with the kids related to chickens! Overall there's a lot crammed in to 150 pages.
   
   Just don't believe the reviewer who said this could be the one book you buy- definitely not true. This is a fun, clearly written book for "dreaming about chickens"-- you'll still need other resources for more indepth information in different areas if you decide to take the plunge. More comprehensive info can be found in "Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens" by Gail Damerow. I also really liked "Living with Chickens". "Choosing and Keeping Chickens" is a great guide to choosing the right breed for your family.



3. An entertaining and informative read, good for the novice or anyone that is just starting with chickens



4. I have been keeping laying hens for fifteen years, and this is the best book that I have ever read on the subject of keeping chickens. It is written with the small flock owner in mind. A caring, humane attitude toward these wonderful creatures comes through both the written content and illustrations in the book. The book covers the usual topics, such as the various breeds, housing and cleaning, feeding, breeding, and health care. It also has chapters on the prospective chicken owner's rationale for having chickens, crafts with eggs and feathers, and yummy egg (not chicken meat!) recipes. The color photos and illustrations are spectacular, and the writing is clear and full of useful information.
   Whether you are new to chicken keeping or are an experienced flock tender, I highly recommend this book.



5. Anyone keeping chickens, especially those new to the art, will welcome KEEPING CHICKENS: THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO ENJOYING AND GETTING THE BEST FROM CHICKENS. It offers an all-in-one guide to chickens, from understanding the specific attributes of over 40 breed types to choosing, buying, and keeping chickens healthy. If only one chicken-keeping guide were chosen for either a rural or urban library, it should be this: the easy tips and color throughout make it both practical and inviting.

5 comments about The Cat Behavior Answer Book: Practical Insights & Proven Solutions for Your Feline Questions (Answer Book (Storey)).

1. Borrowed this from a friend and I really liked it. Raised some interesting points and is full of new ideas.



2. Not what I was looking for. I've been a companion to cats for over 30 years and wanted to understand how to really take it to the next level: interpreting my kitty's meows, understanding her moods, learning how to be the best pal I could be to my BFF. This book did not provide much more than overviews. The "overview" on meow-types was very paltry and did not even mention the type of sound my cat makes when she leaves a "gift" by my door. (She's an indoor cat, but I hide a toy with cat treats in it every night and she finds it and brings it to my bedroom door as a gift. Too sweet.) I think this book would be best for brand new cat owners---I mean companions.



3. This is not the most amazing cat book ever. It is just another cat book. All these super positive reviews made me hope I would find answers that I haven't been able to find in dozens of other cat books, but within seconds, I knew this wasn't the book either. I looked up "spraying" in the index and all I got was Feliway for an answer, which I don't believe really works. It doesn't work on any of my eight cats. And medication, but doesn't say what medication. Just go to the vet. Gee, thanks. Like I couldn't figure that out.



4. I bought this as a gift for someone who inherited a cat, and had not had one before. She was delighted that
   it gave her so much detaied information on cat behavior and how to interact.
   
   Good, practical advice.



5. This is a cool little quick reference guide to anyone who has a quirky cat.

5 comments about Mother Knows Best: The Natural Way to Train Your Dog.

1. If you're looking to train your dog, this is a good book that shows you how. I would recommend Train Your Dog - The Positive Gentle Method and maybe a dog obedience class (that will help your dog learn to socialize) also.



2. When this book was published in 1985 the concept of natural training was revolutionary. The Monks of New Skete followed in 1991 with a book advocating the same concept of training. However, the principles of a more natural training method have been greatly refined over the years and some of the advice that is contained in this book is wrong (or wrong in most situations).
   
   The author is adament that food should not be given as a reward, reward should be positive attention only. The Monks also believed this but weren't so adament. More recent books have recognized that different breeds respond differently. Breeds bred for close human interaction, primarily the herding breeds, are more closely focused on humans, breeds bred to act independently such as Beagles, and other hounds, and terriers, are not closely attuned to humans and respond better to food rewards. Hey, it's animal behavior 101 that lab rats are rewarded by food and learn from those rewards. Interestingly both Benjamin and the Monks work primarily with German Shepards.
   
   Benjamin also maintains that you can bring a dog back to the scene of its crime, i.e. where it destroyed a pillow, show it the destroyed pillow and correct the dog's behavior. All the recent books acknowledge that you can only correct a dog's behavior if you catch the dog while it is in the act.
   
   Potentially dangerous advice that she gives is to grab a dog by both sides of the neck and get in its face to stare it down. That is threatening and confrontational and may work with puppies but other books warn against that approach with agressive dogs as it will incite them to attack and bite.
   
   There are better books out there pass on this.



3. I have been a dog trainer for many years. This is one of two books that I suggest to my clients. So much common sense with a dash of humor. Easy to read and implement to your training program. Great book.



