Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 6-10 of 54
 EXCELLENT!!!!!!!!! April 6, 2008
Cirrabi (Broward, FL. USA)
IS THE BEST COMPLEMENT FOR PEOPLE LIKE ME, THAT NEED TO REMEMBER SEEING COLOR. IF YOU HAVE THE AKC BOOK AND NEED TO STUDY, THIS ONE IS A MUST TO ADD IN YOUR LIBRARY.
 a question of clarity, accuracy, and visual completeness March 27, 2008
Reader (U. S. A.)
7 out of 8 found this review helpful
We bought this book to help us decide which breed would be best suited to us, and it was very helpful in that regard. It provides a two-page spread on each dog, discussing history, temperament, exercise requirements, health concerns, two photos, and a diagram pointing out aspects of breed physique (conformation). Finally, there is a chart that awards points from 1 to 5 according to how much a dog demonstrates, or lacks, a particular quality. The structure of the book is thus very sound.
However, I do have criticisms of the book. First, the ratings chart, awarding points for sociability, cold tolerance, trainability, and so on, does not always seem to match the written description of temperament or exercise requirements. This sense of disjunction is reinforced for me by my own knowledge (gained since choosing a Boxer last year) of specific breeds, since I often find myself agreeing with the written statement but quibbling with the number rating: I just don't think, based on my experience and other reading, that those numbers are especially reliable. To name one instance that I'm very familiar with, I think that Boxers are actually friendlier to strangers and other dogs than the number rating would suggest: it gives a 3 rating, where I would make it a 4 (and I live in a neighbourhood bursting at the seams with dogs, including several Boxers).
Similarly, the Boxer rating for 'watchdog ability' is a 3, but I wonder why: my dog knows when a delivery has been put by the door, or when anyone approaches, or even when the local cats are across the street. If there is a degree of watchfulness greater than this, such that a 3 is merely average and 5 is extreme, how so? Being more of a barker doesn't seem to me sufficient to up a dog's score, and this could all be misleading to someone trying to make decisions on the basis of the ratings. Most people that want a watchful dog would be well pleased with a Boxer, but the rating suggests instead that they are just OK in that department. But again, whether you agree with the specific ratings or not, they themselves don't seem to agree completely with the text.
Another flaw is that, while each breed has two photos to represent it, some breeds are represented by only one individual. Going back to the Boxer again as my example, only a fawn Boxer is shown--apparently the same dog. It would have been more helpful to have a second photo of a brindle coat (dark streaks) and/or different white markings (flashing). Further, many dog owners these days prefer Boxers and other dogs with uncropped ears, but only cropped ears are shown, even in the diagram. That is just a refusal to show the dog as most non-show people see it! The problem is not just with Boxers; several other breeds I think are not represented with sufficient variety of photographs.
In sum, this is a good book but it is far from being the best, and leaves much scope for competitors in a popular subject.
great book worth twice the price January 27, 2008
P. Jones (Richmond, VA)
I bought this book for my son's tenth birthday. He is crazy about dogs. This is a fantastic book-very informative, great photos, good quality and basically a nice read. It is easy to pick it up and flick through it.My son spends hours reading and rereading it. We have similar books that are not opened now that he has this one. Well worth the modest price!
Awesome September 10, 2007
avidbookreader (newyork)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
one of the best dog books out there, and believe me i've read quite a few. i think what i liked best was that each dog breed was given a review on a number of different qualities. 5 stars being the highest. they were judged on energy, "hair care", friendliness towards people and other animals, among many other things. being a dog lover and avid dog guide book reader, i thought i knew just about all there was to the different dog breeds, but this book proved me wrong. i learned more about dogs in this book than i've read in 25 other dog breed books.
 A Good General Overview August 16, 2007
AKA Alex (Doonside, NSW Australia)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
A good reference book for various dog breeds. Obviously, it does not go into great detail about all of the breeds BUT it does provide a good overview of the various breeds in question. If you are buying it to obtain information about a specific breed, then this is NOT the book that you need. A breed specific book would be much better. If, on the other hand, you want a good starting point for the various dog breeds, then this is the book for you. Provides ideal information if you are thinking of buying a dog but don't know what breed to get.
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