Amazon's synopsis: A guide to dog-care, and alternatives to standard veterinary treatments. The book provides an overview of traditional Eastern methods such as acupuncture and acupressure, as well as homoeopathy, and chiropractic and other alternatives, explaining what they mean and when and why they are effective.

My thoughts: This is the book that got me started on a natural diet for my dogs. There are many books out there that cover this topic, but I liked the simple way this one was set out. There are diet sheets for dogs of differing weights, which explain exactly how much to feed your dog each day. All of the ingredients are discussed one at a time, so if you need to eliminate one for some reason (e.g. allergies or unavailability) you are aware of what it does for your dog and able to replace it with an appropriate alternative.

MacPherson's K-9 Cookbook: Easy-to-make Dog Biscuit Recipes

Mary MacPherson

Amazon's synopsis: A collection of easy-to-follow, tested recipes for baking in the oven and the microwave, for hand mixing, for food processors and bread machines. Three sizes of dishwasher-safe cutters are included in the package.

My thoughts: This book offers a variety of recipes for those who want to try making biscuits/treats for their dog. There are some really basic recipes in here so even if you are not particularly gifted in the kitchen you will be able to find something you can do. All the recipes produce dough which can either be cut into bone shapes (using cutters provided) or into smaller cubes and used as training treats. Baking you own dog treats is cheap and also makes an impressive gift for other doggy people.

Bone Appétit: The World's Finest Dog Biscuit Recipe Cookbook

Branko E. Romano

My thoughts: A book with 42 recipes to make your own dog biscuits. Many of the recipes are excellent and easy to make, but I did find that some of the ingredients were difficult to get in the UK (the book was written in America). It is full of interesting dog trivia and if you are into making treats for your pooch then this book contains a lot of good ideas.

Dogs: Homoeopathic Remedies

George Macleod MRCVS DVSM VetFFHom

Amazon's synopsis: George Macleod was one of the few veterinary surgeons to use homeopathic medicines wholly and exclusively. He has treated all types of animals, from thoroughbred racehorses and pedigree cattle to household pets with homeopathy, with great success, often where other forms of treatment had failed.

My thoughts: A useful book if you are interested in knowing more about using homeopathy on your dog. Although the introduction covers basic principles of homeopathy (including nosodes as an alternative to vaccination) it could prove difficult to a complete newcomer to homeopathy. The book is well laid out in sections covering each area of your dog (e.g. digestive system, eyes, lungs, etc) and under each section are lists of remedies and the disease and/or symptoms they apply to. An excellent resource for anyone who regularly uses homeopathy to treat their dog.

Greyhounds

D. Caroline Coile PhD

Amazon's synopsis: A handbook for greyhound owners and breeders which covers their purchase, care, feeding, breeding and training and looks at ongoing rescue efforts to save retired racing greyhounds. From the COMPLETE PET OWNERS MANUAL series.

My thoughts: This is a nice book with lots of lovely pictures and provides an excellent introduction to the breed. It is certainly worth getting if you are considering a Greyhound as a pet, and it has useful sections on general care and injuries commonly seen in retired racers, for the more experience owner.

Three Dog Bakery Cookbook: Over 50 Recipes for All-Natural Paw-Lickin Treats for Your Dog

Dan Dye & Mark Beckloff

My thoughts: This is the ultimate present for those who are devoted to their dogs. It is a beautiful book that offers a variety of recipes including biscuits, pizza, savoury snacks, and birthday cake all for your canine companion. Some are so quick and easy they don't even require cooking, so there is something here to suit everyone, but if you think preparing salmon and cream cheese loaf is a little excessive, then you may be better off investing in one of the more basic cookbooks! On the upside many of the recipe suggestions are so good that they can be shared by dogs and humans alike, so it can keep everyone in your house happy.

How Dogs Learn

Mary R. Burch PhD & Jon S. Bailey PhD

Amazon's synopsis: "How Dogs Learn" explains the science of operant conditioning, the psychological principle upon which all animal training is based. Every scientific concept is explained clearly, and its relevance to your dog is laid out.

My thoughts: This is a fairly in-depth introduction to dog psychology. I enjoyed this book a lot but it does take some thinking about. It is useful if you don't have any previous doggy experience and are more interested in learning what makes your dog tick, and although it covers some complex topics everything is clearly laid out and everything is explained well. It covers topics including how to train different types of dog, and encourages the use of positive reinforcement methods of training.

