Pet Books

This is a terrific book on Southern reptiles and amphibians. The photographs are excellent and the range maps are very helpful. Amazon offers it at a very reasonable price. Highly recommended.

We wanted a book that would allow us to identify turtles and reptiles that live in our pond, and this book exceeded expectations. Good photos, habitat maps and detailed descriptions of every species. One of the best guides that we own.

This is an excellent book on herps in Georgia. I'm majoring in wildlife management in college and if this book was sold at the college, it would be while over >$120! Excellent book, current and up to date, color pictures for EVERY species, ranges for state (Georgia) and nation. What a BOOK!

This book is wonderfully written and layed out. Each species has a load of pictures to help accurately identify it. All information is useful with no filler material. Absolutely perfect.

Amphibians and Reptiles of Georgia is an excellent reference book, recommended for anyone with an interest in or appreciation for reptiles and amphibians generally, or anyone who wants to know more about the species that live in the state of Georgia. While it could be called a field guide, it is really too large for carrying into the field, although it does have a nice flex cover that might make it suitable for carrying in a backpack.

Upon first perusal I had the impression that over half the book was just about the salamanders. After taking more time I saw that the book had a roughly equal number of pages devoted to both reptiles and to amphibians, but there is no shortage of lovely photographs of salamanders. Most books about reptiles and amphibians spend a lot of time on snakes, with amphibians like salamanders included as an afterthought. Also, I live in the western part of the country, so I am used to having more lizards in a book like this, of which there is only a relatively small section in this book. That said, the book is very thorough, and it is the actual diversity of reptile and amphibian species within Georgia that determines how many pages are devoted to each group.

There are excellent range maps for each species, showing the counties where you can expect to find them. There is information on classification, habitat, reproduction, behavior and conservation status for each species as well.

If you want to identify a salamander or snake that you found in Georgia, this is the book for you. If you just want to look at beautiful photographs of salamanders, frogs, lizards, snakes and turtles, this is a great book for that too. If you want to know about the distribution and habits of Georgia's reptiles and amphibians, I can recommend the book for that as well. Basically it's just a great book for the lover of reptiles and amphibians, and I recommend it.

I thought it was a little wordy before getting to the "meat of the subject"

I wish I could give this more then 5 stars. It is the most comprehensive book I've read for hands-on healing for animals. The author doesn't just offer hand placements but provides a wealth of information on other aspects that effect the pet's overall well being. The book covers scientific evidence of healing, explains auras and chakras, environmental impacts, animal communication - including a meditation for developing the ability, properties for working with crystal energy, and astrological signs that influence your pet. The last chapter discusses complementary therapies such as acupuncture, homeopathy, and chiropractic.

The only challenge I have is in the beginning of the book the author seems to oversimplify the ability for anyone to provide hands-on healing. I do believe we all have the innate ability to channel universal energy, but I believe a lot of us have "forgotten" who we are and our natural abilities. Later in the text the author does acknowledge it may take years for an individual to develop this inherent ability. Personally I recommend taking a class, whether it is Reiki, TT, HT, or any other energy healing modality if you're interested in hands on healing.

This is the best empathic book for fellow empaths and pet lovers. As a empathy like my self,she is full of great wisdom,and made her book easy to understand for psychic and pet lovers. I rate #1 on the healing practice,and excellent for beginners of being healers.

This is one of the BEST books I have encountered on healing energy work for animals.
I use it extensively and highly recommend it to all animal lovers.
My dogs give it a big "paws up"!

This was wonderful! This lady knows her stuff. I have her music cd's on healing for pets and animals-they are wonderful, too!

I almost didn't get this book, when I was shopping on line, BUT I am soooo glad that I did. I found it very helpful for working with my dog. This is the first book that I got that said that sometime shy dogs are just born that way. I was such a relieve. I have tried many things to help bring her out of her shell, but was feeling like somehow I was failing her. The book gives practical examples and advice on how to handle situations and lots of patience is needed. To notice the small victories. It also had stories of how other shy dogs had overcome their shyness and do things that you want for your dog. I really recommend this book. If gives lots of suggestions and hope. Your hard work will pay off!

Okay book, a litlle disappointed since she stresses over and over training since I did that with my Ted already....many of the ideas in her book are really common sense

A lot of good ideas for helping a shy dog to become a great member of your pack. It helped me to realize that my rescued shy dog will get better with time and there are actions I can take to help her adjust to her new family. Thanks for the encouragement in helping me deal with my timid dog. I would reccomend this book to people who have a shy dog.

