Amazon.com Review

Caroline Knapp is head over heels in love–not with a human being, but with her mixed-breed dog, Lucille. From the moment Lucille first locked eyes with Knapp through the bars of an animal shelter cage, the intelligent, pointy-eared mutt began to transform Knapp’s life. Reeling from the deaths of both her parents, a breakup with a long-term boyfriend, and her newly won sobriety after a 20-year battle with the bottle (which was skillfully chronicled in a previous memoir, Drinking: A Love Story), Knapp found in Lucille not only companionship, but “consistency, continuity, connection. In a word, love.” Although she doesn’t regard Lucille as a replacement for alcohol and lost loved ones, Knapp does believe “that in loving her I have had that sense of being filled anew and essentially redirected, an old identity shattered and a new one emerging in its stead.” In Pack of Two Knapp, with the help of dog psychiatrists, trainers, breeders, and owners, explores the partnership between human and dog and the mysteries of the canine mind–how dogs love, how they think, and how they see human beings. And despite her findings that the dog will remain essentially “mysterious … unknowable,” Knapp is ultimately at peace with this, still devouring the moments when dog and human can “transcend the language barrier” to “understand what the other wants and feels.” This book pays homage to the wonderful and complex relationship between one woman and her dog. –Naomi Gesinger
–This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.


From Publishers Weekly

Following her bestselling memoir, Drinking: A Love Story, Knapp’s account of her “mutual and unambiguous and exceptionally private” relationship with Lucille, a small German shepherd mix, illuminates beautifully how the dog’s unconditional love filled the gaping hole in Knapp’s emotional life after her parents died and she quit drinking. Drawing on charming but alpha-tough anecdotes from her own experience and those of her dog-loving friends (primarily single and female), Knapp describes with affectionate amusement the great, often expensive lengths to which owners go to insure that their pets are well trained and well balanced. As a pup, Lucille goes with Knapp to obedience school for education, to day care for baby-sitting and to play dates with other dogs for recreation. They visit dog psychics and therapists to explain mysterious, troubled behavior, and a canine behaviorist for a few weeks of discipline. Throughout, Knapp has a canny nose for emotional detail: “Living with a dog is like being followed around 24 hours a day by a mute psychoanalyst,” Knapp writes. “Feelings float up from inside and attach themselves to the dog, who will not question their validity, or hold up your behavior to scrutiny, or challenge your perceptions.” Lucille’s arrival is followed by boyfriend Michael’s departure, and Knapp intelligently plumbs criticism from outside the dog world that she and others “use their pets as surrogates, to retreat into the world of animals in order to bypass more problematic and complex human relationships.” Anyone who loves dogs, and particularly prospective first-time owners, will delight in this exploration of man’s (or in this case, woman’s) best friend and of the “significant other” role a dog often plays in a one-person household. First serial to Glamour.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
–This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Description

Are your pup’s behavioral problems putting him in the doghouse?

You adore your dog– but when he’s biting strangers, sniffing houseguests in embarrassing places, or drinking from the toilet, he hardly seems like man’s best friend. So how do you effectively discipline this sociable, structure-driven animal without humiliating him, harming his canine psyche, or having him fear you? Bad Dog!, from author and animal behaviorist Steve Duno, is your ultimate, A-Z guide to correcting and preventing troublesome dog behaviors, from aggression to separation anxiety and everything in between.

It has:

* A comprehensive listing of the fifty most common canine behavioral problems– and specific modification techniques for fixing each one
* Ideas about environmental conditions that may be causing your pet’s unpleasant behavior
* Insight into the canine psyche to understand why your dog is acting out
* An essential overview of basic canine needs, desires, and instincts
* The “Ten Commandments” of dog ownership every dog-lover needs to know
* And many more ways to understand your dog, keep him happy and healthy, and keep your own sanity intact


About the Author
Steve Duno is an animal behaviorist and professional writer who lives in Seattle, Washington. He is the co-author of seven books, including Anti-Aging for Dogs, and the author of SMP’s Plump Pups and Fat Cats and No, Kitty!

