3 comments about Teach Yourself VISUALLY Dog Training (Teach Yourself Visually).

1. Browsing through preliminarily, this book is a no nonsence dog trainer which has a lot of photos to illustrate and is quite well documented.
   
   Just like all other good books, you wish they would discuss just a little bit more on the area where you would like to know but they simply goes off with a couple of comments highlighting the importance to you.
   
   Its clearly a book written for US readers as the tools they mention are all US specific be it brand, tools name etc and have no further descriptions on how it is similar to other countries equivalent product. For eg. there is a training leash that has holes in them and can be tied to the waist, use as a hand leash etc. I swear I never see such equipment in Singapore before. Even though it is useful, if we can't get one in this part of the world, then kindly do a research to find a good product which is available at least in more developed countries. Or even better give us some online web reference so that we can search for a merchant from there even if are afraid of endorsing something.



2. I am fortunate enough to live in the same area as Sarah and have had the good luck to have my 2 labradoodles trained using her methods. Sometimes all the training in the world doesn't help when you get home and have to put it to use. This book is so basic that in less than 25 seconds you can read a few lines and work on a specific behavior. The blocks in the upper left hand corner are a life saver, you can quickly turn to what you need. Now, about her "method". You know how sometimes someone points something out to you and you slap your forehead and exclaim "but that makes common sense, why didn't I think of that?" Well, that is what this book does for you, it tells you what to do in simple, clear, instructional language. It tells you why you should do something, and how to do it. Sometimes a training issue is so simple to figure out that I forget the basic approach - we all tend to overthink, rationalize etc. The training guides are so positive and encourage a healthy relationship with your dog. My older dog is 3 and even though she is well trained, I still refer to this book when certain issues pop up. Everything you could possibly need is in this book, from puppyhood to adult dogs. Having this book is like having a built in expert in my home - I don't know what I would do without it.



3. I have two silky terrors (terriers), neither of whom I raised from puppyhood. And while I love them to pieces, they definitely have issues which make them hard to trust around other people.
   
   My prior knowledge of dog-raising and dog-training was nonexistent - these were the first canines to join our previously cats-only family. So my inclination was to raise them as I had my children, with lots of positive reinforcement and respect. I cuddled them when they were scared, delighted in their antics as they greeted me at the door, laughed when they barked at delivery men and basically turned a blind eye to those infractions I considered minor - jumping at the table, peeing on the kitchen floor, pulling me down the street by the leash, chewing the legs of the dining room chairs...
   
   Anyway, it was all a big mistake. Suddenly the dogs were running the household -- and, most alarmingly, deciding which of our visitors were friends and which were foes. You really had to be careful because, if they didn't take an immediate liking to you, your ankles would suffer! Our veterinarian recommended that I put them on Prozac, but I didn't want to do that...
   
   Then someone turned me on to Sarah and her teaching philosophy - lots of positive reinforcement, yes, but control, too. I got DogPerfect and, just recently, PuppyPerfect, and learned from her that I wasn't doing my dogs any favor by not being their "leader" - in fact, I was fueling their anxieties. So with guidance from Sarah's books, I set up safe stations around our home using her patented Training and Stationing Leads, boned up on my "Doglish" and made it known to all that I was, henceforth, "Leader of the Pack."
   
   The changes in the dogs have been remarkable - both in how calm AND how trustworthy they are. Though as with children, raising them is a never-ending process, so I was pleased to get a copy of Sarah's newest book - Teach Yourself Visually Dog Training.
   
   While TYV is based on many of the same concepts as Sarah's earlier works, it's such a handy reference guide that I keep it out on my kitchen counter and turn to it all the time. It breaks each aspect of dog training into an easy-to-follow, step-by-step process, and gives me a place to turn for quick review or any time a new situation arises. It really is Dr. Spock's Baby and Child Care for dogs!
   
   Anyway, I can't recommend it - or her - highly enough. Thanks for all your help Sarah!

