Unlike most canine massage books which usually filled with long text and/or illustrations, this book is rather thin—109 pages long but not in any way lack of quality or pertinent content. Personally, I think manual book such as canine massage should be concise with easy-to-follow steps and explanations, and that’s what the authors did. It is a no fluff book and can be put to immediate use after an hour read.

Although the book clearly states it is a guide book, it’s more than that—a quarter of it is workbook, consists about two to six questions each related to the topic that just covered. Some of the questions are not targeted to the massage experience with your dog per se, rather it questions your massage experience on yourself. For example on the chapter on strokes: vibration,

Practice on your thigh by starting with a compression stroke. Hold briefly and then begin to let your hand tremble. Imagine that you are tricking the muscle into relaxation! How did it feel?

For most of us, inexperience dog owners/therapists, may not know how much pressure should be employed when working on our dogs; so by doing on ourselves we have the first-hand experience of our own “medicine” and also to gauge the comfortability of different pressure and stroke.

One of my favorite sections of the book is chapter eight: Common Dog Group: Their history, stress areas and massage emphasis (seen on the right). It a brief overview of what are the common injuries (stress areas) of 77 dog breeds and the antidotes (massage emphasis) to decrease the chances of injury should the dog perform more intense and strenuous activities than his normal routines.

I understand perfectly why this section may not be of a greater value to owners with only one dog—or a few dogs of the same breed—where the dog’s daily routine is confined to four-walls activities with bare minimum physical exertion. The least you could get out of this 7-pages is a better understanding of your dog breed’s stress areas (that if you haven’t know it yet) and the massage emphasis for him to enjoy the many benefits of massage therapy even if he is a couch potato.

As to why I like this section isn’t because I have two different breeds under my care rather I see it as an added benefit for my clients. Of course, not all the dogs that come for their regular grooming session are performance dogs but I’m certain 60% of them are doing some sort of moderate exercises daily. So it wouldn’t hurt to give all of them (almost…as some of dogs aren’t accustomed to being touched in a structured and rhythmic movement) a 3-minutes massage therapy as a thank-you service.

Regardless, this book is a must-have for any dog owner (be it canine performance enthusiast or laid back pet parent) who is into holistic therapeutic treatment of a stressed or “sick” dog.

I would like to leave you with this beautiful phrase extracted from Linda’s bio.

The truth is, my dogs don’t know the meaning of petting because all touch has become massage. My dogs continue to teach me about temperament, strokes, timing, ambience and scents as well as when or where to stretch them.

I couldn’t agree more, the true teacher is our dogs. This book is the fundamental guide to canine massage. With regular practices and attentive awareness to our dogs’ responses, only then we can fully appreciate the art of canine massage.

On the same note, Linda has an audio book (Giving Back: A Guided Canine Massage) that is pretty much similar to the book. When I received the complimentary copies of the book and CD, both were sold in Amazon. The CD was sold in a downloaded MP3 format at $0.99 (which I think it was a steal), lasts about 27 minutes.

I don’t know what is the deal now, Amazon carries only the book.

Updates: For more information about the book and CD or even courses on canine massage conducted by Linda Jackson, please visit her websites: http://www.centreforacupuncture.com and http://www.caninemassagebook.com

While we can only do so much to reduce the noise level produced by the clippers and dryers without over-compromising our productive, it’s almost impossible to reduce the noise made by our furry customers—barking, howling, and whining.

Most days, even during peak hours, we are able to keep the noise level within acceptable range as we try not to schedule more than two new or “special” dogs—who are unaccustomed to other machinery sounds, humans, and canines—together but, sometimes circumstances don’t always comply. And when this happens, situation can get a bit tense not just for my groomers’ concentration but even cause those well-mannered dogs to misbehave. If we just keep tolerating it and allow the noise level to escalate things can get very dangerous for every beings as many sharp, hot, and electrical objects are within close range.