4. This is a very good book for training yourself to talk to dogs.



5. Big suprise, dogs know that we aren't dogs. The gig is up, dogs don't relate to us the way they relate to dogs. Get a book that really teaches you how dogs think and learn.

5 comments about Old Yeller (Perennial Classics).

1. I am a little irritated with Amazon. I ordered two books at once and received one but the other went to a different town and then was sent back. I could not find anywhere on the web site that I could contact anyone. I think customer service should be reviewed.



2. I know that this was made into a movie but I am not sure that I have seen it. I have some vague recollection that it's a Disney movie (so it must therefore be heartwarming, and also be the topic of a ride somewhere), and the actor who plays the protagonist Travis looks goofy. Most folks know the story already or will know it well enough after reading one or two of these reviews. Yes, it's about a boy and an unattractive yellow dog, and yes it has a sad turn of events. I can't say that this story or the storytelling is masterful, but there is a style of delivery in this book that is quite intriguing and no one comments on it. The circumstances of the story are quite rough. A young boy is left in charge of his mother and little brother in the wild Texas hill country while his father, relunctantly, must pursue a little gain on a cattle drive to Kansas. This is no small task, and long before the book is over, we see that at least two or maybe all three of the mother and kids would have died but for the happenstance appearance of said yellow dog (also noteworthy is the generosity and insight of the cowpoke who actually owned the dog but let Travis keep him). The life is hard and matter-of-fact, and the writing reflects it. The animals live in a practically different world, where life depends on instincts, species hate and kill other species and sometimes their own, and even bloodborne diseases have a scent that only dogs can detect. It's brutal. Old Yeller, our hero, bridges this world, and willingly devotes all of his animal kingdom powers for the protection of the humans that he inexplicably adopts and serves. The relationship between boy and dog is always a bit beyond the reader's reach. We never see these two playing fetch or lounging around under a tree. Their bond is one that is forged in combat and hard labor, and this hard practicality might ultimately explain Travis' ability to rationally and quickly make the hard decision to kill his pet. I don't think that it's a spoiler to state here that Travis must, in the end, destroy this animal - Gipson reveals that ending in the very first page of the book (and it is at the point of that destruction where the four great characters of this book - boy, dog, gun, and disease - collide). So, this is a world where the animals are the most cunning, strong, and fearsome, but it's a world that is dominated by Man, and in the end the loyal Old Yeller doesn't even know what hits him. That scene is revealed without sentiment or unnecessary drama.
   One other thing. I wonder if it is this book, printed in the late 1950's, that "taught" popular culture everything that it knows about the dreaded hydrophobia. Growing up in the 1970's, I thought that rabies was everywhere, and that the only thing between you and going mad with foaming thirst was the time it would take for any old squirrel to drop on your head and dig in. Of course I also thought that finding a dead Bigfoot was only a matter of time, and that eating Pop-Rocks and drinking a Coke would make your abdomen explode. There must have been some other sources of this rabies phobia though, as this book did not go into any detail about some three week regimine of shots to the belly button in order to cure the disease once afflicted.
   Anyway, good book. Read it to my three pre-teens and they loved it.



3. I actually got a few chuckles out of this book as well as quite a few tears at the end (who DOESN'T know what happens in the end?) of coarse. From what I can remember about this book, is that you can actually UNDERSTAND the speaking and of their way of life [to a certain extent(thanks Mr. Rayburn)] which makes reading it a whole lot easier. A must-read. For all ages (I think).



4. Old yeller is a book in the 1800's.In the book there is a 14 year old boy named Travis.His dad is leaving to go fight in the Civil War and hes leaving Travis in charge.Taking care of his little brother Arliss was like another chore that Travis had to do.When Travis was younger he had a dog named Bell. Bell was bit in the nose by a Rattle snake and he ended up dying.After that Travis swore that he would never get another dog to take Bell's place.But then one day when Travis was out doing his chores he saw a big object in the corn field. He went to see what it was and when he got there it was a big yellow dog and thats how he found Old Yeller.



5. old yeller is about a 14 year old boy named Travis.His dad left to fight in the Civil war and he put Travis in charge. Taking care of his little brother Arliss wasnt the easiest job but he still had to do it. Travis had swore that he would never get a dog to replace his dog Bell but one day when Travis was working in the field he saw a big yeller dog and thats how he came up with Old Yeller.

5 comments about Click to Calm: Healing the Aggressive Dog (Karen Pryor Clicker Book).

1. This book is a must for anyone who's using clicker training to help calm an aggressive or fearful dog. I don't think it will replace a training class, but it's an excellent reference.



2. I loved the book it is definately helpful in my training. My dog has come a long way, but still requires work, but we do use the clicker method.



3. I found that these techniques did not correct my dog's aggression to other dogs. It felt like I was distracting him more by focusing on me and giving positive reinforcement. However when my dog saw another dog it was VERY difficult to distract him even with treats. I have sought out another positive reinforcement training technique with a trainer in my area. I have already seen my dog's behavior decrease with a quick correction and praise when he follows the correction with the appropriate behavior. Maybe this technique will work with other dogs but it did not work with my chocolate Labrador.



