Written in 1950, The Dog In Action was the first book to thoroughly analyze, illustrate and explain the under-the-skin workings of the dog. Whether looking a Pom or Pointer, McDowell Lyon showed the dog breeder, fancier and judge that the principles of movement applied to all.

The Dog In Action has inspired generations of dog breeders and judges to watch more carefully, to put aside preconceived notions of how the dog "should" work and learn from what their eyes tell them. While some of Lyon's theories have since been disproved, the book still deserves to be in the serious dog person's library because it is the foundation for all gait and locomotion books which have since been written. The modern dog breeder, judge and fancier will learn: 1. To put functional soundness above everything else. 2. Why the trot shows the faults and virtues of a dog's running gear. 3. That every animal that moves can teach us about functional conformation. 4. Why a dog must be dynamically balanced to function efficiently. 5. That no dog can be any better than his bone placement, conformation and muscle tone. 6. How to develop a thorough knowledge of dogs in order to interpret a breed standard.

The structure information is good, it's just not an easy read.


The Dog in Action By McDowell Lyon   August 31, 2002
 8 out of 8 found this review helpful

This book is like a bible for those that study the mechanics of animals as they move, especially dogs. It details the coordination of every bone with the corresponding limb as the dog moves and then ties it all together with images of how the whole dog should move as a unit. It justifies every aspect, supporting the information with examples of the survivors in nature. For anyone aspiring to judge dogs or already judging or breeding it is a must. Although written over fifty years ago, the information is still relevent and stands up to recent high tech studies done with slow motion and stop action cameras. The book is presented in a way that makes it easy to understand the mechanics of the dog as it moves, the importance of efficiency, which is such an important part of assessing the value of one dog as compared to another. After reading this book, watching dog shows will become more meaningful, whether one has been breeding and judging for years or is just getting started. Years ago I lent out my copy and never got it back so will order a copy in paperback.
Gordon Garrett


Great book   April 5, 2001
 22 out of 22 found this review helpful

I first saw this book when my friend brought over a library copy. I didn't have time to read it, but I read the chapter on single tracking.

Let me explain. I'm an engineer. And conformation vs. performance as always been a hobby of mine. Mostly for horses. I always wondered why horses single track. Now I know. Based on that chapter I scoured the used book market until I found my own copy. I found this book to be thought provoking and credible. I bought a copy for a friend of mine who is a professor at one of our state universities and who heads up the collage's judging team (horses again).

I found that by studying dogs, whose conformation could be much more diverse than horses, I could better understand how more subtle conformation differences affect the horse. I will never give up my copy. They will have to pry it from my cold dead fingers.