I'm so glad I found this book. The real-life stories she shares have helped me understand my sweet-but-fearful dog so much better. It's great to know that there is hope for helping my dog become happy and content.

I just recently acquired a somewhat shy mini-dachshund and needed instruction on how to assist him in overcoming his apprehensions. Various sources on line recommended this book. I bought it, as well "Help for Your Shy Dog" by Nicole Wilde. This Deborah Wood book was a complete waste of time - no details were included on how I should proceed with my dog on anything, only just what amounted to a bunch of cheerleading (e.g., "with patience even you can do it!"). The Nicole Wilde Book, however, contains all the protocols you need to follow for virtually any kind of fear a dog might have. I highly recommend "Help for Your Shy Dog" for anyone with a shy dog, or any kind of dog for that matter. After reading Nicole Wilde's book, I am now making huge progress with my dog's apprehensions, and feel well equipped to deal with any fear that may come up in the future. The Deborah Wood book is going in the trash.

Overall this is an adequate little trick book. Needs color photos and better tricks however. I'm sorry I paid full price for this one.

The tricks are few and simple to teach. The explanation is pretty thorough. My yearling is doing it. Haven't tried my 5 or 16 yr. olds yet.

I bought this book for my 10 yr old daughter and myself to learn some tricks to teach our horses....It's very easy to follow (even for a 10 yr old!), methodical and lots of fun!

My horse didn't want me to buy this because now I am enthusiastic about teaching him tricks. This book is really fun, easy to understand and the tricks range from simple to the more complicated. Useful and helpful. The author is easy to understand and I like the way she starts with the simplest tricks that I or anyone can teach. She is clear about being consistent and the length of time used for teaching in each phase, which is really helpful.
Paint horse owner and author of: Roses and Locoweed: The Life of a Cowboy's Wife and The Winter Years of World War II

I have purchased this book several times as a gift (I own it myself). Simple instructions, well illustrated guide for teaching several tricks to your horse. This is a lot of fun when the weather is bad and you're confined to the barn.

My son has ALL the Mr.Putter and Tabby books (which I highly recommend!), but this one is his favorite. These books are so sweet and funny and the illustrations are just tremendous!!

This was the very first Cynthia Rylant book I purchased for my 7 year old daughter and after reading it together several times, I bought all of the other Mr. Putter and Tabby books. It is easy to read, and very, very funny. The illustrations are great, very entertaining and whimsical. Thoroughly enjoyable!!!

This is another winner from the "Mr. Putter and Tabby" series. Old Mr. Putter and his old cat like to sit and watch the snow, but they must act soon if they want to think of something to give their nice neighbor, Mrs. Teaberry, for Christmas. Knowing her unlikely fondness for fruitcake, the intrepid pair decide to bake her one that wouldn't "break her toe if she dropped it." After much ado, they finally succeed in their effort, and fall asleep on Christmas morning in Mrs. Teaberry's house, having just delivered the cake. In the end, Mr. Putter goes home with "a very nice toaster that sang 'America the Beautiful' when the bread popped up." This gentle, subtle humor runs throughout the book and goes well with the colorful, expressive illustrations. Mr. Putter's persistence in trying to bake a cake is admirable. Furthermore, like many good Christmas books, this one shows the importance of giving. A fine book for kids who are just beginning to read.

The Mr. Putter and Tabby series are the sort of books that I would have loved to have when I was a beginning reader. I know that I would have read them over and over again to no end, even once they began to fall apart from constant use. That's why I am so glad that Mr. Putter and Tabby are around now while my youngest brother is learning to read. The non-repetitious (words are repeated, but not enough to become explicit), non-rhyming storytelling contained within the books makes them a pleasure to read continually, unlike many other easy-reader books. And in my opinion, the Mr. Putter and Tabby books are a step in front of Ms. Rylant's Henry and Mudge collection, due to the fact that, in their own way, they create an appreciation for the elderly as the reader comes to love Mr. Putter, the aging main character whose only companion is his cat, Tabby.