5 comments about Aquarium Plants Manual (Complete Pet Owner's Manual).

1. I bought this thinking it would help me. It didn't. Also in the back of the book, they have Riccia and Java Moss mixed up. The pictures are switched backwards. I don't recommend this book if you are going to invest your time and money into a plant tank. There are better books out there people.



2. Less than impressive small, thin paperback. Profiles only a small amount of species. There are at least a few errors: mislabeled photos and incorrectly identified species of plants and fish.



3. This manual is worht the money and is very helpful in the types of Aquarium plants that work best with different species of fish and water conditions. I found this maunual to be well worth the money and very helpful and it does have diagrams to show you exactly what you're being instructed on.



4. This little book is a very good value. It covers more than 40 different plants in its encylopedia section in addition to its glossary and several different info sections, including info on lighting, nutrients, selection and care. It gives more info about plants than can be obtained in the more general information books and is very inexpensive. It could be organized a little better but it is still very useful and very much worth the price.



5. There are books out there that are sensitive to the interaction of fish and plants. This is not one of them. Please invest a little more money and purchase one of those other books. The sample layouts are incredibly overcrowded. Even some of the photographs reflect the overcrowding!

5 comments about Walking Ollie: Or, Winning the Love of a Difficult Dog.

1. This was yet another clueless person gets out of control dog book. None of it was new, and other than the dog being a rarer mix it wasn't even that interesting. It was slightly more interesting that it was in the UK, but that just led to the author relating useless dog superstitions not based on fact from a different country than the norm.
   
   Anyone who habitually lets a saluki mix off the leash near roads without fences has a screw loose. Especially after the dog has shown that catching it is near impossible. Why would you keep letting it loose outside a fenced area? I had trouble believing anyone sensible would keep letting it loose.



2. This is a difficult read, although very interesting, as the author (Ollie's owner) kept demonstrating that he was not qualified to own a dog, let alone a very difficult dog. There were some very good insights (not usually intended as such!) into Ollie's behavior system.



3. I felt a little frustrated with this book. The author never found a way to help this poor creature. I kept waiting for Ollie to be happy... The end of the book was not really an end.



4. This is another dog rescue biography (I suppose the dog equivalent is caninography?) that has the novelty of being set in the UK and involving a particularly British combination - a saluki lurcher cross that one doesn't come across much in the U.S. Part of the book's interest, then, is that it discusses the whole getting a dog from a shelter and rehabilitating it in a Brit setting.
   
   Truthfully, there's not a great deal to interest one other than that in the content, because, plotwise, not much happens. The author principally relates his trials and troubles acquiring and then walking his dog. Though the author claims to be a pro writer, the book rambles. It doesn't have much structure. As for the characterization, the dog remains something of an enigma even to the book's relatively uneventful conclusion.
   
   The book has a few moments of entertainment and humor, but not many. A lot of it is taken up by this first time dog owner relating in a partially astounded, partially complaining tone about how his schedule has been disrupted by all this dog walking and pooper scooping. I suppose it's not a bad idea for a newbie owner to relate to the equally clueless the work involved in dog ownership.
   
   There's somewhat proportionally less of the book relating various fitful attempts to turn around this fearful dog. Ollie the dog fears most men, including his new owner. So the story is supposed to be how the dog slowly - very slowly - moves past that and what the author did or didn't do to make it happen.
   
   Part of my issue with the book was that the writing style mirrored the dogs equally unimpressive and fitful progress. And no particular sense went into getting the dog past his issues. It's pretty common in shelters to "office foster" a particularly shy dog, to get him used to people. But though the author works at home (a perfect setting for letting the dog learn to relax in your presence and look forward to frequently thrown treats) the dog stays on one floor, and the author on another, to which the owner periodically decends and invades into the dog's room to throw treats, with the result that the dog, instead of relaxing from a constant presence, gets even more nervy by the author popping in on him. And even in the 80s the Monks of New Skete talked about the advantages of having your dog sleep in your presense to get used to you and relax, and the benefits of binding or later, crate training. But none of this was done with Ollie. So he seems to make much slower progress than he might have. Keeping the dog with him, crating him at night (because the author relates his frustration that Ollie is not housetrained to last the night) would have perhaps brought Ollie around a lot quicker and eliminated at least half of the author's complaints about nighttime incontinence and that the dog grew no better or even more fearful of him during his pop in and throw treats schedule.
   