Now you’re wondering why my grooming salon drama has anything to do with this book review. In every sense, it does. Just this last month, my co-partner and I decided to look for creative ways to help ease our furry customers’ anxiety problems.

Having read Joshua Leed’s The Power of Sound and listen to Sound Body, Sound Mind, I’m quite familiar with his work—topnotch sound quality—and we decided to get Through a Dog’s Ear with a starter CD to test it out on our four-legged customers. Lo and behold, it worked miraculously, within minutes all “problematic” dogs became less fidgety be it they were on the grooming table or in the kennel or in the dryer, or in the tub.

I’m not saying that the music completely eliminated all anxiety behaviors at a touch of turning the CD on. As the book clearly states…

This music is specifically designed to calm your dog and help abate behavioral issues.

I always knew certain classical music work wonders for dogs base on my personal experience. Whenever I need to rejuvenate from my hectic work schedule, I play the piano. Unquestionably, I would have my faithful audience lying near enjoying my piece and before long I would have Kiki and Zody in a sedated state. Having said and to paraphrase from the book, not all classical music is the same.

Dog needs simple sound spectrum that requires the least amount of neurological processing. The more complexity in the music, the more energy required to decipher it. Likewise, the simpler the sound, the greater the relaxation response.

In the starter CD, there are two tracks. The first track consists of four selections from Through a Dog’s Ear Vol. 1 & 2. While second track also consists of four selections from the Music for the Canine Household and Driving Edition. The total duration is about 44 minutes.

To better understand how to incorporate the music into working with your dog’s behavior issues, the book is a must-have before you buy the standalone CDs. Just on chapter 9 alone, Leeds lists the necessary guidelines to tackle common behavior issues like separation anxiety, aggression, thunderstorm anxiety, fireworks, excitement with visitors, house guest, boarding, driving with your dog, stressful time from the humans in the family. He also gives suggestions on how to use the music as part of integrative modality when dog/human on recovery from illness or surgery, and euthanasia and hospice.

Through a Dog’s Ear is a very well-written short literature, only 125-pages, comprehensible, engaging, and light (wish I could say the same for The Power of Sound).

To say we were impressed by result is an understatement. Our salon has always been known to use holistic approach to pamper (so as this blog’s tag line, if you haven’t notice ) our furry clients, so without much consideration we went ahead and ordered all 4 CDs series. We play vol. 1 & 2, household, and a few other simple classical music throughout the day or as often as my groomers could bear. Our pet taxi driver plays the driving edition CD when fetching our customers. So when they arrived at the salon, they would be calm and hopefully look forward to be groomed. In addition, all our furry customers are “treated” to 10 minutes of pure listening before they are taken to the grooming area.

It’s been three weeks since and it’s still working miraculously. We even have pet parents complimenting our choice of music play in the salon and how welcoming the ambiance feels. When told how the decision came about, that’s when they begin to piece together the change of their dog’s behavior when in our salon. Upon recommendation, most all of them bought the combo set. We’re planning to sell these CDs in our salon.

Give Through a Dog’s Ear a try even if your dog doesn’t have any anxiety issues. Who knows, you may even enjoy the music just as much as your dog does.

When I was approached to review this book, Dr. Duncan Dog on Duty, I was a bit worried I might not have much to talk about since I don’t read children’s books these days years. When I received an e-copy of the book, my worries instantly disappeared. This delightful picture book is about a dog named Duncan, a.k.a. Dr Duncan Dog, who volunteers at the children’s hospital as a therapy dog.

The story is told from Chelsea’s point of view, a young girl herself, sharing her family’s practice where everyone including pets has a job to fulfill. The main character is, of course, Duncan the dog. The part that I liked most is where Chelsea tells (and shows) us how she gets Duncan ready for his once-weekly job in the children’s hospital. First by bathing Duncan. Then she dresses him up in a green vast with two different badges, one that says, “Ask to pet me. I’m friendly!” Finally, she loads Duncan’s backpack with a Polaroid camera, alcohol wipes, and doggie treats!