In Mr. Putter and Tabby Bake the Cake, Christmas is soon approaching, and Mr. Putter must decide what to give Mrs. Teaberry, his fruit-cake-loving next-door neighbor. Mr. Putter does not understand how anyone could enjoy a fruit cake, and so he sets out to make Mrs. Teaberry a "light and airy" cake for Christmas, one that "could not break her toe if she dropped it." Young readers will follow along with Mr. Putter and his good cat Tabby as they try to make Mrs. Teaberry's cake, from start to finish. Mishap prevails, leaving you to wonder if they will ever get through in time. It all adds up to a cheery Christmas story about giving and the saying, "It's the thought that counts!"

Mr. Howard's cartoon-style illustrations greatly enhance this wonderful story, which is written in such a format to be used as either a 3-chapter book for the beginning reader, or a bedtime story that is longer in length. Either way, the Mr. Putter and Tabby books would be a great find for emerging readers' shelves. Like having a kindly old grandpa next door, they only make life richer!

A delightful Christmas story that emphasizes giving of oneself and pokes a little fun at commercialism. Mr. Putter is as "light and airy" (or light and HAIRY as my five-year-old points out in chapter 4) as ever. Mr. Putter teaches us that we are never too old to learn!

I buy one of these for all my new puppy families. It's complete, updated, lots of photos and very helpful information about the breed and dogs in general. A must for every first time Cavalier owner!

D. Woods's Amazon Review describes this book very well.

We've lived with Clive, our black and tan Cavalier, for two and a half years, and haven't found one error in the book. The author is clearly an experience breeder, and describes this type of dog very well in easy to understand language.

I'm writing this Review to emphasize a point the author makes; this breed gains weight very easily, particularly if the dog is castrated or spayed. It's partly the pleading eyes and loving personality, but it must also be in the genes. It must be terrible to be so hungry all the time. Clive and I take three to five mile walks a couple of times a week, and yet he can put on two pounds in a week.

Our vet suggested that slowing Clive's eating would help him maintain a healthy weight. We tried putting rocks and later tennis balls in his food bowl, but he quickly learned to extract the impediments and scarf down his food. The Brake-Fast Dog Food Bowls - Small Red looked like a joke gift, but in fact it is amazingly effective.

Clive has to work for at least a minute to work around the prongs and finish every last morsel. The bowl can be put on a mat so it won't move, but it takes him even longer to eat when he pushes the bowl around our kitchen floor. We sometimes a bit of egg white and microwave the bowl for a few seconds to "glue" the food in place. The result:

Brake-Fast Small Dog Food Bowl: $[___]

King Charles Cavalier Spaniel: $[___]

Watching Clive growling with frustration as he pushes his bowl around the floor: Priceless

Robert C. Ross 2007 2008

Great book to have before purchasing this breed of dog. There are alot of things people need to know before finding a breeder for Cavalier King Charles.

This book by Norma Moffat is excellent! I decided to buy another Cavalier puppy as a result!

This is an excellent well rounded book written by someone who really knows and loves the breed. It is a hardcover with 144 pages of good information and great photos. If you are new to the breed and are getting only one book, this is the one to buy. It covers almost everything you can think of, although doesn't cover breeding much because serious breeders and exhibitors discourage people from breeding dogs, which they believe is best left to the people who know the breed standards and health concerns.

it is a shame for him to start out with a good dog and a good book and then turn himself into real jackass -- he should have stuck with his labs - they are suited more to him - fat and lazy - hope no one buys anymore of his books - and maybe he will have to get a real job instead of making money off of a dog he killed!!!!!

This is one of the best books about dogs I have read. Jon Katz has a way of writing that makes you feel the laughter and the pain. There are times when reading this book that you will literally be laughing out loud. HE is a very descriptive writer. I would (and have) recommend this book to friends. It is a must read for not just dog lovers but anyone who just needs a good book.

I found this book to be a fun, enjoyable, quick read. If you love animals, you will love this book. It has dogs, sheep, a ram and donkeys. The best part of this book is the parts that deal with the dogs. I recommend it.

--Gerard Zemek, husband of author of "My Funny Dad, Harry"

The reviewer comments on the back cover of this book say "An inspiring portrait of the human-animal bond...". "Funny, touching, and insightful...". "Rewarding memoir...". I might have said as much about other books on humans and animals, but not this one.

Jon Katz tells us straight out that his goal in taking on the care of three border collies, a herd of sheep, and two donkeys is to better himself, to "become a better human being". It's an admirable goal - but at what sacrifice? When does it seem a good idea to experiment on animals for your own so-called personal growth? What kind of growth is that really?