Adopting the Racing Greyhound

Cynthia A. Branigan

Amazon's synopsis: Examines the history of the greyhound breed and addresses such topics as preparing the home, feeding, grooming, training, and competitions.

My thoughts: This is a good book that starts with an explanation of the history of the breed and discusses at length the routine that all racers follow when living in kennels. A lot of this is not totally relevant to the UK (another book written in the US), but it certainly provides a useful insight as to how your greyhound spent his days before living with you. There is some excellent advice on how to introduce a new dog into your home and make his first few weeks as trouble-free as possible.

Dog Tricks: Step by Step

Mary Ann Rombold Zeigenfuse & Jan Walker

Amazon's synopsis: Explains how to train dogs to do a variety of practical, cute, and entertaining tricks, including door manners, "take this to Grandma," hide and seek, dancing, and catch.

My thoughts: I like this book a lot. It is fun and simple to use, and contains ideas on a whole host of different tricks you can teach your dog (yes, even a greyhound). It starts with a profile for you to fill in to determine what drives your dog possesses (pack, prey, fight or flight). After this, each trick is categorised into suiting a particular drive type, so you can start with tricks that your dog will find the easiest. Each trick is explained step by step, and there are lots of illustrations and photos. If you want to impress friends in the park and at the pub with your dog's amazing repertoire, then this is the book for you.

Retired Racing Greyhounds for Dummies

Lee Livingood

My thoughts: This is a great book which covers all aspects of having a greyhound in your life. It should be handed out to everyone who adopts a grey. It is well laid out with lots of different short sections, and all the important points are highlighted. It is honest and talks about both the good and bad points of retired racing greyhounds as pets. If you have just adopted a dog, or know someone who is thinking about getting one, then this is the book to get.

Don't Shoot the Dog: The New Art of Teaching and Training

Karen Pryor

Amazon's synopsis: Discusses the underlying principles of behaviorial modification and explains how to apply the methodology of positive reinforcement of areas ranging from memory improvement to breaking addictive habits.

My thoughts: The original book on positive reinforcement methods of training. It is one of those books that will make you look at your dog and the way you train him in a whole different light. It uses many examples throughout, including ones about dolphins and human relationships. It covers a philosophy that you can apply to all aspects of your life, not just your relationship with your dog. It covers shaping behaviour, reinforcing desirable behaviour, and how to get rid of unwanted behaviours. It is also an excellent introduction to the theory behind clicker training.

It does take a bit of thinking about, but I think if everyone who owned a dog even attempted to read this book there would be a whole lot more happy, well adjusted dogs out there.

The Ultimate Greyhound

Mark Sullivan

Amazon's synopsis: A guide to every aspect of the breed in the ULTIMATE series. A comprehensive health section is included along with over 200 illustrations.

My thoughts: This should be on every greyhound owner's Christmas list. It covers all aspects of greyhound history and ownership, and is just a lovely book to have if you like greyhounds.

Pet Owners Guide to the Greyhound

Anne Finch

My thoughts: This is a really nice book, and the first one I ever bought about Greyhounds. I sat and read it cover to cover in one afternoon, and immediately decided that greyhounds were the dog for me. It is one of the few books on the subject written in Britain, and contains lots of useful tips for all greyhound owners.

An Owners Guide to a Happy Healthy Pet – The Greyhound

Daniel Braun Stern

Amazon's synopsis: This is our seventh set of Happy, Healthy Pet titles. Like the others, they are books pet owners can turn to for the essential information they need to raise a healthy, happy pet. All books contain information on: feeding, grooming, housing, health care, what to expect from the pet, and basic training. As our series expands and focuses on different kinds of pets, the emphasis remains on making the pet a companion. Owners of more unusual pets will particularly appreciate the expert advice in these books because professional care for exotic animals can be hard to come by. As always, the instruction on the books is from experts -- people who know their pets intimately but always remember what it was like to have one the first time. Happy, Healthy Pet guides are rich with professional quality colour photos and are designed to be enjoyable and easy to learn from. Most new Greyhound owners will be acquiring an ex-racer as a pet, so we've chosen Daniel Stern, an activist for the cause of Greyhound adoptions to write this straightforward guide covering all aspects of their care.