   The rest of the complaints deal with his frustrations in "walking Ollie". I couldn't help but wince every time the dog (running off leash close to traffic) comes in near contact with a car, or the repetitive tales of how the owner just lets the dog run wild to rough house with other dogs (whether the canine targets appreciate it or not). The author's disparaging comments re those owners that responsibly keep their dogs on leashes contrast with his frustration and despair over his attempts to recollar his dog at the end of these walks or just when he's attempting to prevent it from harassing humans (such as when it disrupts a riverbank full of men attempting to hold a fishing competition) or pull it off some other dog that may not appreciate its rough play. The reader quickly gets that the dog is impossible to control off leash. That the author hasn't attempted to gain control prior to taking him off leash. We come to understand that the author (as well as the dogs victims) find Ollie's off leash behavior very frustrating. But what is difficult to understand is why the author keeps letting him loose. The author claims he wants the dog to run free and play with his kind. I have to admit I'm not one to much appreciate the idea of the impotent owner and the out of control dog repeatedly (daily or more often) being inflicted upon the neighborhood. How about exhausting the dog jogging with it for an hour, and then keeping it on a flexilead until it you meet up with a fellow dog owner whose dog appreciates being slammed? It just seems like a little control or attempt at trying such would have gone some toward relieving the idea that the owner was pretty pretty irresonsible and somewhat of a neighborhood nuisance to boot.
   
   The author and his dog do find their way to eachother after predictable events unwind, and you are glad for them. They've been through enough to get there. And you're glad the author hung in there since he did find it all so frustrating. But both author and dog stumble around in such a clueless, anxious (both dog and human) and frustrating way to get to that reconcilation, that while you're glad of it, it seems like there would have been numerous ways to make it far more easier and far less stressful and dangerous for all involved. Of course, that would have eliminated half the content of the book.
   
   It's not a bad book. It's just not a great one. I didn't find it very heart warming nor inspiring. It's not amusing. Nor does it have any good advice or tips for the novice with a similarly troubled dog. You finish it with a sort of a nod - another rescue story: clueless owner, difficult dog made more difficult by clueless owner. It was more interesting for me due to the Brit background and the fact that it was a lurcher dog. We also had a rescue lurcher, another very difficult dog, whom we picked up off the I-95 with a dislocated hip after it was thrown out of a car. Like ollie, it had also been abused based on it's temperament -- a fear biter. He lived to the ripe age of 17, but like Ollie's owner, the journey wasn't all peaches and cream. One good thing about all these dogographies is the truism that misery loves company, and drives book sales. People who work with difficult dogs like to read they're not in it alone. And we're already interested in reading out how someone else did it, to pick up any tips, or laugh, or commiserate. This book was a little thin in some departments.
   
   In conclusion, rehabbing any difficult dog is no picnic. And while all such tales are essentially the same, they're also interesting to read for those who have interest in that activity, both for the circumstances and the dog portraints. For the general population, I'd gues there's not enough of a story here to make this worth the purchase.
   
   This book's main flaw to me was that the author's complaints through 3/4 of the book tend to be wearing even though you acknowledge he is doing pretty well to hang in there with Ollie. The ending is a happy one, though. With that, and points for the novelty of the setting and dog, and seeing how these things may be handled across the pond, I'll give it a (generous) three stars.



5. Yet another "My dog was unruly so I had to write a book about him" tome. The fad of writing books about unremarkable dogs acting like dogs is getting really old. This is standard stuff and not book-worthy.

