Books you may find helpful

From the remote mountainous regions of the Caucasus in southeastern Europe comes the Caucasian Mountain Dog, an ovcharka breed whose origins trace back 2,000 years.

Employed by Russian shepherds to protect the flocks from predators, the Caucasian Mountain Dog is a discerning guardian, wary of strangers, that is at once fearless and dutiful.

Written by long-time breeder Stacey Layne Grether Kubyn, this Special Rare-Breed Edition is the first volume ever dedicated exclusively to this remarkable canine. The author shares her insight into the breed’s origins and history in the countries of the former USSR and its spread to the US, where the author organized the breed’s first parent club. This book also offers an honest and authentic view of the Caucasian Mountain Dog’s characteristics and temperament, including sound advice about ownership of this demanding, powerful dog. The author also discusses the breed standard and guides new owners toward the selection of a puppy and the required care and training. Comprehensive in scope, this new volume discusses house-training, home safety, everyday care and feeding as well as prevention of potential behavior problems.

A special chapter on preventive healthcare, written by Dr. Lowell Ackerman, discusses selecting a veterinarian, inoculations, infectious diseases, parasites and other vital topics every owner needs to know.

Shepherds have used dogs to protect livestock for thousands of years.

But burros also have a natural instinct to protect, which makes them a perfect guardian animals as well.

Meet Rena and Roo, a super dog-and-burro guardian team at work on a sheep ranch in Wyoming. The animals have a close connection with the sheep they protect, but it takes time and effort for Rena and Roo to grow to trust one another.

In this companion book to her award-winning Brave Dogs, Gentle Dogs, Cat Urbigkit uses simple, informative text and eye-catching photographs to show how Rena and Roo develop into guardian animals.

Large, strong, energetic, and intelligent, Great Pyrenees make excellent watch dogs for farmers and hunters.

This volume is filled with handsome, full-color photos, instructive line art, and easy-to-read tables and charts.

It provides information on all aspects of pet care for new and prospective pet owners.

Like other livestock in the Rocky Mountains, sheep need protection from predators, such as coyotes and wolves.

Guardian dogs help ranchers protect their flocks. But they are not the typical herding dogs, and they are not native to the region. The breeds were imported from Europe, where they have been guarding livestock for thousands of years. As puppies, they are placed in fleece and learn to identify with the smell of sheep. It isn't long before they meet their first sheep and mingle with the flock. With little training, the dogs instinctively know that their job is to keep a lookout for danger and now and then do some babysitting.  

Cat Urbigkit's engaging photo-essay shows how guardian dogs form a bond with the sheep that lasts throughout the dogs' life.

A fascinating look at a unique way of life. A wagon sits in the sagebrush-covered desert, while herders on horseback move sheep to high summer range.

It looks like a scene from the Old West, but it's actually a sight you can see today. Shepherds still live in wagons, tending their flocks in Wyoming and other places in the American West just as they have done for more than a hundred years. You can still see the shepherds "trailing," moving their flocks to the mountains in the summer and bringing them down to the desert for the winter.

From breeding season to lambing season, and shearing in between, Cat Urbigkit presents a lively, informative text and stunning photographs that show how sheep are raised over the course of a year.

Goats thrive on fully organic natural care. As natural browsers, they have higher mineral requirements than other domestic animals, so diet is a critical element to maintaining optimal livestock health.

In Natural Goat Care, consultant Pat Coleby shows how to solve health problems both with natural herbs and medicines and the ultimate cure, bringing the soil into healthy balance.

Topics include: correct housing and farming methods; choosing the right livestock; diagnosing health problems; nutritional requirements and feeding practices; vitamins and herbal, homeopathic and natural remedies; psychological needs of goats; breeds & breeding techniques.

An invaluable resource for anyone with goats.

Fully revised and expanded, Goat Medicine, Second Edition includes discussions on new diseases ranging from bovine spongiform encephalopathy to floppy kid disease as well as major updates on important diseases such as scrapie, mycoplasmosis, paratuberculosis, and urolithiasis.

Information has also been added on management of transgenic goats and organic goat production. The text begins by outlining fundamentals of goat practice and moves on to sytems-based coverage of the goat.

Each chapter provides clinical anatomy and physiology of every system alongside information on relevant clinical signs, differential diagnosis, and system-specific disease.