The story incorporates many of the best things in children’s literature. It is educational (the role of a therapy dog) and it instills values (commitments, giving, caring, and sharing without expectation). This is the type of story that promotes meaning and purpose into the lives of our children.

Almost every page has beautiful and cheerful illustrations, four of which are 2-page spreads. That’s eye candy for young readers and adults too.

This book has about 650 words, averaging about 40 words per page. The sentences are short and to the point. Long sentences, approximately 20 words, are broken down to 7 to 9 words per line. With a nice font and colorful illustrations spread across the pages, young and beginner readers will find it an easy read.

Highly recommended for beginner readers or maybe pre-readers.

Dr. Duncan Dog on Duty is written by Lisa Dunn-Dern and illustrated by Andrea Yomtob.

For the novice it provides the necessary training tips and know-how such as

• Your Job As A Trainer
• Help Your Dog Be Successful
• Why People Fail
• Luring Versus Manipulating
• Can I Make Up My Own Words and Signals For Tricks?
• Chaining Commands (more for advance trainers)

It also covers adequate groundwork such as the basic commands of sit, down, stay, and come before moving on to other easy, intermediate, advanced, and expert levels.

Each chapter begins with a brief introduction and tips on the subject covers. For example, Chapter 7 covers “Jumping and Catching” dog tricks and the author shares her expertise on teamwork and safety issues. These are excellent nuggets of information, which many usually overlook before teaching the dog new tricks.

As an overly organizing nut, I appreciate how this book is presented. Not only it has a full-color photo for each trick and its training steps, it even has colored boxes on the sides covering prerequisites, troubleshooting, build on it, and tips on that particular trick. This book has a very clean layout with one trick per page or two at most. No fluff and filler, straight to the point, so you only need to concentrate on the step-by-step approach to teaching your dog the new trick.

As for the veteran trainer, you can never run out of tricks to work on your dog. The “build-on-it” idea box suggests much more complicated tricks that you can build on on each new skill. In another words, there are more than 101 dog tricks. (How’s that for your money’s worth?)

Two things I like most are the verbal cue and hand signal boxes on each trick and the appendix area. In appendix A, the tricks are grouped by skill level while in appendix B they are listed according to sport—for example, therapy dog and dog dancing. Instead of having to flip through pages to look for suitable trick to work on the dogs, all I need is to look at the appendix area. Once my dogs mastered the trick I put a tick beside it with the date. Should I decided to go full pledge on setting a dog trick training school, I probably come up with a workbook base on the 101 Dog Tricks concept. (Hint! Hint! Ms. Kyra)

Updates: Indeed Ms. Kyra “took my suggestion” and came out another dog tricks book that includes a training workbook and a DVD. I honestly can’t comment on this book because I don’t own one neither have I read it. I’m very happy with the 101 dog tricks and got tremendous results from using her techniques hence I don’t see the need to get her second book which I guess it would have many repetitive tricks that she had ready covered. Just so you know, she also wrote one dog tricks book just for puppies.

I highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in training their dog dog tricks—novice or veteran. Besides gaining practical skills, you will also gather information and tips you hadn’t thought about before and your dog will master neat tricks to show case his skills and maybe inspire other owners and dogs.

Rating: 4.7 bones out of 5

On a final note, I wouldn’t recommend 101 Dog Tricks if you have teacup or really miniature dog (e.g. Chihuahua). Almost half of the book covers skills that require some height. Unless you have special customized props, otherwise this book may only offer you half the value of what you are paying for. Nonetheless, it is a very fun book and I believe both you and your dog will have many wonderful times learning the tricks.

I find Deborah Wood’s Little Dogs: Training Your Pint-Sized Companion will be your next best choice if you want to teach your tiny pooches tricks that are easy to learn. Not so much on challenging tricks like Kyra’s but good enough to entertain your guests when they come to visit.