1 comments about Chihuahua (Kennel Club Dog Breed Series).

1. I love this book! It has a really good history section and very nice photos, even one of a fennec fox, a theorized relative of the chi.
   
   The only section that is missing from this book is a chapter on breeding, but for the pet owner this book has it all. There is even a section at back to put a photo of you dog and record other important info.
   
   The health section is reasonably through, and even shows photos a many common problems along with what to do to treat them. Has a good chart on diseases and what causes them, however does not mention some other problems like hypoglycemia, hrdrocephalus, collapsing trachea, patellar luxation, pyometra and cryptorchidism. However this info is in lots of other chi books and info can readily be found online. A must have for ever chi owner in my opinion!

4 comments about Breaking Bad Habits in Dogs.

1. a good book, illustrated examples not just text, easy strait foreward advice. I've bought this book 4 times for myself, friends and family. Anyone can follow this book.
   
   My only complaint is its not long enough, it covers things so indepth but in a way that anyone can understand it I only wish there was more to it.
   it has several different solutions for each issue, which helps because each dog, household, situation, person is different.



2. I purchased this book to help with socialization and separation problems of my beloved Morkie. Mr. Tenant's ideas helped with both these problems AND I ended up using many of the tips on other dog behavior topics as well. Since reading this book, I have a better understanding of how dogs think, which means that I now have a better behaved dog. The book is well organized, so it is easy to find information on particular dog behavior problems. The pictures complement the text extremely well. This book is by far my FAVORITE "dog behavior" book out of the many dog "how to" books that I own. I would highly recommend this book as a "must have dog book" for any dog owner.



3. This book cured my dog of moderate Separation Anxiety. I would highly recommend it. The chapters are organized according to the kind of problem, so you can find what you're looking for fast. The directions given are concise and easy to follow. Finally there are tons of pictures to help you along.



4. After adopting an out of control dog a couple of months ago, I have purchased many books on training. Most books say the same things, how to train basic commands. That would be easy if the dog would listen to you in the first place, but many dogs have behavior problems that make training impossible. Every chapter in this book was VERY helpful and informative. I would HIGHLY reccommend this book to anyone who is at their wits end with their dog. My dog behaves much better now and I am able to have guests come to my home again.

No comments about More Stories Of Cats and the Lives They Touch.

5 comments about The Guide to Owning a Leopard Gecko.

1. This book has many nice gecko pictures (some not of leopard geckos)except for the brutal pictures of geckos being eaten by creepy predators like gigantic spiders and scorpians. Don't worry, the pictures are in the back (or more specifically, page 55). Because of those pictures, it's not the best book for young children that don't understand "The Circle Of Life".
   Besides the pictures, it has the perfect amount of information for old and new gecko owners. The author talks to you like a best friend and each chapter is useful in some way.
   1.Choosing A Leopard Gecko
   2.Housing Leopard Geckos
   3.Food and Water (WARNING MICE LOVERS: This has pics of baby mice being eaten by geckos. Don't worry, baby mice for food is optional.)
   4.Breeding
   5.Health (and how to cure the problems if they happen)
   6.Other Geckos (this is where the bad pics are!)
   And a glossary.
   Besides the interesting pics that can break a heart and the health problems that will make you a tiny bit nervous for your gecko's health, it's a brilliant book that makes you feel like a friend of the author and a good gecko owner!!!



2. The information is great minus one the, the handleing section. When i got my leopard gecko, i never read any books. I went to the pet store and talked to them. Everytime i was there i held my Emeril (thats my geckos name). OK, so yes they have sensitive tails and sharp nails, but they dont get caught in fabric that easily. I have had mine for 3 years and have held him and let him walk all over me and my bed and teh counter. and he is fine. still with his tail, and all his fingers. So please, hold your gecko and ignore tht section!



