Displaying items by tag: Book

The Complete Healthy Dog Handbook is a superb, reassuring, and comprehensive work. "Dr. Spock for dogs."—Elle magazine wrote of its first edition, originally published as The Hound Health Handbook, and now completely revised and updated.

Today's dog owners are more attuned to their pets' health and well-being than ever before. And with good reason: Americans spend upward of $10 billion annually on their canine companions. The Complete Healthy Dog Handbook is the one essential and truly readable book for these devoted dog owners. Surpassingly clear and complete, with more than 100 illustrations and diagrams, it covers everything from choosing the best dog to puppy care, nutrition, vaccines, behavior, first aid, and senior care, plus thorough discussions of more than 100 canine illnesses. Reflecting the latest advances in veterinary medicine, this edition offers up-to-the-minute advice on "design dog" breeds, pet food safety, homemade diets, changing vaccine protocols, new medications for allergies, car sickness, obesity, and heart disease, developments in surgery and cancer treatment, pet insurance, and more.

With The Complete Healthy Dog Handbook, the vet is always in.

Author Bio:

Betsy Brevitz, D.V.M., had a ten-year career as a magazine writer and editor before becoming a veterinarian. A 1998 graduate of the highly regarded Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine, she now lives and practices in northern New Jersey. The Complete Healthy Dog Handbook: The Definitive Guide to Keeping Your Dog Happy, Healthy, and Active originated with her "Ask the Vet" column for the acclaimed website Urbanhound.com.

From the publisher of B. Kliban’s Cat, All I Need to Know I Learned from My Cat, and Bad Cat, comes a new book that answers the question all cat lovers ask: How do I make my cat like me?

97 Ways to Make a Cat Like You is the perfect interactive guide to these mysterious, fickle, seemingly aloof—yet really, just particular—pets. Paired with a full-color photograph of friendly, extroverted, happy cats (in case you’ve forgotten what a cat looks like when he “likes” you), the 97 inspired, occasionally silly but always behaviorally-based tips and tricks prove that when a cat is treated right, he or she will respond in kind. Within reason.

There’s the “Eye on the Ball”—record a tennis match or a Ping-Pong game on TV to play back for your cat when he needs a bit of exercise. “Cat Burrito”—wrap your cat in a towel, burrito-style, which is particularly good for anxious pets or trips to the vet. The “Boing, Boing!”—wind pipe cleaners around a pencil in a spiral shape to create springs. Carefully slide off the pencil so the spirals go “boing” when pressed. The classic “Tickle, Tickle”—tickle Kitty under her chin and softly say “gitchy, gitchy, gitchy” in your highest-pitched voice. And for the cat owner willing to go the distance, the “There’s No Business Like Show Business”—practice your best Ethel Merman by belting out favorite show tunes for your cat. Kitty won’t care if you’re off-key and she’ll enjoy the stimulation.

Carol Kaufmann is the author of 97 Ways to Make a Cat Like You and co-author of the bestselling Photicular books Safari, Ocean, and Polar. A freelance writer and editor, her work for National Geographic and other publications has taken her to all corners of the globe, from the Pacific Ocean’s floor to the top the Atlas Mountains. In addition to National Geographic, her writing has appeared in the New York Times’ Draft column, Reader’s Digest, where she was the National Affairs Reporter, The Washington Post, George, and in the anthology A Woman’s Europe. She is also the author of the ebook, MamaTricks. She lives in Alexandria, Virginia.

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file:///C:/Users/jonpp/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image004.png" alt="Text Box: Praise for THE BIG BOOK OF TRICKS FOR THE BEST DOG EVER… “The family-friendly, step-by-step guide features more than 100 amazing and heartwarming dog tricks specially designed for effective training, pure fun and to help strengthen the bond between you and your dog. And who knows? You might even be able to turn your dog into a YouTube star!” –Dogster Magazine " width="720" height="172" />Contact: Emily Weldon, Associate Publicist, (212) 614-7503, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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In 2018, more than 60 million American households owned a dog. Most dog owners will teach their pups basic cues such as “sit” and “stay.” But imagine visiting friends, only to find their dog opening the door to greet you, closing the door behind them, and bowing to say hello! It’s possible with THE BIG BOOK OF TRICKS FOR THE BEST DOG EVER: A Step-by-Step Guide to 118 Amazing Tricks and Stunts (March 19, 2019; $17.95; by Larry Kay and Chris Perondi; Workman Publishing), an indispensable, step-by-step guide featuring 118 tricks and stunts that strengthen the bond between owner and dog—and impress all who watch!

