Leonberger book – Page 10 – Leonberger Life

Review of Secrets To Deal With An Hyperactive Leonberger

I recently finished Secrets To Deal With An Hyperactive Leonberger: How to Make your Leonberger to STOP Chewing your Shoes, Pee on Your Bed, Pull the Leash, Jump Over People, Bark a Lot and Bite People Paperback – November 26, 2021 by Mark Mendoza. The dimensions are 6 x 0.19 x 9 inches, and the weight is 6.4 ounces, ISBN 979-8774384570, and it currently costs $19.99 on Amazon in the US.

Front cover of the book Secrets To Deal With An Hyperactive Leonberger: How to Make your Leonberger to STOP Chewing your Shoes, Pee on Your Bed, Pull the Leash, Jump Over People, Bark a Lot and Bite People Paperback – November 26, 2021 by Mark Mendoza. — Secrets To Deal With An Hyperactive Leonberger by Mark Mendoza. Click on the image to go to the Amazon location for the book.

In summary: Secrets To Deal With An Hyperactive Leonberger, is a short Leonberger book that is a fairly generic dog behavior book and not really about Leonbergers. In addition, the book needs an editor, it does not have page numbering, no pictures, and considering that it is also a short book I don’t think the price $19.95 is justified. That last statement may not be appropriate for an Amazon review.

Below is my review of Secrets To Deal With An Hyperactive Leonberger by Mark Mendoza. I improved it a bit over the Amazon review. Click here to see my original Amazon review. BTW I gave the book three stars.

Good Advice on Hyperactivity in Dogs But There Are Issues With The Book

This is how the book begins; “My name is Mark Mendoza, and if you are reading this, then probably you know a few things about me;”. Well, I did not know anything about the author when I started reading this short book, which makes me wonder if I was the intended audience. As the title implies, this book is focused on dog training, specifically how to handle hyperactivity in Leonbergers. The author states that he is not a trainer but that he has a lot of knowledge of dog psychology. After reading this book I tend to agree, he does know what he is talking about, and I think he takes a very sensible and modern approach to basic dog training and how to handle hyperactivity and stress in dogs and how to prevent a dog from running away. We could certainly apply this knowledge to our somewhat hyperactive mini-Australian Shepherd.

However, I also had some issues with this book. I am a former Leonberger owner, and I saw no information in this book that applied specifically to Leonbergers. You would think the history section might contain some Leonberger specific information, but the word Leonberger was never used in that section. The book is a generic dog training book with the word Leonberger frequently used instead of the word dog. Making it seem like the book is specifically for Leonbergers when it is not, is not OK in my book. In addition, the sentence structure is frequently faulty, which makes me think the author is not a native English speaker, and there are also a lot of typos. The book needed an editor. There is also no page numbering, and the text is large resulting in less content than the stated 83 pages would imply. There are no pictures. Considering that the book is quite short and has not pictures I also think the price is too high. Therefore, despite the sensible approach to dog training and the handling of dog hyperactivity I am giving it three stars.

Back cover of Secrets To Deal With An Hyperactive Leonberger by Mark Mendoza.

The Complete Guide for Leonberger is Really a Complete Guide for Dog Behavior

I recently finished The Complete Guide for Leonberger: The essential guide to being a perfect owner and having an obedient, healthy, and happy Leonberger Paperback – September 15, 2021, by Bailey Lopez. As far as I can see there is only a paperback version, which is 133 pages. The dimensions are 6 x 0.34 x 9 inches, and the weight is 9.1 ounces, ISBN 979-8477891214, and it currently costs $15.23 on Amazon in the US.

This is the front cover of the book The Complete Guide for Leonberger by Bailey Lopez. It shows a sand colored Leonberger puppy running towards us through the grass. Click on the image to go to the Amazon location for the book. — Front cover of the book The Complete Guide for Leonberger by Bailey Lopez. Click on the image to go to the Amazon location for the book.

This is another strange Leonberger book. I believe the information in the book is very helpful and interesting assuming you are looking for a book on dog behavior, concerning any type of dog. Even though the word “Leonberger” is used quite frequently there is not much Leonberger specific information in the book.

Below I am posting my Amazon review of The Complete Guide for Leonberger by Bailey Lopez. Click here to see my original Amazon review. BTW I gave the book three stars.

The Complete Guide to Dog Behavior

If the title of this book had been “The Complete Guide to Dog Behavior” I would have given the book a four or five star rating. The book gives a good overview of dog behavior and psychology, puppy behavior, adoption issues, training and commands, and a few health tips. I found some good tips in the book that we are going to implement for our mini-Australian Shepherd. I also think that there is some enlightening information in the book that I have not seen in other dog books (Leonberger books or not). The author also understands dogs and their behavior well. He is a true dog behavior specialist.