3. I've just recently perchased a leopard gecko and bought this book with high expectations! And they were fullfiled! Great book



4. I orignally purchased this book for my brother who is an avid leopard gecko fan and wanted to breed his geckos. I found it very informative from a beginners standpoint, but I thought there would be more on breeding and less on 'other types of geckos'. Either way, it was my bit of fun learning for the day!



5. I purchased this book and the first of my three leopard geckos 18 months ago. It has served me very well with clear practical guidelines for setting up a gecko-friendly environment, providing good day to day care, identifying and dealing with health problems, breeding. The book also provides interesting background information about geckos. It is well-written and nicely designed with many attractive color photographs. Ray Hunziker appears to have the well-being of both geckos and owners in mind: He tells you that geckos don't like to be handled and suggests you handle them as little as possible. He provides a wide range of choices for the environment and the care of geckos, accommodating owners' differing esthetics and budgets.

   My copy of the book went to school with a grandchild and has not returned, so I am about to purchase a second copy. One of my female geckos is laying eggs, so I need my Hunziker.

   This an exceptionally useful and attractive guide.

5 comments about A New Owner's Guide to Yorkshire Terriers (JG Dog).

1. This is a great book. I learned alot about yorkies that I did not know before.



2. This book is invaluable for the new Yorkie owner as well as a great reference for old timers. It is well organized and includes many wonderful photos.



3. Back in February of this year we lost Binki,a Lhasa Apso cross Poodle after 17 wonderful years.Prior to that we had a Dachshund,Max, who spent 14 years with us as our 3 children grew up.So,as we are now seniors,our children are all married,and now that we have 8 Grandchildren;we faced the facts and felt our dog owning days were probably behind us.
   That is what we thought,we found Bailey,she has now joined the two of us and getting a new puppy was one of the best decisions we've ever made.She is a Yorkshire Terrier cross Teacup Poodle.She will be small,about 7 pounds,doesn't shed and has all the features of what we could want in a dog.She is 12 weeks old,we've had her over a month,and I believe she finds us acceptable.By this point, you can see Bailey is a pet,a member of the family is more like it,and we have no intrest in breeding or showing.Maybe I should qualify that bit about showing.We do a great amount of showing as a matter of fact,everyone in the neighbourhood has fallen in love with her and we can't complete a 10 minute walk in less than a half hour while showing her off and making friends with every person and dog we meet.
   We,as the case of a lot of people who have dogs,tended to operate by trial and error in raising them,heck,didn't it work with the kids? Anyway ,I saw this book and thought maybe I could learn something.You've heard the old saying "You can't teach old dogs new tricks"There is simply no truth to that.I am learning lots and there is much more to be gleaned fom this book.
   The book is only 160 pages and covers everything you could or should want to know about Yorkies.It will also be kept nearby for reference in the years ahead.
   The book discusses how intelligent this breed is,and we have already seen signs of that.If there is anything that I might fault the book for,it is this.I am a very avid reader,but very disappointed that Janet has given absolutely no attention at all on helping me with teaching Bailey to read.I have already been reading to her,she obviously comprehends,nods at the right time,and even dozes off if the story gets too dull.I am convinced she could easily be taught to read,but for that,I guess I'm on my own.
   Like I've already mentioned,and so have a couple of the other reiewers,the book covers a lot about breeding and showing in competitions,but that should not deter you from getting it.All the same principles apply,and your little friend is just as important to you and those around you as a Best of Show is to its owner and the show Judges.
   Bailey is a great addition to our family and we intend to give her a lot of happiness and I know she will return any love many times over and that doesn't even take into account the companionship we'll all enjoy.
   Oh yeah, one other thing,Carol touches on the cost one takes on with getting a dog;but remember this;
   "All it takes is money to buy a fine dog,but it takes love
   to make it wag it's tail."