THE BIG BOOK OF TRICKS FOR THE BEST DOG EVER will enrich the lives of furry friends from all walks of life. Dog lovers can teach their canine companions a range of tricks from three comprehensive training programs (Beginner, Intermediate, and Pro), including:

• Beginner
  • Sit Pretty: Dog sits up, raises both paws to chest, and stays balanced
  • Boing: Dog jumps in the air on cue
  • Crawl on Lure: Dogs scoots on the ground towards owner in a crawl position

• Intermediate
  • Wrap It Up: Dog grabs the edge of a blanket and rolls to wrap it around herself
  • Run the Bases: Dog runs in sequence to a series of baseball bases
  • Cookie Nose: Dog balances cookie on snout and waits to eat it

• Pro
  • Ride a Skateboard: Dog rides a skateboard across the room to owner
  • Dance on Two Around Me: Dog stands up on two hind legs and walks backward around trainer
  • Catch a Flying Disc: Dog races after flying disc, leaps into the air, and catches in his mouth

For those with aspirations of fame for their beloved pets, Chris Perondi, the #1 stunt dog and tricks master trainer and founder of Stunt Dog Productions, and Larry Kay, award-winning filmmaker, author (TRAINING THE BEST DOG EVER) and mastermind behind the wildly popular Positively Woof, offer a pro section, with information on moviemaking, live performance, dancing, and extreme stunts and sports such as agility, parkour, and dock diving. These expert levels are complete with tips on how to workshop a film or dance routine, how to set up a successful stunt program, and how to choreograph a stunning dance sequence. Featured interviews with trick trainers at the top of their fields also give aspiring master trainers a feel for what goes into acclimating their pups to the pro levels of training.

Kay and Perondi are devotees of the positive reinforcement training method, which, at its core, encourages owners to get to know their dog’s personality and learning style to cater to the tricks that will work best for their dogs. Certain behavior cues—such as saying a dog’s name in a positive tone of voice, praising and rewarding focused moments, ignoring missteps, and even crate training—are essential tools every owner should use to ensure that training sessions are fun-filled, safe, and memorable experiences for both dog and owner.

THE BIG BOOK OF TRICKS FOR THE BEST DOG EVER also delves into dog psychology, emphasizing the difference between high- and low-energy dogs so that every owner can tailor a training session to their pups’ particular learning style. High-energy dogs, who lean on the wild and obsessive side, require varying between different energy-level activities to improve focus and ensure a safer training session. Conversely, low-energy dogs, who may not yet be accustomed to a lot of movement or intense focus, should start with shorter training sessions that build up to highly focused dogs who love to earn and learn.

Armed with methods that build dogs’ confidence and allow owners to make informed choices about their dogs’ trick training curriculum, THE BIG BOOK OF TRICKS FOR THE BEST DOG EVER introduces the benefits of trick training that go beyond a cool Instagram video!

• Saving Lives! When shelters post cute clips or photos of dogs up for adoption, it helps those dogs find homes. Through his organization, Positively Woof, Larry Kay has shown that trick training videos help demonstrate that a dog is ready to be adopted into her forever home.
• Improved socialization and streamlined training: Trick training helps fearful dogs gain confidence, enabling them to meet new playmates and more readily acclimate to people. It also improves a dog’s behavior by preventing boredom and restlessness, which is often the cause of destructive behavior.
• Inside every shelter dog is an undiscovered movie star. 75 percent of the stunt and trick dogs seen in movies are shelter rescues, as are most of the dogs used to demonstrate the tricks in THE BIG BOOK OF TRICKS FOR THE BEST DOG EVER! Shelter rescue is a great option for anyone considering adopting a dog. Who knows what hidden talents lie behind that adorable fluffy face?
• Strengthened bond: Our furry friends are reliant on us to keep them safe and happy, and trick training deepens that special bond by demonstrating that they can trust and depend on their human partners (children and adults alike) in all scenarios.
• Increased responsibility: Oftentimes, a pet is a child’s first introduction to responsibility and trick training is a firsthand experience that shows how sticking with something (training) can have amazing results and lead to safe and lasting interactions with dogs.

Whether the aim is to positively channel vigorous puppy energy or to bond with an old four-legged friend, THE BIG BOOK OF TRICKS FOR THE BEST DOG EVER will have everyone’s best friend offering high fives, jumping through hoops, or even balancing on skateboards in no time!