Goat Science and Production presents comprehensive, state-of-the-art information on the science of goats and goat production for meat, dairy, and fiber.

Chapters provide a fundamental understanding of the goat anatomy and physiology as well as production issues such as welfare, disease management, and feeding. 

Goat Science and Production is an essential introduction and reference to this increasingly important production animal.

Goats have been used for their dairy products for hundreds of years, providing a wide array of milk, butter, yogurt, and cheeses that provide the unique flavors that make Mediterranean cuisine so special. For those who are interested in raising their own dairy goats so they can take advantage of the milk products provided, it is important to first of all learn everything possible about dairy goats, from what they eat to how they breed and how to cultivate and harvest the milk when the time comes. This book provides every detail you could possible need to become a dedicated or hobbyist dairy goat breeder and farmer.

Expert goat farmers have been interviewed and have provided their insight and expertise on the topic, building a collection of insights of tips and tricks about raising dairy goats.

For anyone who has ever been interested in raising goats for dairy production, this guide will offer you everything you need.

TOP TRAINERS TALK ABOUT STARTING A SHEEPDOG

brings together interviews with many of the best working border collie trainers in North America and the United Kingdom, who share their methods of introducing young border collies to livestock. Whether you are training a stockdog for trialing or for work on the farm or ranch, this collection of expert advice, presented for the first time ever in a single volume, is a treasury of experience and wisdom that is sure to prove invaluable.

Trainers interviewed include Bill Berhow, Kate Broadbent, Carol Campion, Scott Glen, Bobby Henderson, David Henry, Julie Hill, Carla King, Kathy Knox, Lyle Lad, Beverly Lambert, Amanda Milliken, Barbara Ray, Derek Scrimgeour, Patrick Shannahan, Jeanne Weaver, and Tom Wilson.

Whether you are interested in working dogs for a hobby, on the ranch, or for serious trial competition, Stockdog Savvy will be an invaluable aid.

Beginning with chapters on herding dog characteristics, instinct, and choosing a herding dog, the Taylors explain how to prepare your puppy and do basic foundation training.

The book progresses to starting the dog on stock and developing a useful working dog and ends with advanced lessons and preparing for the various types of competition.

• Full-color illustrations make important information more readily available and provide more accurate representations of actual clinical appearance.
• Each chapter begins with frequently asked questions and answers, offering quick and easy access to key information.
• Each chapter ends with a Test Your Understanding section that encourages readers to review what they have just read and apply it to real-life situations.
• A first aid appendix offers quick access to information related to various emergencies, including what could have caused it, and how to handle the situation.
• An appendix covering common problems seen in dogs lists symptoms associated with each problem, the possible causes, and how frequently the problem occurs.

Imagine a weekend breakfast featuring eggs, bacon, and honey from your own chickens, pigs, and bees. Or a holiday meal with your own heritage-breed turkey as the main attraction.

With The Backyard Homestead Guide to Raising Farm Animals, even urban and suburban residents can successfully raise chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, rabbits, goats, sheep, cows, pigs, and honey bees. It’s easier than you think, and it can be done on small plots of land.

This essential guide covers everything from selecting the right breeds to producing delicious fresh milk, cheese, honey, eggs, and meat. Whether you want to be more self-sufficient, save money, or just enjoy safer, healthier, more delicious animal products, you’ll find all the information you need in The Backyard Homestead Guide to Raising Farm Animals.

Starting a small scale farm is the dream of many around the world, young and old, from those who watched the majesty of the great western farm in films during their youth to those who spent their childhood actually working on a farm.

However, for many of these individuals it is a matter of logistics and cost that keeps them from realizing their dreams. Raising beef cattle, ducks, rabbits, and any other small animals such as sheeps, goats, or chickens takes not only a decent amount of money to get started, but knowhow that doesn t come in textbooks while in school.

This book was written with the intent of providing anyone who has ever wanted to start their own small scale farm the necessary resources and information needed to start raising small animals and cattle. You will learn everything you need to know to raise a wide variety of small animals. You will learn how to care for chickens, from choosing the right breed to raising them for egg production. You will learn how to handle geese and ducks, choosing the correct breeds, feeding, housing, breeding, and selecting the right ones for egg production. You will also learn about egg incubation, maintaining poultry health, and how raise them for meat. Other animals you will learn how to care for include rabbits, goats, sheep, dairy cows, and beef cattle.

