A straightforward but unremarkable book for dog lovers or those considering a dog.
Novelist and essayist McCaig (The Dog Wars: How the Border Collie Battled the American Kennel Club, 2007, etc.) chronicles his experiences training sheepdogs for companionship and competition.
The author took his two dogs, June and Luke, to Wales to compete in sheepdog trials, where they won. Most of the book, however, is a detailed account of dog psychology and the sheepdog way of life. McCaig discusses his conversations with various trainers and dog psychologists who had different theories about effective methods for training dogs. One trainer advocated the use of the e-collar, which shocks dogs when they misbehave. Another used “behaviorism,” a combination of positive and negative reinforcement of different behaviors, and one even believed in positive reinforcement only. One of the more interesting training methods involved an evaluation of dogs based on their personality, giving dog owners a series of questions that determined whether “prey” drive or “pack” drive was more dominant in each dog. The trainer then recommends a series of exercises to make the pack drive the predominant one. Almost all of the trainers emphasized reading the dog’s behavior over blind practices. McCaig talks about his dogs in an amusing and affectionate way. While the author mentions that Luke is not the best sheepdog, his other attributes, such as being a good companion, make up for his lack of skills. The author provides plenty of information about dog habits and breeds, sheepdog competitions and coaching for them, as well as tidbits regarding the joys of having a dog (or multiple).
A straightforward but unremarkable book for dog lovers or those considering a dog.Pub Date: April 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-8139-3450-1
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Univ. of Virginia
Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2013
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis...
Privately published by Strunk of Cornell in 1918 and revised by his student E. B. White in 1959, that "little book" is back again with more White updatings.
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis (whoops — "A bankrupt expression") a unique guide (which means "without like or equal").Pub Date: May 15, 1972
ISBN: 0205632645
Page Count: 105
Publisher: Macmillan
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1972
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
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