My thoughts: Another book about greyhound ownership that starts well, and then about halfway through it becomes totally non-specific, and offers general advice on dog ownership. If you were going to get a book specifically about greyhounds, then I would not recommend this one.

Natural Healthcare for Pets

Richard Allport

Amazon's synopsis: Like their owners, pets can suffer physically and emotionally from the effects of modern life. Many pet foods, for example, contain potentially harmful additives and preservatives. The increasing business of our own lifestyles also effects those of our pets - the time we have to lavish on them is constantly being eroded by other demands. "Natural Healthcare for Pets" provides a practical solution. It points out what aspects of your pet's lifestyle may contribute to poor physical or mental health and discusses simple ways to introduce your pet to a more natural way of being. Many complementary therapies, such as acupuncture, aromatherapy and massage, are effective and safe methods to maintain or restore your pet's health. A section on common pet ailments includes an introduction to animal disease, as well as specific conditions of the respiratory, cardiovascular, endocrine, and musculoskeletal systems. From aggression to infectious disease, each illness accompanies a safe, natural remedy to relieve symptoms and promote healing.

My thoughts: This is about the best book around on the subject of natural healthcare. It is clearly illustrated with beautiful photos throughout, is basic enough for someone totally new to this subject, while also offering plenty for more experienced owners. It deals with treatments for most companion animals from dogs to fish. It covers a wide range of treatment types including; homeopathy, flower essences, herbs, aromatherapy and nutrition.

If you are only planning to buy one book on natural pet care then, as far as I am concerned, this should be it.

The Greyhound Chronicles Book 1: Greyhound Dancing

Cyn Mobley

My thoughts: This is the only ‘story’ book reviewed here. I will admit to being a little sceptical about this story, told through the eyes of a retired racer called Tweeter. The story follows her from racing kennels to her new home, and charts her adjustment to life in a house. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book, and it also made me look at my own dogs in a totally new light. It is neither pro nor anti racing and not too ‘cutsie’. I believe it offers real insight and is worth reading for anyone who is a fan of the breed.

http://www.greyhoundchronicles.com/

Care of the Racing Greyhound

Blythe, Gannon & Craig

My thoughts: Although the title of this book refers to racing greyhounds, it is actually an invaluable reference book for anyone who owns a greyhound. It is not light reading, but contains excellent information on all aspects of dog raising, care, and medical conditions. It is well illustrated both with pictures and photos, and I have often taken it along to the vet when one of my dogs was ill. Particularly invaluable if you have a vet who hasn't had a lot of experience with greyhounds.

All You Ever Wanted to Know About Herbs for Pets

Mary L Wulff-Tilford & Gary L Tilford

Amazon's synopsis: Discusses ways to take care of a pet's health the natural way with holistic herbalism, natural nutrition, and homeopathy.

My thoughts: This book is the ultimate guide to using herbs as a part of your pet's diet. It is very in-depth, and possibly a little too heavy going for the average owner. It is full of all sorts of useful hints and tips on how to prepare your own herb mixtures to benefit your pet. It also has sections covering other aspects of natural healthcare such as diet.

The Dog Listener

Jan Fennel

Amazon's synopsis: Jan Fennell's remarkable gifts have earned her the nickname "the dog whisperer". Her unique understanding of the canine world and its instinctive language has enabled her to bring even the most desperate and delinquent of dogs to heel. This easy-to-follow guide to understanding Jan's simple techniques draws on her countless case histories of problem dogs - from biters and barkers to bicycle chasers - to show how we can bridge the language barrier that separates man from his best friend. In "The Dog Listener" Jan shares her secrets, telling us how she grew determined to find a more compassionate alternative to standard "obedience" training techniques and ultimately how to communicate with canines.

My thoughts: Many people will be familiar with Jan Fennel from her numerous TV appearances. I personally find her attitude a little patronising, but there is no denying that she does know how to deal with many common problems. I think this book would be particularly useful for the first time owner to read soon after their dog arrives home. She does offer very basic step by step methods for dealing with a host of behavioural problems, although it is worth bearing in mind that she is usually citing examples of problems and solutions for non sight hound breeds.