Everything you might need to know about raising small animals for your farm is included in this guide to provide you the first steps to raising domesticated poultry and livestock.

The Self Sufficient Life and How to Live It is the only book that teaches all the skills needed to live independently in harmony with the land harnessing natural forms of energy, raising crops and keeping livestock, preserving foodstuffs, making beer and wine, basketry, carpentry, weaving, and much more.

Our 2009 edition includes 150 new full-color illustrations and a special section in which John Seymour, the father of the back to basics movement, explains the philosophy of self-sufficiency and its power to transform lives and create communities.

More relevant than ever in our high-tech world, The Self Sufficient Life and How to Live It is the ultimate practical guide for realists and dreamers alike.

Choosing locally grown organic food is a sustainable living trend that's taken hold throughout North America. Celebrated farming expert Eliot Coleman helped start this movement with The New Organic Grower published 20 years ago. He continues to lead the way, pushing the limits of the harvest season while working his world-renowned organic farm in Harborside, Maine.Now, with his long-awaited new book, The Winter Harvest Handbook, anyone can have access to his hard-won experience. Gardeners and farmers can use the innovative, highly successful methods

Coleman describes in this comprehensive handbook to raise crops throughout the coldest of winters.Building on the techniques that hundreds of thousands of farmers and gardeners adopted from The New Organic Grower and Four-Season Harvest, this new book focuses on growing produce of unparalleled freshness and quality in customized unheated or, in some cases, minimally heated, movable plastic greenhouses.

This book represents a current look at what we know about organic farming practices and systems, primarily from the U.S. and Canadian perspectives. The discussion begins with history and certification, ecological knowledge as the foundation for sustaining food systems, and biodiversity. The next chapters address crop-animal systems; forages, grain, oil seed, and specialty crops; organic cropping and soil nutrient needs; and vegetation and pest management. Readers will next learn about marketing organics, organic foods and food security, and education and research. The book concludes with a survey of the future of organic farming and a perspective on the agricultural industry and the future of the rural sector.

The perfect book for anyone who has ever dreamed of having that little place in the country, Barnyard in Your Backyard offers tried-and-true, expert advice on raising healthy, happy, productive farm animals: chickens, geese, ducks, rabbits, goats, sheep, and dairy cows.

Each chapter focuses on a different animal, discussing the pros and cons of raising the animal, housing and land requirements, feeding guidelines, health concerns, and a schedule for routine care. Species that are easy to raise, hardy, and companionable are profiled. First-time farmers will discover simple, clear instructions for caring for animals throughout the year, as well as guidelines for processing barnyard products such as milk, wool, and eggs. Combining practical advice from real experts, easy-to-use checklists and charts, a seasonal care calendar, and detailed black-and-white illustrations, Barnyard in Your Backyard offers a comprehensive review of the ins and outs - the tribulations and triumphs - of living with and caring for a small barnyard.

Growing your own vegetables often leads gardeners to want to go one step further and keep some livestock. Chickens, ducks and bees are the most likely candidates for the first-time livestock owner - especially if you live in a town or have only a small amount of land.

They can all be kept happily together. Keeping these animals is a fun and absorbing hobby and is a great antidote to stress. There is nothing more rewarding than collecting your own fresh eggs and honey. The book is full of sound, practical advice and looks at exactly what you need to get started: the equipment, housing, space and feed.

Taking the breeds best suited for the smaller garden, town garden, or allotment, the responsible care and management of these animals is thoroughly covered in a friendly, approachable style with their welfare always in mind.

Paul Peacock shows you how to get started, where to get help, what equipment you need, and how to handle bees and harvest their honey. It emphasises gentle bees, and covers the control of varroa and other potential bee disease.

Learn to be the kind of person a camelid loves to be around and still get your management job done safely and efficiently.

If you already have Marty's first book, Llama Handling and Training the TTEAM Approach,referred to by many as the "Training Bible" then you will surely want to get the new testament! This is not a revision but a totally new book.

Chock full of new techniques that Marty has developed over the last 10 years you will find this book absolutely indispensable as well as lots of fun to read.