Description of the Book – Doggies Homes

This book is divided into three parts (chapters). The real “action” is in Chapter two and three. Here is the content of the book. The italic wording is mine.

Chapter 1: Barkitecture Basic

• Design Decisions
• Building Materials
• Accessories
• Choosing a Site
• Maintenance
• Ask Dr. Karen

Chapter 2: Doghouses

• Home Sweet Home – This is a puzzle doghouse as it is built without screws or nails. Because it’s made from plywood, it’s more suitable as an indoor doghouse.
• Pagoda Palace – If you are into Asian decor or your dog is of Asian ancestry, this indoor doghouse is definitely worth building. The dimensions given for this pagoda doghouse is suitable for small dogs no taller than 12 inches at shoulder level.
• Cozy Log Cabin – As the name implies, the appearance of this outdoor doghouse requires little visualization.
• Doggie Schoolhouse – Like the puzzle dog house, this is another fun and easy project to build with your kids. What makes this doghouse different from others is the chalkboard roof. An excellent place to leave messages for your children, ie. “Don’t forget to feed Fido at 5 pm, Love Mommy!”
• Heritage Home – An outdoor doghouse built with German heritage homes in mind. This house is big enough to accommodate two adult German Shepherds very comfortably. This project is not suitable for amateur builders.
• Made in the Shade – An outdoor doghouse without walls and solid roof however it provides plenty of shades. Not much of a getaway (privacy) for your dog but it shields him from those scorching sunrays. An ideal project for me this coming spring, the only change I’d make is the fabric roof—longer fabric, more shade of course!
• Room with a View – Dogs too can have tree houses. Most tree houses I’ve seen are built high on the tree branches, but this dog tree house is built “attached” to the tree truck with a ramp no more than 45° angle.
• Replica Home – Unless your suburb home looks literally like the model shown, this outdoor doghouse may not be your cup of tea! Nonetheless, you can always customize as closely to look like your home.
• Happy Campers – This is a very creative, original, and eye catching “doghouse.” Although it’s built (and maybe functioned) like a trailer, it is not meant to use as one. This camper is laminated with sheet aluminum make it very shiny. It has a dog-bone-shape antenna at the roof of the camper!
• Ruffing It – The frame of this dog house is made of copper tubing and it’s “dressed” with three pieces of heavy-duty oiled canvas. Because it’s quite lightweight and small, you can easily move it around to change the scenery.

Chapter 3: Beyond Houses

• Gated Community
• Barklounger
• Comfy Corral
• Water Trough
• Canine Supply Cabinet

Rating: 4.5 Bones out of 5

With a price tag of under $11, this book is a steal!

Who knows, he’ll probably be thrilled to switch home occasionally with your creativity and care. It’s definitely a fun project for both you and your dog. He can chip in some help by fetching the hammer, the paint brush and so on.

But before we get started on designing the dog house, you need to consider your budget as costs may vary depending on the materials you’ll be getting – lumber, nails, paint and tools (if you haven’t got that yet).

7 things you need to look before drawing out that dog house plan

1. Bigger isn’t better or comfier. Dogs like a cozy feeling. The house should be only big enough for your dog to stand up, turn around, and lie down comfortably and a little yoga stretching. Your dog should also be able to get in the door without crouching or stooping. Otherwise, he’ll band his head on the roof. Very soon, he probably won’t want to spend much time there.
2. The roof must be slanted, so rain and snow will run off it. A flat roof not only will collapse but pile up snow and leaves adding more pressure to the roof. A roof with a hinge is always good as it can be lifted up for easy cleaning.
3. The house should have a sturdy and elevated floor, so your dog doesn’t wind up sitting on cold, damp earth.
4. Make the doorway off-centre instead what you usually see on regular dog houses. This protects the dog against cold winds and offers more privacy. Or you could make the doorway like a little tunnel by adding additional lumber on one side of the door inside. From a bird’s eye view, the path forms a shape of an U.
5. Put a canvas or clear plastic flap over the door to keep wind and rain from blowing inside.
6. Once completed building, make sure no nails protrude, there are no sharp edges, and the wood is smooth and free of splinters.
7. A wooden dog house should be painted with at least two coats of non-toxic paint.