4. I purchased this book along with two other publications I expected to be books as well, but these turned out to be little pamplets that are the size usually found in a Veternarian's office to read while you wait and many times are free if you want them. The shipping charges were ridiculous for the amount of merchandise shipped.
   
   The book itself gave the impression of being a guide to the clicker control dog training course. This book merely speaks of using the method gives no information on how to use it or where to acquire the clicker itself or what ever equipment is needed. The other two so-called books measure 8 1/2" X 5 1/2" one has 29 pages the other 14 pages, so you can imagine how much information you will get out of them. I am terribly disappointed in my purchases and will know better than to buy books online. It's worth a trip to a book store to avoid such a rip off.



5. The book is written by Emma Parsons. She is very knowledgeable about clicker dog training. There are no pictures in this book.

5 comments about A PocketExpert Guide to Marine Fishes: 500+ Essential-To-Know Aquarium Species.

1. This is a must have book for the novice to choose which fish are right for your tank



2. this book i bought as my first aquaruim quide, it is amazing, i love this book, it has all what i need and more than 500 kinds of fish.
   i have bought all my fish so far by researching thm in this book and it is working wonderfull. pictures are great quality and information are more than enough to know and keep the fish.
   i absolutly recommend that you buy this book.



3. This book has been unbelievably helpful in helping me to decide which fish I should choose as I set up my first saltwater aquarium. The photographs are clear and bright, and there are many, many species represented here. The code makes it quick and easy to see if a certain fish is compatible with what I already have in my tank. Now, when I go to buy a fish, I keep this book in my car. I go into the shop to see what they have, and if there is something that catches my interest, I'll come back out to the car and look up the description before I make a purchase. This has saved me on a few occasions - not all of the sales people really know what they're talking about, but I have complete confidence in this book for giving me the unbiased facts. This really is a "must buy"!!



4. As someone looking to start a saltwater tank, I picked up this book to fully understand what species I want and SHOULD put in the tank I plan on setting up. This book is invaluable in pointing me to fish that will be the most appropriate for me, a new saltwater aquarist, to support. This book is a saltwater version of Tropical Freshwater Aquarium Fish from A to Z (Compass Guides), which like the Marine Fishes book, includes detailed information about minimum tank sizes, feeding guidance, and tips for captive care. A "suitability" color-code is also displayed for each species ranging from green (a hardy fish which is suitable for most hobbyists) to red (leave the fish in the reef).
   
   If you're new to saltwater tanks like me, I recommend you also read Complete Encyclopedia of the Saltwater Aquarium and the Aquarium Corals : Selection, Husbandry, and Natural History to gain an understanding of what's required to set up and maintain a healthy saltwater environment. Slow and steady is the word. They've certainly helped me understand what it is I need to do and this Marine Fishes book is a handy take-along for visits to the local fish stores.



5. It's a very good and quick guide to acquarium reef fishes.
   It gives the most important informations about species:their needs,suitability index ,captive care and reef aquarium compatibility.
   It's a book that I really use a lot to ID the species!
   A very good guide.I recomend it :)

5 comments about Four Paws Five Directions: A Guide to Chinese Medicine for Cats and Dogs.

1. Although I must say that this is a well-written book, and very useful for those people who don't know much about Traditional Chinese Medicine, the author did not seem to have an in-depth knowledge about TCM.
   
   Filled with little mistakes that can mislead a practitioner, I'd recommend picking up a different text to learn from. (For example, the author refers often to "Kidney Blood," which is NOT a term used in Chinese Medicine.)
   
   Fun to read, but too inaccurate for an alternative medical doctor.



2. This is an excellent reference book for both beginners & experts. It is well organized, easy to understand & contains a wealth of information.



3. This book is a constantly used handbook for me. I bought this copy to replace the one that I have given away most recently. It is wonderful to be able to help your pet feel better, in addition to what your vet can do, with relatively inexpensive remedies available at the health food store and with accupressure which also helps you bond with your pet. I was even able to get remarkable results from an inexpensive & common TCM patent remedy for my dog who had great difficulty moving her hindquarters after a life-threatening infection. it worked within hours!



4. I bought this book on the recommendation of an integrative vet I know. It does throughly explain TCM, but if you aren't familar with TCM, I would recommend having someone help explain it to you. Some of the info in the book can be used without reading in depth and I used some of the techniques to ease stiffness in pets right away. I haven't pick it up much because it isn't a "light read", at least to me- not a book to read to past time. It is through, probably one of the best layperson books for animal Traditional Chinese Medicine. The price is really good, too, and the book is almost 400 pages.



5. This was a wonderful and interesting book. I loved learning how Chinese Medicine applies to our pets. I have gotten much knowledge from this and have tried some of the techniques. They work!!!