Unfortunately, it is not really a breed specific book despite the frequent use of the word “Leonberger”. Replace “Leonberger” with “dog” and the veracity of the information does not change, which means that it is not a Leonberger book. On a bit more than half a page he is explaining how to interpret the movement of ears, for example, “ears stretched upwards may also show dominance”, etc. The problem with that is that Leonberger ears are floppy, fleshy, hanging down and they can’t point up. Interestingly he points out at the end of the ear section, essentially invalidating everything he just wrote. The book is missing Leonberger specific behavior, Leonberger characteristics, breed standard stuff, Leonberger history, genetic illnesses common in Leonbergers, life span, nothing about Leonberger organizations, Leonberger awards, sports or activities, and anything specific about Leonbergers. It is all missing and there is not a single picture of a Leonberger in the book. The book also has a substantial number of typos.

I would think a book like this would sell well if it were marketed as a dog behavior book. Why pick a rare breed and essentially replace the word dog with the word Leonberger everywhere? I am glad I read it because of what I learned about dog behavior, but you won’t learn anything specific about Leonbergers by reading this book, which is why I am rating it three stars.

The back cover of the book The Complete Guide for Leonberger by Bailey Lopez. It feature a list of the chapters. — The back cover of the book The Complete Guide for Leonberger by Bailey Lopez.

This Book Does Not Look Like a Leonberger Book but It Is

I bought the paperback version of the book Leonberger Dog Information: Everything You Need To Know About Basic Leonberger Dog Paperback – November 16, 2022 by Bao Reives. It is a short book. The paperback version is 55 pages, the dimensions are 6 x 0.14 x 9 inches, and the weight is 4.8 ounces, ISBN 979-8364129697, and it currently costs $10.74 on Amazon in the US. The Kindle version is 110 pages, ASIN B0BMNBL7CV, and cost $5.44 and is written by Matthew Marrow. They are not linked on Amazon, so you have to search for the kindle version separately.

Front cover of the book Leonberger Dog Information by Bao Reives. It is a photo of a white Labrador looking out the window of a car. Click on the image to go to the Amazon location for the book. — Front cover of the book Leonberger Dog Information by Bao Reives. Click on the image to go to the Amazon location for the book.

This is a strange Leonberger book. There’s a Labrador on the front page. The book is directed at a UK audience in some parts and an American audience in other parts. Yet it is otherwise a decent Leonberger book filled with Leonberger specific information and 16 black and white Leonberger photos. It is as if it was written by two different authors who have a good understanding of Leos, but the book designer screwed up massively. With 16 good Leonberger photos in the book, how did a Labrador end up on the front cover? How would you rate that?

A thought occurred to me that someone copied the content of two other Leonberger books, text, photos and all, and just mixed it all together. That would be bad and I am not sure it is even possible to do, so I am not assuming that.

Below I am posting my Amazon review of Leonberger Dog Information by Bao Reives. Click here to see my original Amazon review. BTW I gave the book three stars.

Short Leonberger Book with Some Good Information and Some Issues

Despite the photo of the Labrador on the cover of this book it is actually a Leonberger book. The book contains some good information on Leonberger care and training and where to get one and who should not get a Leonberger. I think it was good that the author pointed out that Leonbergers love to be with the family, are very large and energetic and need space, and therefore a Leonberger is not a good dog for someone living in an apartment. I also thought it was good that the author pointed out that you should find a breeder who is rigorous about genetic testing. The book contained 16 black and white photos of Leonbergers.

However, I also found a few problems with the book. Starting with the incorrect claims in the history section. The author claims that Heinrich Essig, the creator of the Leonberger breed, was the mayor of the town of Leonberg. He was a prominent citizen of Leonberg, a successful businessman, innkeeper, dog breeder, large-dog enthusiast, and town councilman, but he was not the mayor of Leonberg. It is claimed that only five Leonbergers survived World War I. It is true that World War I was tough on the breed, but it was not quite that bad. After the war, Karl Stadelmann and Otto Josenhans, worked hard to save the breed, and they were able to find twenty-five Leonbergers whose owners were willing to cooperate in reestablishing the breed. Of these, only five were suitable for breeding, which is different from saying that only five survived. In addition, the book claims that only eight Leonbergers survived World War II, which is even more incorrect.