Natural Nutrition for Dogs and Cats

Kymythy Schultze

My thoughts: A nice short book on starting to feed your pet raw, home prepared food. This diet is very straightforward, with a minimum amount of preparation and ingredients, and has a huge following in the greyhound community. It does not believe that dogs need grains or cereals of any sort, which can make feeding more than one or two large dogs rather expensive. Also if you have a dog who is prone to being underweight, grains and cereals are often a useful way to help with this problem. However this book does provide a good basis on which to start feeding your dog yourself.

Home Prepared Dog and Cat Diets

Donald Strombeck

Amazon's synopsis: Strombeck, a professor at U. of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine, and long-time small animal medicine practitioner, presents concerned animal lovers with the ability to provide a worthwhile alternative to commercial dietary products for their pets.

My thoughts: A very thorough book that offers a variety of recipes for home prepared meals. It focuses on cooked meats, which is good news for those who are looking for an alternative to kibble, but are reluctant to feed raw. The book goes into a great amount of detail about a wide variety of medical conditions (including gastrointestinal problems, heart disease, kidney disease, endocrine disease, pancreatic disease and skin problems) and how to cater for them.

A very useful book for anyone interested in feeding a home prepared diet, and in particular for anyone whose dog has medical problems that need to be taken into consideration.

Give Your Dog a Bone. The Practical Commonsense Way to Feed Dogs

Ian Billinghurst

My thoughts: This was the first book I ever read on natural feeding and I have to confess that I found it a little overwhelming. It contained al the information I was ever likely to need about raw feeding, but it was too much to take in for someone new to this way of feeding. However now I have been raw feeding for some time I constantly refer to this book. It contains extensive lists of what you should and should not feed to your dog and has a fairly relaxed approach to raw feeding. The diet itself is based largely on regular feeding of raw bones and this would work well if you have a good local butcher and live in a climate where it is reasonable for your dog to eat outside year round. I personally feel that this is more difficult to achieve in a modern house with carpeted floors in a cold climate.

Natural Health for Dogs and Cats

Richard & Susan Pitcairn

Amazon's synopsis: Discusses the nutritional value of commercial pet foods and recommends drug-free treatments for common diseases.

My thoughts: This book looks at all aspects of your pet's lifestyle with suggestions on how to change and improve them. There are lots of helpful suggestions on diet, allergies, alternative therapies and a comprehensive section on medical problems and how to support and ill pet. Basically there is something in here for everyone and even if you choose not to embrace all of the principle discussed you are likely to learn something just by reading this book.

Getting in Touch with Your Dog. How to Understand and Influence Behaviour and Personality

Linda Tellington Jones

Amazon's synopsis: Whilst her Tellington TTouch Method offers a positive, no-force approach to training, it is much more than just a training method. Using a combination of TTouches, Leading Exercises, and the Confidence Course (exercises over obstacles), a dog's performance and health are improved, common behaviour issues are solved, and physical problems are positively influenced. Linda clearly explains how dogs can be helped to overcome problems such as: excessive barking and chewing; leash pulling; jumping up; dog-aggressive behaviour; fear-biting; timidity and shyness; resistance to grooming; hyper-activity; nervousness; car sickness; hip dysplasia; fear of thunder and other loud noises; and more. A list of common behavioural and physical ailments with the recommended corresponding TTouch solutions is included. Case studies involving different breeds of dogs demonstrate how many owners, some at their wits end, have used the TTouches and the Confidence Course to solve all manner of difficulties, with happy results.

My thoughts: I bought this book after attending a one-day course on the TTouch massage for dogs. I was so impressed with the method and what I had learnt in a day, that I was keen to be able to extend my knowledge back at home.

I was initially sceptical that you could learn something like massage from a book, but this one is very clear and explains all of the concepts well. It uses lots of case histories and describes what type of massage can be used for different problems. It also has a whole section on improving behaviour through training. Very useful indeed, and the dogs just love it (the massage not the book!)

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Information contained herein is provided 'as is'. No warranty is given or implied. It is based on my personal experience, and that of others to which I can personally attest. However, dogs are individuals, and what works for one may not work for another.

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Further Reading

Holistic Guide for a Healthy Dog

Wendy Volhard & Kerry Brown DVM