MEET THE AUTHORS

file:///C:/Users/jonpp/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image008.jpg" width="317" height="428" />CHRIS PERONDI has been featured extensively in national media, including the Ellen DeGeneres Show, the Oprah Winfrey Show, the Tonight Show, the Late Show, the Queen Latifah Show, Univision’s Sabado Gigante, Nat Geo Wild, Animal Planet, Fox TV, CBS News, Sports Illustrated, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, and national TV commercials. His touring company, Stunt Dog Productions, books more than a thousand live shows in dozens of venues per year. Their shows have involved extended production runs at Branson, Dollywood, Six Flags of America, and the Indianapolis Zoo. Chris has been training dogs for more than twenty years. Having first discovered dog training as a hobby, he evolved over the years into a disc dog showman who has appeared at NBA and NFL halftime-shows and MLB pregame shows. The hobby became his full-time profession in 2001 (Chris has as many as five simultaneous crews under his Stunt Dog branded shows). Chris and crew performed live atop the 125th Annual Tournament of Roses Parade float for Lucy Pet Foundation to raise funds for spay and neuter causes. In 2009, Suhey Velez (now Perondi) joined the Stunt Dog Experience and is responsible for the training and showcasing of many of the tricks included in THE BIG BOOK OF TRICKS FOR THE BEST DOG EVER. Visit them at dogtricksandstunts.com and stuntdogshow.com.

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LARRY KAY coauthored TRAINING THE BEST DOG EVER (Workman Publishing), which was awarded the Maxwell Medallion for Best Training and Behavior Book by the Dog Writers Association of America and earned the first-ever book award from the Association of Professional Dog Trainers. He also authored LIFE’S A BARK, created and produced the award-winning Animal Wow dog care DVD for kids that was endorsed by the American Humane Association, and has been a frequent contributor to the American Animal Hospital Association and a columnist for Dog Fancy magazine. He has written and produced for Disney, PBS, and The Muppets, taught TV producing at NYU’s TV/Film School, and holds a master’s degree in TV/Film from the Newhouse School at Syracuse University. With two million Facebook fans (facebook.com/PositivelyWoof), Larry’s Positively Woof platform promotes positive dog training, creative tricks and celebrations, and shelter dog adoptions with web films, hundreds of adoption success stories, and innovative cause marketing programs. Visit him at dogtricksandstunts.com and positivelywoof.com.

MEET THE DOGS

file:///C:/Users/jonpp/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image012.jpg" width="247" height="255" />VINNY VALENTINO, a Border Collie/Australian Shepherd mix, was adopted from a shelter in Minnesota at eight weeks old. His favorite pastimes include catching flying discs, performing athletic stunts, and cuddling next to his parents. His signature tricks include sitting pretty, being shy, dancing on two in reverse, back weaves, and his big air stunt where he catches a flying disc off Chris’s back over volunteers from the audience! When he’s not touring across the country as part of Stunt Dog Productions, he lives at home in Stockton, CA, with his parents, Chris and Suhey Perondi, and extensive family of canine companions.

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SPIDER, an Australian Cattle Dog, was rescued from a shelter after he and his future father met on one of Larry Kay's shelter dog film sets in Los Angeles. Spider now performs more than fifty tricks and stunts. As the studio dog for Positively Woof, whenever the door to the video studio is opened, he runs inside and sits on his training platform, eager to perform tricks. His specialty trick is perching on a big ball and rolling it across the studio to his toy shopping cart. He lives with his father, Larry Kay, in Los Angeles.

NEW BOOK ‘ANIMALKIND’ EXPLORES AWE-INSPIRING FACTS ABOUT ANIMALS’ EMOTIONAL LIVES AND REVOLUTIONARY NEW WAYS TO SHOW COMPASSION

PETA Founder Ingrid Newkirk discusses her latest book and the remarkable advancements in our society’s awareness about animals over the years

AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEW:

INGRID NEWKIRK, author and PETA founder

BACKGROUND:

Since Ingrid Newkirk founded PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) 40 years ago, it has become an unstoppable force and the largest animal rights organization in the world. Now, Ingrid has published, along with bestselling author Gene Stone, ANIMALKIND, an exploration of the richness of animal lives, their talents, emotions, and intelligence, and the many exciting ways all of us can act to prevent harm to animals. This latest book highlights some of the wonders of animal life and offers tools for living kindly toward our neighbors on our shared planet.

