How to Talk to Your Dog (Talk to Your Pets)

Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: Although this book is short it is great for younger children and is an over-all guide to "Dog talk". You should buy this book, I truly recommend it!

Rating:
Summary: A Doggone Good Book
Review: Did you know that dogs don't just use their voice to communicate, but also their eyes, nose, tail, ears and even body position? Jean Craighead George has written a charming and humorous book that will not only help you understand your dog, but help you "talk" right back to him. As she explains on page one, "No one will ever love you as much as your dog does". He will be your friend for life, so why not speak his own language. Ms George's easy to read and informative text coupled with Sue Truesdell's delightful illustrations will make you a canine communicator in no time. This is the perfect book your whole family can enjoy together and a must read if you have or are planning on getting a dog. So find out what you dog is really telling you...and talk back!

Rating:
Summary: THE CAT'S MEOW! GREAT ADVICE AND HOWLING FUN ILLUSTRATIONS
Review: Let's start simply and honestly, the same way these tomes approach their subject matter, and say these are the cat's meow! Jean Craighead George has penned two ultra-thin volumes on communicating with our best friends and felines, and each is a howling success. The Newberry Medal-winning author does what someone like Elizabeth Marshall Thomas has tried to do in books tens of thousands words and pages longer and could not. Jean, by George, had found the winning ways to teach pet lovers how to chat with their four-footed pals. Her writing is sparse: "A lick is not a kiss. It is a statement that says you're a wonderful leader." Her advice is refreshing: "Growling is aggressive
talk. Don't growl back. Dogs don't like that." As special as her words is the whimiscal use of arkwork: actual color photos of the animated author interacting with illustrations (by Sue Truesdell) of equally animated cartoon cats and dogs. (We just love the one of George on all fours, rubbing heads with a cat!) Four paws up!

Rating:
Summary: Good book, but assumes too much of children
Review: This book shows young people the joys of communicating with dogs, from how to recognize dog talk through body language to the various ways animals communicate through whimpers, sniffs, and barks. The book, however, assumes that young children will know not to apply these very "hands-on" techniques to strange dogs--a very dangerous assumption that could lead to dog bites. The book offers two suggestions that one should never do in front of an aggressive dog: one is to wave a newspaper above the dog's head, the other is to sniff a dog's nose to calm an angry or confused dog down. Children should never be expected to calm an angered or aggressive dog down. While the book has lots of good information on dog behavior that could benefit both children and adults, it lacks the cautionary requirements to keep kids from getting bitten by dogs too.