The beginning of the book is written for readers in the UK, and later on it switches to North American readers (Leonberger Club of America), only to switch back to the UK again. It is if two different people wrote the book. Add the wrong dog breed on the cover and the somewhat funny book page design and I got the feeling that this book was put together haphazardly. It contains mostly good information, but it was not put together well, with the pieces perhaps originating from different sources. It is a quick read, it is not bad, but there are better Leonberger books out there. I give it three stars.

New Texas Law Allow Dogs To Drive

On February 29 the Texas Legislature passed HB64 and SB14 and thus Texas became the first US state to allow dogs to drive. Any dog of any breed is allowed to drive a car as long as they are two years or older and are facilitated by a DDAD, a dog drivers assistance device. A DDAD is a device that reads traffic signs for the dog and takes cues from the dog’s body language to turn the car and control it in other ways. DDAD utilizes a multi layered neural network (deep learning style neural network) that has been trained using several thousand dogs that included all of AKC’s approved dog breeds as well as 100’s of mixed breeds.

Rollo is our first dog to officially have a driving license. In the picture below he is coming back from a visit to grandma and grandpa.

Photo of our dog Rollo in the drivers seat. He is coming back from a visit to grandma and grandpa. — Rollo coming back from a visit to grandma and grandpa.

The dog driving license is not without controversy. Some people have concerns with safety and others feel that dogs should not be able to drive if they are not, as Walter Ericsson who lost his driver’s license due to a DUI pointed out.

A Note from Your Leonberger

The beautiful writing below I received from Brenda Saito a fellow Leonberger enthusiast and Leonberger owner. The author is unknown. Thank you so much Brenda.

A photo of our Leonberger at three months old. — Our Leonberger at three months old

Hello there. I am so glad you are here to talk to me. I don’t always do the best job of communicating my emotions to you, yet there is so much I want you to know. I will start off by saying I am so so sorry I stepped on your foot this morning. I do it all the time and don’t mean to, its just that my feet are so big and it’s easy for me to lose track of where they are in space. Speaking of space, I love to be in yours. I am really sorry I was in your space last night and my tail knocked over your beverage on the coffee table. Also, I am sorry I stepped on your foot again while you were cleaning it up. And this is probably a good time to apologize for all of the times you have had to change your pants before work because I slobbered on them.
I know that I am extra in every sense of the word simply because of my size. At times you seem annoyed at my attempts to become your literal shadow. What you don’t know is how much my proximity to you matters to me. I can not express to you the joy you bring to me just by being present. I love your scent and the way your fingers feel behind my ears when you scratch them. I live for the moments when you lay on the floor with me and rub my belly, or when you slip me a piece of ice when you are getting a drink for your self.
It is true that I watch your every move. I know the sound of your footsteps from anyone else’s in the house and the sound of your car from anyone else’s in the neighborhood. I notice the difference in your cadence when you are down or tired. At times your anxiety radiates through the room. It is intense and permeates your energy like a poison. I am not sure why this is, but somehow my sitting beside you helps the anxious cloud to dissipate. I promise to always sit there for you, as long as it takes, until your energy changes and you are ready to move.
My time with you in this life will be short. My lifespan is not as long as other, smaller breeds. I promise to make up for this by filling everyday with extra love and lots of laughter. The connection between you and I will never be broken. You are my person. I am your dog.
Love always,

Bronco's asking face. You could usually figure out what he wanted. This is a closeup of Bronco's face. — Bronco’s asking face. You could usually figure out what he wanted.

This is a photo of our Leonberger Bronco lying in the grass. He is old and tired and his face has gray hair. — Bronco in his old age. He is 12 1/2 going on 13, much older than most Leonbergers live.

Happy Birthday To Me With A Lovely Leonberger Photo

Today is my birthday, so I thought I would post this nice birthday card from a friend of ours. That’s Bronco, our late Leonberger.

Birthday Card featuring Bronco from a friend. Bronco our Leonberger is saying Happy Birthday Thomas and there are cakes, presents and birthday celebration stuff. — Birthday Card featuring Bronco from a friend

My wife organized a ski trip to Breckenridge Colorado as a birthday present for me and my son who also has a March birthday. This is a photo from that trip a bit more than a week ago. We skied most of the time but one day we hiked with snowshoes.

The family Snowshoeing in Breckenridge Colorado. From left to right Meranda (David's girlfriend), David (my son), Me (Thomas), Claudia (my wife), Rachel (our daughter). — Snowshoeing in Breckenridge Colorado. From left to right Meranda (David’s girlfriend), David (my son), Me (Thomas), Claudia (my wife), Rachel (our daughter).