Ingrid Newkirk  discusses in her latest book, share fun animal facts, and explore exciting new tools that allow humans to create a better world for animals—such as substituting apple or grape leather for animal hide, synthetic frog models to replace the real ones used for years in school classrooms, advances in meat and dairy tastes-a-likes and plant-base nutrition, and virtual reality animal tours that replace circus shows.

DID YOU KNOW THESE FUN ANIMAL FACTS?

●       Birds have been found to be far more devoted to their romantic partners than humans. While the divorce rate in the U.S. is around 40 to 45 percent, swans, for instance, have a 95 percent rate of staying together for a lifetime.

●       Oinks, grunts, and squeals aren’t just arbitrary noises made by pigs. More than twenty of these sounds have been identified with specific circumstances, from wooing mates to expressing distress and joy.

●       Cows communicate with each other using subtle changes in facial expression; rhinos use a breath language; and frogs have learned to combat street noise by using drain pipes to amplify their calls.

●       Chickens form complex pecking orders in which each bird not only understands her ranking, but can recall the faces and ranks of more than one hundred other birds.   

For more information please visit: www.PETA.org

More About Ingrid Newkirk:

Ingrid Newkirk is the founder of PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) and the acclaimed author of Save the Animals! 101 Things You Can Do, Kids Can Save the Animals, and The Compassionate Cook. She currently resides in Washington, DC.

Produced for: PETA

Movie review written by Jon Patch with 3 out of 4 paws

The Call of the Wild

Twentieth Century Fox, Twentieth Century Fox Animation, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures and 3 Arts Entertainment presents a PG, 100 minute, Adventure, Drama, Family film directed by Michael Green and based on the novel by Jack London with a theater release date of February 21, 2020.

So you think you're special? You think that just because people have built giant cities, invented pop-up toasters and put a person on the Moon that they are somehow different from other living things? Well it's time to think again!

HUMANIMALshows the inextricable interconnections of the human and animal worlds in ways you never before imagined... Inside you will discover how slime moulds can solve how to navigate through a maze; how rats tickle and laugh out loud; how elephants have funerals for their lost loved ones; how bees vote in elections to decide where to locate their nests; how crows use cars to crack nuts and a whole lot more! This oversized, richly illustrated, mesmerizing exploration shows that humans and other animals don't just live on the same planet, they also share many of the same patterns of behavior, making us all fellow players in the drama that is life on Earth.

HOW TO TEACH PHILOSOPHY TO YOUR DOG

Anthony McGowan

Monty was just like any other dog. A scruffy and irascible Maltese terrier, he enjoyed barking at pugs and sniffing at trees. But after yet another dramatic confrontation with the local Rottweiler, Anthony McGowan realizes it’s high time he and Monty had a chat about what makes him a good or a bad dog. 

Taking his lead from Monty’s canine antics, McGowan takes us on a hilarious and enlightening jaunt through the major debates of philosophy. Will Kant convince Monty to stop stealing cheesecake? How long will they put up with Socrates poking holes in every argument?  

How to Teach Philosophy to Your Dog (Pegasus Books; 2/4/2020) is an introduction to the big questions in philosophy. In this uniquely entertaining take on morality and ethics, the dutiful duo set out to uncover who―if anyone―has the right end of the ethical stick and can tell us how best to live one’s life.

About the Author:Anthony McGowan has a BA, MPhil, and PhD in philosophy, and has lectured widely on philosophy and creative writing. He is one of the funniest writers around. As an author for children and young adults he’s won many awards, while The Art of Failing, a hilarious account of his life as a writer, was named an Observer Book of the Year. He lives in North London with his wife and two children.

Advance Praise

“A charming, informative, unique introduction to Western philosophy.”

—Kirkus Reviews

“Essential reading on both the meaning of dogs and the meaning of life.”

—The Guardian

“McGowan playfully explores philosophy in this amusing collection of imaginary dialogues conducted with his Maltese terrier, Monty. Readers who have never roamed the paths of philosophy before, or who could use a return trip, will appreciate this enjoyable tour from a friendly guide and his loyal companion.”

—Publishers Weekly

“Filled with sparkling insights, a joy from start to finish. In turns witty, brilliant and irreverent, McGowan explains nothing less than the meaning of life – to his dog. If only we were all as lucky as Monty to go for long walks with the author.”

—Peter Frankopan, author of The Silk Roads