Obviously I am in a different camp from Katz. Long ago I concluded that there is no animal on this earth who is safe from humans. I also concluded that human destruction of much of the natural world means that some animals, including cats and dogs, no longer have a natural habitat, that in fact their natural habitat now is with us, in our homes. A corollary: it is our responsibility to care for homeless dogs and cats humanely (which does not mean killing them); we created this situation and we are responsible for them. I offer this paragraph as a disclosure that explains part of the reason I take issue with the way Katz approaches the animals he takes on.

Katz sells his mountain hideaway (the subject of previous books) and purchases a run-down farm in upper New York state. He brings his three dogs there and accepts delivery of 15 sheep and the first donkey. Later he travels to the farm of a self-described "donkey lady" and purchases another, younger donkey as companion for the first. He works with his dogs, trying to train them to herd the sheep, and he spends much of each day cleaning, repairing, doing the chores associated with this life. He also spends part of his day writing about it and appears to spend nearly 100% of his waking hours trying to figure it all out. By which I mean he sorts through his relationship with the different animals and comes to conclusions about himself, those animals, and other people and their animals. Forcing himself to be responsible for all of these animals is supposed to make him a better person.

What others have characterized as "introspection" I see as justification. Katz spends endless paragraphs justifying actions that he suspects others may see as wrong somehow. He tells us honestly what trainers have told him (that, for example, he needs to stop yelling at his dogs) and that he bemoans his failures as a human being, and then he obstinately reverts to pattern (keeps yelling at his dogs). It is as if he wants to become a better person but retain all of his prejudices and habits in the process.

Again and again he describes occasions when he has gone against the advice of people he trusts, only to find out that their advice was good. A trusted trainer said don't bring another puppy into the mix until you have resolved the issues with Homer. Katz wants a new puppy so he gets it anyway, only to find out after much work with all of the dogs that perhaps that wasn't such a swell idea. I can't help but conclude that he is going after what Jon wants rather than what the dogs want or need.

When Katz wants a new dog he heads for the breeder. He chooses a breed and a specific puppy for its characteristics. He wants a border collie to herd sheep. He wants a labrador for companionship. He snipes at those who frown on obtaining dogs from breeders with this argument: some people adopt babies but most of us want one of our own. Is that a fair comparison, though? The comparison fails on more than one level:

*When Katz goes to a breeder it's like he's going to an adoption agency, not "having his own". He also deludes himself by assuming he can specify exactly the dog he wants. Even when you choose a puppy of a breed that tends to have certain characteristics, there is no guarantee that the puppy will grow up to be the dog you expect. Katz's own experiences with different border collies are testament to this variability in dogs. All dogs. (not to mention all people)

*Even the best breeders produce dogs that are "not acceptable": dogs they can't sell. These dogs are a result of the breeding process. Even the champion dogs tend to have physical or mental issues that are genetic, a result of the breeding process. The best breeders will claim that they find homes for all of their dogs, whether or not they are "perfect". But every time a breeder's dog goes out the door the people who take that dog do not instead take another dog that needs a home. Thus breeders contribute to pet overpopulation and contribute as well to the population of genetic misfits.

*Approximately 40% of the dogs in shelters are purebred dogs. Many breeder dogs do not come to good ends.

*Katz ignores statistics because he wants his own chosen dogs, not some "rescue", even though he has rescued dogs in the past, from inappropriate homes. Therefore he justifies his decision.

When Katz takes out his rifle and shoots a feral cat it is at the end of many paragraphs explaining he never thought he'd ever shoot anything and his dogs were being attacked and he did not have a choice. Actually, he did have a choice, but it would have taken more work of the kind he chooses not to do. It would also have labeled him some kind of bleeding heart there in the country, and we can't have that. He desperately wants (maybe needs) approval from the old-time "real" farmers and ranchers. Katz is no lazy person. He simply makes his choices for his own comfort and supposed better-personhood rather than for animals.

Katz does come to the conclusion that he cannot provide the kind of home needed by his sweet Homer. After agonizing and justifying this decision - a justification not needed, believe me - he places Homer with a family that can give him what he needs. In this Katz has done the right thing. He wears the hair shirt, however, over and over expressing distress that it was his own bad training practices that complicated life for Homer and made it necessary for him to go to another home. Enough already. He protests too much.

I have come to the odd conclusion that perhaps Katz is not the dog person he says he is.