Fort Leonberg Designing Your Home To Make Your Leonberger Happy

Meme photo of Jackson Galaxy Cat Behavior Consultant. The meme states "When you get stranded on Earth without your photon weapons so you just have to come up with a job & survive" — Jackson Galaxy the world’s foremost Cat Behavior Consultant

I am sure you cat lovers know about the world’s foremost Cat Behavior Consultant Jackson Galaxy. He has written a lot of very successful books on cat behavior including the best seller “Catification”, Designing a Happy and Stylish Home for Your Cat (and You). It is rumored that Jackson Galaxy is from outer space and that he got stranded on Earth without his photon blaster and therefore had to come up with a job to survive. Whatever the case is he is a beloved icon in the cat community.

Being an energetic and family-oriented giant breed, the right type of home may be an even more important feature for Leonbergers. Below I am listing ten important points to consider when preparing your home for a Leonberger.

First of all, a small apartment is not a suitable home for a Leonberger. They need room and they need a backyard or similar for running and moving around.
Leonbergers are family dogs, and they like to be with people so they should not be left outside for too long, and therefore your house needs to be able to accommodate a very large and hairy dog that sheds a lot.
In addition to shedding a lot, Leonbergers love to dig and to be messy and muddy. Allowing a little bit of a mess will make your Leonberger a happy dog.
You need a fence, preferably at least six or seven feet tall. The ground below the fence cannot be too soft since Leonbergers are expert diggers. A runaway Leonberger may be a happy Leonberger for a short time but bad things can happen to runaway Leonbergers. Check whether wild animals such as bobcats and coyotes can get in through your fence.
Check your backyard and locate and get rid of sharp or dangerous objects such as metal rods sticking up from the grass.
If you have a swimming pool, make sure the dog can easily get in and out of the pool on his own.
Get rid of poisonous plants in your house. Click here to see a list of poisonous plants.
While the Leonberger is still a puppy you need to enclose electrical cords with cord protectors for pets with strong jaws.
Secure glass tables and vases that can easily tip and fall, the fireplace. Secure toilet-bowl additives, drain cleaners, bar soap, tampons, paint, antifreeze, pesticides, oil and gasoline, rat poison, carpet cleaner, fertilizer, bleach, detergent, hot iron, sharp objects, and glass jars.
Leonbergers can reach all counters. They love to stand on their back legs, like bears, and they are intelligent enough to open easy access pantries, so it is important to secure food items dangerous to dogs such as; coffee beans, chocolate, onions, garlic, yeast, avocados, raisins, macadamia nuts, fruits pits and seeds, raw salmon and trout, raw eggs, mushrooms, tomatoes, persimmons, rhubarb leaves, medicine, Tylenol, any food containing xylitol (sugar substitute), food left out, garbage. Click here for more information.

And Happy Belated St. Patricks’ Day from me, Thomas, the Leonberger Behavior Consultant.

Me, Thomas Wikman, in a St. Patricks' Day Card with a green beer

One Year Anniversary of My Leonberger Blog

One year ago, I launched my Leonberger blog. Alex Diaz-Granados another blogger I know gave me some advice so I could get started. Well, that was one year and one day ago today (March 13, 2022). I was too busy yesterday to work on my blog, so this post is one day late for a one-year anniversary, but I am doing my one-year anniversary today.

The purpose of the blog was to inform people about Leonbergers, a truly remarkable dog breed, as well as advertise my then upcoming book “The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle, Stories and Tips from Thirteen Years with a Leonberger.” I invited friends and announced the existence of my blog on Facebook and Instagram. Later in July of 2022 my book would be released, and a couple of months after that I started interacting with other WordPress bloggers upon the advice of Alex. At this point I am blogging just because it is fun.

I read somewhere that when you launch a blog you should make five posts at once because having a blog with just one or two posts makes it look empty. Therefore, I made five posts on launch day. Below I am posting five pictures corresponding to each of the five posts. If you click on the picture, you can look at that original old post.

What is a Leonberger? Click on the image to see this one-year-old blog post. This is an image detailing the breed standard for a Leonberger Dog. — What is a Leonberger? Click on the image to see this one-year-old blog post.

Our Leonberger Bronco. Click on the image to see this one-year-old blog post. On the left our Leonberger three months old Bronco. On the right, old Bronco closing in on 13 years old. — Our Leonberger Bronco. Click on the image to see this one-year-old blog post.