Adding a little personal touch to your Dog House

• This is my house – Well, it is obvious that dog house your built belongs to your dog and since no dogs can read but it doesn’t hurt to have his name and paw print painted right above the entrance of the door. Remember all paint should be non-toxic.
• I’m located at – I’m not sure if the materials used for building dog house are tax deductible; but the good news is that your dog’s house will never be subjected to property tax. So how about giving your dog a house number even it can never be found on street directory maps? The easy way to give your dog an address is by adding an alphabet to yours, i.e. 123-A Malibu Place. The best place will probably be on his mail box.
• You got mail – If your dog has a house with his name on and an address, he probably needs an attached mail box to complete the look. What will be in his mail box? How about putting a different dog treat or toy in it everyday? At least, this gets him looking forward spending some quiet time there.

I’m aware that the above 3 additional items won’t contribute any practicality to a dog house, but least it adds personality that you dog can truly call his own.

Special note: I never like the idea of a pet dog living in an outdoor dog house 24/7. Ideally, an outdoor dog house should be an extension to his existing comfort area, like his bed or crate, but never should it be replaced by. Give your dog an option where he wants to spend a lazy afternoon or allow him to feel there is at least one safe, personal place to go should he craves a little privacy when he’s out in the backyard.

If you are serious about building quality and functioning homes for your dog, you will be interested in Doggie Homes (DIY): Barkitecture for Your Best Friend (DIY Network). I wrote a book review and you can read it here.

Home Insurance Quote free quotes

With a title like this “10 Secrets My Dog Taught Me”, you probably think is another how-to book. On the contrary, it isn’t so. In fact, this book is neither fiction nor non-fiction, but it’s definitely a very insightful and pleasurable read. And not mentioning is humorous too.

When we read many books about dogs (instructional or informational), most dog owners don’t usually follow through the steps that were layout before heading to the bookstore to get another one. I confess; I do it occasionally. I understand being an avid reader doesn’t qualify me from exemption. So when I saw the thickness of this little book, naturally I pick up a few more books which held my interest, I was determine to do just that – read, done, and next.

Geez, I couldn’t be more wrong than to judge its content by its size. Though it’s presented in a narrative manner but at the end of each chapter, Carlo summed it up in point-form for recap – kind of like the moral of the story is….

I’m going list a few pointers which I think are very beneficial for three different stages of dog ownership – soon-to-be, novice, and old-timer.

• Why is it so crucial to gather as much information about the breed behavior before taking the plunge? (Looking at both the breeders and owners perspectives)
• How some breeders “accuse” you (especially to novices) of an animal abuser/neglect before the verdict? If you’re thinking that this book will list a bunch of questionnaires that breeders ask from buyers, then you’re in the wrong book. Even it doesn’t, I fear not. Any diligent and experience breeders still have ways to scan you. You can lie, but you can’t fool breeders.
• If you’re getting another dog as a companion for your current dog, what you think is suitable may not be as sound as you think? Personality crushed? But whose?
• What may seem so trivial to dog owners may no be so for the dogs?
• Dogs do communicate with humans! Did you really try to listen to your dog? This book shows us love and patient in dog’s viewpoint.
• Dealing with the unpleasant emotions when your dog going through his senior age and/or illnesses.

Although I finished this book in one afternoon (uninterrupted), the stories still fill me immensely even after I read it five weeks ago. I think this is a good sign for me not taking my dogs for granted. Wouldn’t you agree?

Book Review Rating: 4 paws out of 5

10 Secrets My Dog Taught Me : Life Lessons from a Man’s Best Friend – $7.59

This book is short, sweet, and to the point. This is a must-read for anyone with a dog. Doesn’t matter what breed, age and size, you have to get this book! You will never look at your interactions with your dog (or spouse or child or boss) in quite the same way again. Fun and entertaining explanation too.