4. Being a new owner, I wanted a more practical book on the breed.
   I found the author to be focused on the competitive aspect and
   "quality" breeding lines. For someone who was looking at entering dog shows, this would be a useful book. For me, who
   was looking for some insight at the pet level, it lacked practical applications.



5. This is a good book for anyone who love littles cuty monster,YorkShire Terrier. U will gain more understanding about this cute little one and it will help u to make a decision if u r fit with this little one or not. This book has many useful things u need to know about yorky. I LOVE THIS BOOK :)

5 comments about Terrarium and Cage Construction and Care.

1. I found this book very useful and informative. I have buildt terrariums since I was a child, collecting all kinds of scaly pets and the number one rule my mom made me follow was making them escape proof. These did not always work out well with missing snakes turning up in the laundry and a toothy alligator taking a bite of my hand when I first started out collecting such wonderful creatures. Boy do I wish that I had this book when I was a kid. This is a great book for both beginner and someone like me who's always looking for goood ideas on the subject.



2. The book wasnt everything I had hoped for. It did not cover the false bottom method for terrarium/vivarium construction. Seemed out dated and very very basic. Great for ideas, not for construction. Would maybe recommend book for reference but not a single resource.



3. The title of the book is absolutely misleading!
   I ordered this book together with 7 others and my hopes in this book was totally smashed the moment I opened and browsed through. It contained very little information on what I thought it should and many of the books I already owned had more info. The terrarium set ups were very unexciting. I tried going through amazon.com again trying to look for more books pertaining to "this subject" but much to my dismay, this was the only book recommended. This book contains more on recommendations of terrarium inmates rather than cage construction.



4. I bought the book being a person who loves zoos and was expecting it to cover the materials, chemicals, theorys, and design/setup of the cage and what plants to use with what lighting but none of the above really appeared in the book a completely misleading title and poor purchase.



5. For each setup, a lot of space devoted to different types of animals and each types general care. Would have liked to have more information on design ideas, construction tips, and maintenance of actual terrariums.

5 comments about Cavalier King Charles Spaniel (Barron's Complete Pet Owner's Manuals).

1. This book has lots of helpful information for Cavaliers specifically and dogs in general. It's a nice length -- not too short or long, has wonderful pictures, and is very easy to read.
   
   I think every first time Cavalier owner should read it before their dog comes home.



2. I love this book you will not need to buy another. Its a must have full of info. Love it!!!



3. I found that this book was very correct in most everything it said. Being a breeder myself I am always looking for a good book to send home with my new puppy owner's. I have found it in this book. Every puppy gets this book in their care package and their owner's just love it. The lineage chart is absolutely wonderful. This book has so much information in it that most books do not. All in all this in an excellent book. I give it five stars, more if I could.
   Sandy Townsend, Breeder of Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, Kansas



4. I have been searching for a Cavalier Club in the Dallas area and was unable to find one. I'd like to start a club for All the Cavi owners in Dallas. If interested in joining email me at madihabeg@gmail.com. If you know of an existing club in this area, I would appreciate contact info.
   And this is a great book for new owners.



5. Please note that this may have been a great book when it was written in 1999, but how any review in 2005 can recommend this book with four stars is beyond me. A very serious genetic disorder in Cavaliers has become TOO common and is found in all bloodlines. This disease, which did not become widely identified in Cavaliers until 2003, should be thoroughly researched by anyone interested in acquiring a Cavalier. It is not in this book. Go into this with your eyes wide open. We love our Cavalier and would not trade him for anything. But he has had major brain surgery at a prestigious university vet hospital, pre- and post-surgical MRI's, and is on expensive medication 3 times daily. He cannot be walked on a leash because of pain, even with the medication. If you want "cutesy" information, buy a book. If you want real information, go on-line.
   
   Added from Cavalier Health on 9/13/2006: "Researchers conservatively estimate that at least 50% of CKCSs have occipital hypoplasia (or caudal occipital malformation syndrome -- COMS), the skull bone malformation believed to cause syringomyelia."