The Time Bronco Saved the Neighborhood. Click on the image to see this one-year-old blog post. On the left a peeping Tom trespassing and looking in through our bedroom window and shouting obscenities at my wife. On the right Bronco chasing off the trespasser. — The Time Bronco Saved the Neighborhood. Click on the image to see this one-year-old blog post.

Bronco’s Hamster Search and Rescue. Click on the image to see this one-year-old blog post. On the left, Bronco's cheeks holding two hamsters. On the right Claudia doing hamster CPR. — Bronco’s Hamster Search and Rescue. Click on the image to see this one-year-old blog post.

The Grey Muzzle Award. Click on the image to see this one-year-old blog post. The award says : The Grey Muzzle Award, For Leonberger Longevity, Is Presented with Gratitude By THE LEONBERGER HEALTH FOUNDATION INTERNATIONAL, To Bronco, For Offering Hope And Potential For Longer Lives For Leonbergers Throughout The World. — The Grey Muzzle Award. Click on the image to see this one-year-old blog post.

Review of Secrets in the Blood by Unity Hayes

This blog is primarily about Leonbergers. I review Leonberger books, but I also review books that are not about Leonbergers but that I love, and I want to promote. This post is one of those. I am reviewing Secrets in the Blood Kindle Edition, August 1, 2013 – by Unity Hayes. The book is 225 pages, ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00E50JO3A, it currently cost $2.99.

Unity is the author of Secrets in the Blood (mystery/romance – August 1, 2013). She has been writing since the age of 15 and has always dreamed of telling stories through the craft of writing. Unity is a Registered Nurse that enjoys small town living, antiquing, and spending time with her family.

Secrets have been buried in a steel town for many years, but someone is about to blow the lid off them and rock this little town. Cassidy loves her life just the way it is. But when mysterious and good looking West arrives, her world is turned upside-down. West carries the secrets of the steel town. Cassidy is attracted to the stranger but a relationship seems impossible as West’s accusations make him appear crazy and bodies start to pile up. No one wants to believe West; can Cassidy let her feelings go and trust him? Who is the killer? How many bodies will pile up before the biggest secret of all is revealed?

This image is the cover for the book Secrets of the Blood by Unity Hayes. Click on the image to go to the Amazon location for the book. — Cover for the book Secrets of the Blood. Click on the image to go to the Amazon location for the book.

You can find the book on

My review below (to see my Amazon review click here)

An Action-Packed Romantic Thriller with Mystery and Captivating Drama

I normally don’t read books in the romance category. However, this book is so much more than a romance book. It is more than anything a mystery, a thriller, a captivating drama and a fast paced adventure. The romance is an added bonus for those who like that. What I found so intriguing about this book were the thick mysteries as well as the fast-paced action. There were surprises on almost every page. It is one of the best thrillers I’ve ever read.

The setting, a replica of an 1880’s old wild west town called the Watering Hole, appealed to me, perhaps because we’ve stayed in such a place in Arizona. It was a tourist trap of course, but it was fun. The book brought back memories from that trip and the descriptions of the town in the book felt real to me. If the Watering Hole was real, I would take my family there, well assuming that there were no murders or other strange things happening.

There’s danger, death, and a string of violent or strange events. Every page made me wonder what was going on and what was going to happen next. As I was reading my mind went to the girl with dragon tattoo, but that is a different story. This is a very good and unique story, the drama and the dialogue are brilliant, and the character development is good. The author is a registered nurse, which certainly benefitted the descriptions of injuries and the healing processes of the victims. I think realism is an important advantage. I highly recommend this fun and exciting thriller.

There Are Leonbergers on Bookbub

Bookbub is a book discovery service that was created to help readers find new books and authors. Bookbub has 15 million users, so it is a fairly large service. Upon the suggestion of Jacqui Murray I decided to join. You can join as a reader or as an author. Since I’ve written a book I joined as an author. I noticed there were already three Leonberger books on Bookbub, so mine is the fourth one. The vast majority of Leonberger books are not on Bookbub. There is also an author by the name Leon Berger, but he does not write about Leonbergers.

Today or rather yesterday my profile was approved for upload. Therefore, I have not done a lot of work on my profile yet. I linked my book to Bookbub, added a profile picture, and wrote a couple of sentences about myself. I started following a few authors and published a few reviews. However, I am just getting started. Please, if you are an author and you are on Bookbub, tell me in the comments, so I can follow you. Naturally I wouldn’t mind follows myself (both authors and readers can follow). Below is my preliminary Bookbub profile picture. Click here to see my Bookbub profile.

This is my Bookbug profile picture. I will probably update. Click on the picture to go to my Bookbub profile.