004. What Kind of Dog Should I Get: Books
Description
This article is from the rec.pets.dogs: Getting A Dog FAQ, posted to rec.pets.dogs newsgroup. Maintained by Cindy Tittle Moore with numerous contributions by others.
004. What Kind of Dog Should I Get: Books
Listed here some good references on dog breeds; others appear in the Publications FAQ. In addition, there are many that are specific to one breed. Space prohibits listing any of these type of dog books here, but you should look up breed specific books on the breeds you are especially interested in for even more detailed information. The breed specific FAQ's mentioned in the introduction will contain recommended pointers.
One word of warning on breed specific books. In general, avoid the TFH "KW" series readily available in most pet stores. These are small books, about 150 pages. Most of them recommend pet stores as a source for puppies, blithely talk of the "joys" of breeding, and contain very little actual breed-specific information. Instead there is a large amount of general information repeated from book to book, and what amounts to advertising for a number of brands of dog products. Leaf through the book carefully before deciding (or not) to buy it.
De Prisco, Andrew and James B. Johnson. _The Mini-Atlas of Dog Breeds_. TFH Publications, One TFH Plaza, Neptune City, NJ 07753 1990.
This book lists and describes over 500 breeds from around the world. Abundantly illustrated with color drawings and photos. Includes a short forward on what criteria you should consider in choosing a breed, and a short description of the categories it chose to group dogs in (slightly different from, eg. AKC groupings).
Mandeville, John J., and Ab Sidewater, eds. _The Complete Dog Book: official publication of the American Kennel Club_. Eighteenth edition. Howell Book House, Macmillan Publishing Company, New York. 1992.
This is the reference for the AKC breed standards, each of which covers several pages and includes a black and white photograph and text on the breed's history, characteristics, and nature. Newly admitted breeds, such as the Shar-Pei, have been added to this edition.
Sylvester, Patricia, ed. _The Reader's Digest Illustrated Book of Dogs_. 2nd edition. The Reader's Digest Association, Inc., Pleasantville, NY. 1994
Besides the excellent text and illustrations in the album, which cover 2 pages for each breed (175 total), the informative sections are also well-written and illustrated and include many color photographs as well.
Tortora, Daniel F. The Right Dog For You. Fireside, Simon & Schuster Trade Books. 1983.
Offers a complex decision procedure, with lots of questionnaires to alert you to the potential significance of various features of breed behavior and physical characteristics. One of the few that lists potential problems of each breed rather than giving a glowingly positive one for each.
Wilcox, Bonnie and Chris Walkowicz. _Atlas of Dog Breeds_. TFH Publications. 5th ed, 1994.
Over 900 pages long in large format. The authors are top notch writers and did extensive research to compile this comprehensive resource of the world's dog breeds. The book is profusely illustrated with excellent quality photographs and a 3-5 page article. This book makes a good effort to show every color and every coat type of each breed in the various photos. Expensive. The latest edition is out in two volumes.
_Project BREED Directory_. Network for Ani-Males and Females, 18707 Curry Powder Lane, Germantown, MD 20874, 301-428-3675. 1993.
There is a section on each breed (over 100 listed) listing specific breed rescue organizations and individuals throughout the US. It also describes each breed's appearance, origins, traits, and the most common hereditary health problems for that breed. No pictures. Check or money order ($15.95 plus $1.50 s/h) for a copy.
Videos
The _AKC Breed Identification Series_ is a set of seven short video cassettes that give a brief overview of each breed of dog recognized by the AKC. The tapes are categorized by AKC breed groupings (sporting, working...) The segments for each breed last less than five minutes each. The information is often erratically presented and incomplete. The tape set is probably unavailable at video rental stores. Since the set of seven tapes is probably quite expensive, the public library would be the best way to examine these tapes.
Some breed clubs have much better videos describing their breeds. They are expensive enough that it's probably not worth getting them if you're still "browsing," but if you have a dog of that breed, they're often quite nice to get ahold of.
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