At last, here is an easy to read book written for owners or would-be owners of small alpaca herds. It covers a wide range of topics, from alpaca behaviour and farm layout to shearing and then using the fleece, from breeding and care of the new born cria to halter training and alpaca shows, and from the history of alpacas to yards and pens for handling them – there is even a chapter on taking great photos of them in the paddock.

It contains such diverse information as transporting alpacas, understanding fleece test results, visiting rest homes, conducting spit offs, making felt from the fleece and much, much more. There is of course a chapter devoted to health which includes information on basic procedures such as trimming toenails, body scoring and worming, as well as an overview of some common ailments and associated symptoms.

It is lavishly illustrated with large photographs, making it an ideal coffee table book or a perfect gift for the alpaca enthusiast.

Addressing a common misconception, this handbook explains that donkeys are not horses and that the two kinds of animals are genetically and anatomically quite different.

Carefully laying out the special physiological and environmental needs of donkeys, the book educates owners, would-be owners, and breeders about how best to care for their charges while also providing clear technical information on donkey anatomy and behavior, diseases, breeding, and general husbandry.

Written with affection for donkeys and their antics, the book goes a long way toward preventing common and sometimes dire mistakes in caring for these interesting animals.

Considered the first COMPLETE book on training mules, this is a 'no-resistance' training manual covering simple psychology and training techniques to help the trainer have a more enjoyable and rewarding experience with their longears.

This book gives a condensed but thorough outline of the information and training covered in the DVD training series Training Mules and Donkeys.

Color and B&W photos with illustrations and diagrams.

Here is all the information you need to successfully raise chickens — from choosing breeds and hatching chicks to building coops, keeping the birds healthy, and protecting them from predators.

This revised third edition contains a new chapter on training chickens and understanding their intelligence, expanded coverage of hobby farming, and up-to-date information on chicken health issues, including avian influenza and fowl first aid.

The most comprehensive guide to date on raising all-natural poultry for the small-scale farmer, homesteader, and professional grower. The Small-Scale Poultry Flock offers a practical and integrative model for working with chickens and other domestic fowl, based entirely on natural systems.

Ussery's model presents an entirely sustainable system that can be adapted and utilized in a variety of scales, and will prove invaluable for beginner homesteaders, growers looking to incorporate poultry into their farm, or poultry farmers seeking to close their loop. Ussery offers extensive information on:

• The definition of an integrated poultry flock
• Everything you need to know about your basic chicken
Extended information on poultry health and holistic health care, with a focus on prevention
• Planning your flock
• How to breed and brood the flock
• Making and mixing your own feed
• Providing more of the flock's feed from sources grown or self-foraged
• Using poultry to increase soil fertility
• Recipes for great egg and poultry dishes
• And one of the best step-by-step poultry butchering guides available, complete with extensive illustrative photos.

Since the third edition was published in 1992 there have been many more developments in the poultry industry, which have made a new edition necessary.

These include new systems which are environmentally and welfare 'friendly'; much more emphasis on hygiene and vaccines in disease control and the role of molecular biology and cloning; further advances in management with special reference to feeding, drinking, lighting and egg collection; advances in genetics; developments in housing; nutritional advances; and increasingly restrictive legislation concerning the safety to the public of poultry products (particularly zoonotic diseases and drug residues) and welfare.

From addled to wind egg, crossed beak to zygote, the terminology of everything chicken is demystified in The Chicken Encyclopedia, a comprehensive A-to-Z reference volume presented in a friendly, highly illustrated format.

Chickophiles will find breed descriptions; definitions of the most common conditions, situations, characteristics, and behaviors of chickens; and much more. 

Whether it’s the difference between wry tail, split tail, and gamy tail; the meaning of hen feathered, forced molt, or quill feather; the characteristics of droopy wing; the content of granite grit; or the translation of a chicken’s alarm call, here are all the answers to every chicken question and quandary, from the practical to the curious.

The chicken is a hardy animal, but when something does go wrong the costs of treatment can be ruinously expensive.

Most veterinarians do not treat poultry, and those that do charge far more than a single chicken is worth.

Rather than viewing signs of illness as an immediate death sentence, however, owners of small chicken flocks have accepted the challenge of looking after their birds on their own.

This small handbook explains all of the common ailments seen in chickens in easy-to-understand terms, including their symptoms, prevention, and treatment.

Basic caretaking tips and humane euthanasia methods are also covered to ensure that every stage of your chickens' lives are as productive and happy as possible.