He would say he's not a "Dog Person" too, but his definition of "Dog Person" is not what I mean. He describes his sister and others he has met as dog persons, and what he means is people who actively rescue "unadoptable" dogs, who care for them with every last scrap of their incomes, who let them overrun their lives in every respect, shutting out people - except other "Dog People" who meet the same definition. This type dog person is a small subset of the whole, the dog people I know personally.

Katz is not afraid to reveal what he sees are the problems in his own personality: a lack of patience, a tendency toward anger, especially quick anger. He refers frequently to a childhood of chaos where he learned these ways of keeping other people at bay. He obviously truly wants to find and keep a genuine long-lasting closeness to those who matter to him, and does not want to continue to alienate friends and family with his bursts of anger or silence.

He finds his salvation in the animals. Through them he learns patience especially. Through them he harnesses his will toward the care of others. Through them he finds a connection to his sister that had been lost. Clearly this is the message of the book. Animal people will all tell you that animals change you, make you better than you were. I have no argument with that. What concerned me throughout this book was the total me-ness of it. It was always about Katz and what he wanted and needed from the animals. Even though he went on various trips to find out what the animals needed, the need of the donkey to find her "inner donkeyness", for example, ultimately he did these things because they would make him a better person. There is something backwards about this approach that simply bothered me the whole time I read this book.

At the end of the book Katz is laying in supplies and readying the farm for another winter. We are expected to believe that he has found his place at last. I for one doubt it. It was good enough for one book but the adventure will not be enough for many more.

I'm disappointed in this book, after having wanted to read it for a long time. It is the first of the author's books I have read. It's fairly interesting, but not anywhere close to a great book.

I had assumed that this is a book by a shepherd about his sheep and his working border collies. Instead, it's about a man who has animals for a hobby (apparently mostly as research for writing books, actually). He comes across as very narcissistic: leaving his family, expecting working farmers to help him at a moment's notice, working a farm that he doesn't need with dogs that aren't well trained, as a short-term experiment.

His understanding of herding dogs seems slim. Now, I have a collie and not a border collie, but I'm dismayed to see him present herding as bloodlust, as a dog's desire for tasty prey that is kept in check by its owner. Good herding dogs, from everything else I've read and seen, protect the sheep and don't drool over them. Herding dogs really aren't hunting dogs; the instincts are very different.

I can't figure out how this book made it to best-seller lists. There are MANY better dog books out there.

I bought this book because I own three cats. One is a senior and he started to pee outside of the litter box and my vet said it might be behavioral. Although Dusty seems to know a lot about her cats, she does not know much about MY cats. In fact, I kind of think they would dislike her...

Everything she suggested failed on them. In fact, many of the things she suggested doing made things worse. By the halfway point of the book my senior cat, who used to sleep with me at night, had started to hide under the bed to escape the other two kitties. Plus, everything she suggested costs a TON of money! I am a graduate student so I don't have hundreds of dollars to spend on cat toys, especially when I know the cats will just make their own out of scraps of paper! I ended up returning over $100 worth of products she recommended and in the end, when things had returned to normal, the kitties were much happier.

The only product she recommended that actually helped was Feliway, but it was $35 for a little spray can. Wal-Mart has the same product for $10. I wonder if she gets product placement money...

Cat Wrangling Made Easy provides easy to implement solutions to problems we all encounter living in a multi-cat household. Dusty Rainbolt's writing style is very straight forward and honest with a sense of humor. This book is must read for any cat owner.

This is the best book on cat behaviour and cat ownership we have ever read! Every chapter details in layman's terms various issues that can occur with any cat owner whether it is a single cat household or multi-cat household.

There is even a chapter on the contact information on the recommended cat toys and remedies that are referenced throughout the book and even a list of pet-friendly hotels for the traveller so you can have the purrfect trip with your WHOLE family!

Since finishing the book , we have been more aware of even the "little signals" that our furry friends make which has brought us even closer to them emotionally!

We are hoping for a follow-up to this book to provide even more insight into our loved-ones.

Cheryl and Jeff Stern

This book was recommended to me by a shelter volunteer. One of my cats has some major behavioral issues and I have been at my wit's end trying to solve her problems. I was even thinking of trying to find her a new home. It was that bad.

My cat Tooko hates all my other cats, especially the oldest one, Heather. She spends all her waking hours tormenting poor Heather. Heather is scared for her life all the time and is disheartening to watch them. Heather even stared peeing in unusal spots because she was so upset.