Never mind about my dog ear pages, now it comes in audio. Needless to say, I got that too. I store it in my ipod, and listen while I’m on the treadmill. Now you know why this book is the grand daddy of all my dog behavior training books.

Pryor’s delivery of the information is an easy and fun read. I highly recommend this book not just for humans who shares their life with four-legged companions but also for parents, married couples, and CEOs.

Want to hear two chapters of this audio book online?
Click here and hear it for yourself.

Book Review Rating: 4 1/2 paws out of 5

Don’t Shoot the Dog! Book – $12.00

Don’t Shoot the Dog! Audio – $26.95

It’s arranged from the least important to the most worthy read of this book. For this Designer Dogs book, I managed to come up with 7 most important points. Not bad huh? Some books I’ve to struggle to come up with just 3. So here you go…

What I like most about Designer Dogsk?

• #7 It tells why designer dogs are gaining more popularity. So you can source out the most common designer dogs to weave out those fly by night breeders.
• #6 What are you exactly paying for that special price tag? Some designer dogs can cost twice as much as a purebred. So knowing what you are getting for your money is worth the second thought.
• #5 What you should and should not get a designer dog? This is extremely helpful for those who are getting designer dog for the first time. With my years if not decades of experience with dogs, I still find some gold nuggets in this book on how to selecting a good designer dog.
• #4 The difference between the first generation and generational designer dogs and why it helps you to redefine your decision and selection.
• #3 What are the questions you should be asking? Most importantly what are the usual claims made by unscrupulous breeders that might fool you in getting a designer dog.
• #2 What are the common health issues you should be aware of. That way, I won’t be taken by surprise and incur unnecessary medical bills.
• #1 Where to find registered designer dog breeders? Nothing I stated above can have more importance than finding reputable breeders be it purebred or crossbreed. In a perfect world, all puppies are healthy. Unfortunately, things don’t happen this way. As much as we want to show compassion and nurse our recent purchased “sick” but adorable puppy to good health (if it ever will), most of us aren’t “veterinary” trained to do so. For the sake of the puppy and you, it’s wiser to return to the breeder. You never know, you might actually save the puppy’s life. And because they are registered breeders, they’d understand the situation and willingly to replace you with another one of your preference if they’ve have any. If not, they will put your on their waiting list. Don’t we all potential dog owners need this kind of reassurance?

Book Review Rating: 4 paws out of 5

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Designer Dogs – $5.48

Special Note: The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Designer Dogs is no longer in print (but you still can buy secondhand ones), an alternative to this book is Designer Dogs: Portraits and Profiles of Popular New Crossbreeds (ILLUSTRATED). This book doesn’t cover in-depth as Bonham did, but you won’t be short changed as it is filled with beautiful illustrations of designer dog breeds. Also, if you know what designer dogs you are looking for, you might want to try the Designer Dogs Set 7 series. These books (Age: 9 – 12) cover very basic information, so you’ve been warned.

• Simple and Understandable English – not bombard you with too many technical terms that have you looking up the dictionary more often than you’d read the book itself.
• Useful and Practical Information – which you can carry out the tasks with ease. Rather than put the blame on your dog for his lack of comprehending your command.
• Concise Explanation – without having you to read two pages just to get that ONE message stink in.

Some of the book reviews I may list them from the least important read to the most worthy read of the book (in descending order). Some I will just give you a brief description of the book. How I do my review on books about dogs is very much depending on how the book is presented and also how much time I have available.

Periodically, I’ll update this page once I finish my latest read. One thing I’ve to tell you though, I won’t always put up books that consider a good read, I may even put up books that I think you should avoid wasting your time and money on.

It would be extremely helpful to other readers if you could contribute your thoughts on my reviews on books about dogs in the according comment section. It is always nice to hear different point of view be it good or not so good. I’m very sure this will benefit everyone including myself.