Saunders’ most famous novel Beautiful Joe, tells the true story of dog that has had a difficult puppyhood with many obstacles including a cruel owner. It is told from the dog's point of view.

When the book was published, both the book and its subject received worldwide attention.

It was the first Canadian book to sell over a million copies, and by the late 1930s had sold over seven million copies worldwide.

Lorna Crawford has a great boyfriend, longtime friends, and a well-paying job as special-events coordinator at a premium ice-cream manufacturer. But, out of sorts and filled with self-doubt, the 33 year old soon realizes that what she really wants is to stay on the spiritual path she keeps diving off of.

Lorna jump-starts her efforts at a silent yoga retreat. But after returning from the mountain, she quickly loses her connection in the face of scheming coworkers, judgmental girlfriends, and, especially, her overly critical mother. Lorna also wrestles over her future with her boyfriend, a hot guy who takes her to the hottest places, but who can’t discern a meditation cushion from a toad stool. Reading spiritual books and visiting a channeler and energy healer move Lorna forward, but her confusion remains.

Lorna’s seeking is put to the ultimate test when personal tragedy strikes. Will she come to truly understand that living spiritually has little to do with how you pretzel yourself on the yoga mat (although she gets plenty good at that), and everything to do with embracing the twists in everyday life?

"An inspirational gem that will appeal to introspective, evolving women"--ForeWord Reviews

Lady, an Irish Setter puppy, is leading a simple life on a farm in Ohio during the 1940’s.

Lady’s biggest desire is to become an expert hunting dog like her mother. She has no idea that her life is going to take her down a path where she will find herself in the middle of incredibly dangerous situations, including a world war.

On several occasions, Lady will have to find the courage to risk her life in order to save someone she loves.

The loyalty and bravery that Lady shows throughout her lifetime illustrate what it truly means to have the heart of a hero.

Come. Sit. Stay. I want to tell you a story. I think you'll like it. It's about a TREAT and a good dog, a very good dog who wanted to go play. But his friend was busy....



THE BEDTIME BOOK FOR DOGS is a charming story about a dog who decides that he'd rather walk to the park by himself than wait for his human companion-and discovers that all of his usual activities aren't as much fun without a good friend to share them with. This is an adorably packaged book with illustrations by Paul Heath that makes a perfect gift for dog lovers of all ages, with words dogs will understand and kids will want to read again and again.

Age 4 and up

If you give a dog a donut, he'll ask for some apple juice to go with it.

When you give him the juice, he'll drink it all up.

Then, before you can say “Woof” . . . Dog is off on a backyard adventure!

The exuberant dog who first appeared in if you give a pig a party is now the star of his very own book. Written in the irresistible “If You Give…” tradition, if you give a dog a donut is another home run from the beloved team of Laura Numeroff and Felicia Bond.

Age 4 and up

Learn to read with this New York Times-bestselling picture book, starring an irresistible dog named Rocket and his teacher, a little yellow bird. Follow along as Rocket masters the alphabet, sounds out words, and finally . . . learns to read all on his own!

With a story that makes reading fun—and will even help listeners learn to read—this book is ideal for kindergarten classrooms and story hour or as a gift for that beginning reader.

Fresh, charming art by Tad Hills, the New York Times bestselling author/illustrator of Duck & Goose, will make this a favorite.

And don't miss the instant #1 New York Times Bestseller, Rocket Writes a Story.

Age 3 and up

Ever since her police officer father was killed a few months ago, Grace Abernathy hasn't wanted to do much of anything.

She's pulled away from her friends, her grades are plummeting . . . it's a problem. The last thing Grace wants is to be dragged into her older sister Regan's plan to train a shelter dog as a service dog. But Grace has no idea how involved she'll get-especially when a mangy mutt named Rex starts talking to her. Has Grace gone off the deep end?

Or might this dog be something really special-an angel?

A spirit? Either way, he is exactly the therapy that Grace needs.

Age 10 and up

Even with the endless dedication of her devoted father, little Brinn Baxter hasn’t spoken a word in over a year.

But miracles do happen, and who better to create that magic than a lost, loveable mutt looking for a miracle of his own. 

This dog story novella from Dana Landers delivers a touching, passionate tale full of hope, healing and unconditional love.

KINDLE EDITION