Product Description

Move over Dr. Phil! In her remarkably funny new book, Relationship Strategist, Georgia Sullivan, guides women through a step-by-step plan to improve their relationships by comparing men to breeds of dogs. In the process, she helps men by giving them a way to defend themselves from the women in their lives who are trying so hard to change them.

To find out whether he?s a Lab or a Lapdog, and whether she?d be better off with a Boxer or a Beagle, readers first take the PORCH DOGS Quiz, a personality test available in the book. According to their quiz results, Georgia Sullivan offers sage relationship advice to guide both men and women toward happiness and contentment. Written with tongue-in-cheek candor, Sullivan deftly lays out the traits for each man/dog type and follows up with sections dedicated to the head, heart, family and work qualities for each.

Review

A ‘must’ … An excellent guide which dog owners and public libraries will find important. (Diane C. Donovan The Midwest Book Review 200705)

Thorough on discussing canine behavior and training … Taylor gives a nice overview of how to handle specific issues. (Lizz NYCityPets.com 20070525)

[Starred review] Full-color photos throughout, this book should be readable and understandable to even the first-time dog owner. Highly recommended. (Edell M. Schaefer Library Journal 20061101)

If you’ve been tempted to adopt an older or rescued … [this book] could help you take the plunge. (Janine Adams Dog World 200710)

Offers sound advice and practical solutions… a wealth of information that any dog, and owner, can benefit from. (Nancy Romanenko, Critters Editor Asbury-Park Press 20070115)

Can help prevent the many problems it seeks to fix… It’s a worthwhile read for anyone with a dog. (Mia Urquhart New Brunswick Reader )

This wonderful book is full of commonsense and should be a ‘must’ for anyone thinking of adopting. (Nancy Romanenko Neptune Asbury Park Press )

An indispensable resource. (Pet Business Magazine )

An informative and educational resource… The photos are vivid and easy to follow.. and information is easy to locate. (Angela Thompson Resource Links )

Product Description

It’s never too late to train an older dog to respond promptly and correctly to commands.

Every year thousands of families adopt adult dogs, whether from friends, relatives or the pound or rescue society. These new owners need to understand and deal with the specific problems an older dog may have, especially if its history is unknown.

Old Dog, New Tricks provides expert insights into basic adult dog behaviors. It explains how to communicate effectively with an older dog and create a great partnership. Many issues are peculiar to older dogs and, in particular, rescued ones. David Taylor addresses them all, including socialization and previous training (or the lack of either), genetic factors and adaptation to a new environment.

The book contains practical solutions to ensure good dog behavior: - Step-by-step obedience drills - Welcoming the new arrival - How to assess a dog’s problems - How a dog “thinks” - How to be a good owner/master - Communicating with a dog - What to look for in a rescued dog - Tackling problem behaviors - Understanding the effect of a dog’s prior history - Mental and physical changes in older dogs

Old Dog, New Tricks has everything needed for human-canine harmony in any household generous enough to give an old dog a new home.

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From Library Journal

In this encyclopedic approach to the all-American dog-the mixed breed-behaviorist Kilcommons (Good Owners, Great Dogs, Warner, 1992) and coauthor Capuzzo have considered mutts from all angles and come up with over 100 combinations. They start out by providing an introduction to mixes and pointedly denounce purebreds, contending that purebreds are riddled with problems from overbreeding and lack of hybrid vigor. In Part 2, the meat and potatoes of the book, the authors use the American Kennel Club classification as an organizational focus to group their mutts by type: sporting (including retriever, setter, spaniel, and pointer mixes), hound, working, terrier, herding, and nonsporting. Offering insight into the behavioral characteristics of the purebred that make up the mutt in question, Kilcommons and Capuzzo tell readers what to expect from various combinations of breeds. Part 3 focuses on selection and training, giving commonsense advice that would benefit all dog owners. Peppered with humor, illustrative stories, and captivating photos, this guide should be read by all potential owners before they purchase that “doggy in the window.” Essential for public libraries.
Edell Marie Schaefer, Brookfield P.L., Wis.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Description

A reference guide to mutts provides detailed information on more than one hundred mixed-breed types of canines, shares stories from dog owners, and recommends the best mutts for children, families, and singles. Tour.