Ms. Rainbolt's book gave many helpful tips that REALLY worked. She had many recommendations for natural behavior products and an excellent guide for medications to handle aggression. She also, funny enough, had wonderful ideas for handling inappropriate urination and how to find the places that Heather peed.

My house is now at peace and smells great, for a change.

So, if you have cats, this is really a great idea. I appreciate her honesty and product recommendations. i hate it when you buy something that promises you the world and delivers nothing!

Reading this book was like deja vu. I, too, live with a family of kitties, and I had to smile or even laugh at some of the pointers and anecdotes with a "yep, been there, done that." This book has a lot of practical wisdom in it. Most of the suggestions work 100% of the time; 100% of them work most of the time. Your mileage may vary. At any rate, Ms. Rainbolt has a way of making sense out of complex observations and issues in living with a multitude of cats. It's like the kitties have their own sorority/fraternity and you get to be the house parent.

The product suggestions were great. How odd it would be to read about suggestions for how to resolve an issue but no mention on where to get the stuff! My first questions would always be: what is it and where can I get it? I thank Ms. Rainbolt for doing her research and pointing the way.

If you live with any number of cats, this book will help you keep sane and work out an understanding of what to do, how to do it, and how to live with what goes on in a household of cats.

Are you training your dog or is he/she training you? You can reverse the roles and train them rather than the other way around ;-) This book helps you take command of your dog and make him/her listen with understanding and caring.

However, if you are an experienced dog owner then forget it. This entire book merely expounds on the obvious and common sense solutions that we all know and have already tried. I was hoping for some new insights to common problems but no such luck.

While I have to agree with other reviewers, in that if you are an intermediate or experienced dog trainer, you probably aren't going to find anything new here, I think this is a fabulous book for people who are new to dog training. The techniques are time-tested, and while I was familiar with many of them, I still enjoyed how the material was presented (very easy to read) and appreciated the book as a "refresher" and reminder on different approaches to try. I help teach beginning obedience and beginning agility classes, and have used some of these techniques to help people just starting out their training journey with their dog. One of the things I really liked about this book was the author's making a distinction between what is required for formal obedience and what is required to just have a well-mannered dog (the "heel" versus the "let's go" for example). I checked out this book from my library, but it's one I would not only buy for myself, but also would give to other dog owners as a gift.

I love that this book offers a completely positive training method. However, some of the training ideas seem like they would take a very long time to teach, and I don't know how "rock-solid" your dog would be afterward. I like that the author advocates teaching exercises in such a way that your dog cannot fail (for example, don't try making your dog SIT outside until he has done it 90% perfect in the house without distractions). I don't like that it does not offer many suggestions on what to do if you do happen to say "SIT" and your dog completely ignores you. And I truthfully didn't think it had very many effective ways to change "bad" behaviors. It would be great for your average dog without many bad habits who is willing to please and endlessly interested in treats.
The book was easy to read, but I actually got very annoyed with some of the long "funny" descriptions. A bit too much padding for me; get to the point.

Make your dog your best friend and he will do what you want. That is the basic premise of the book. The theory is reward focused, using treats, gentle pats, etc., to condition the dog to behave.

I have a "rescue dog" that was abused. He doesn't much like being touched. So far, he would rather go exploring that to mind me. The author suggests I am just not trying enough - possibly true. This book gave me a couple ideas, but hasn't been much help.

This is an excellent book for the first time shihtzu owner. Has instructions on how to groom your own puppy, etc.

This book was a great introduction for me, who has never owned a dog before. It teaches you about Shih Tzus, but also about dogs in general.
The techniques work, and I feel that I am now smarter than my puppy. A dummy no more!

I ordered this book after bringing home my 6-week old puppy, and it has helped me tremendously. I have one other book which talks a lot about the history and temperament of the breed, but this book is a lot more useful for everyday knowledge. I love the suggestions for getting the dog used to daily grooming so that he get used to being handled. My puppy is already starting to nip at my hands and feet, and this book is helping me respond to this and other undesirable behavior.

This is my first dog, and I had not a clue about how to housebreak or socialize him. With this book, I feel a lot more confident in my ability to raise a friendly family pet.

Exellent book for people who know very little and who desire to know more about the Shih Tzu breed. It covers everything from puppyhood to senior citizen. I am very happy with this book.