The problem that I see is that a new dog owner could very easily be led astray by the "hard to handle" information. For one thing, the information comes from professionals who may not see all of the breeds. A groomer would see an OES far more often than a Lab. In other words, the data in the survey is skewed. Therefore an OES would seem to be more problematic. The list just didn't ring true. I am afraid that it would provide bad information to potential new owners.


Hard to Handle??   January 23, 2002
 2 out of 9 found this review helpful

This book does offer excellent information, common sense and a lot of gotcha's for the new dog owner.

The problem that I see is that a new dog owner could very easily be led astray by the "hard to handle" information. For one thing, the information comes from professionals who may not see all of the breeds. A groomer would see an OES far more often than a Lab. In other words, the data in the survey is skewed. Therefore an OES would seem to be more problematic. The list just didn't ring true. I am afraid that it would provide bad information to potential new owners.


The best book in print on choosing the right dog for you!   January 19, 2002
 1 out of 1 found this review helpful

This is THE book that I will recommend to anyone requesting resource suggestions on choosing the right dog for their family. Frank, honest, well researched and well written. I'm going to buy and extra copy for the front lobby of the local animal shelter. Good job Brian & Sarah!!


Helps you choose the right pet for your lifestyle   December 16, 2001
 2 out of 2 found this review helpful

This book is most helpful in how it categorizes dogs in terms of your life rather than attributes of the dog. Is it a dog that can be left alone at home during the day, is it good with kids, is it good for an urban setting? Dogs are grouped by these considerations. It is best used with a book like "Your Purebred Puppy: A buyer's Guide" which provides more of the dog-specific information in a complete and easy to understand format.


Great for the Novice dog owner   November 12, 2001
 14 out of 14 found this review helpful

This is the most down-to-earth, honest book on the subject I have ever read. Brian and Sarah are dog trainers who base the book's information on actuall experiences with the breeds. They also cover health screening, breed rescue, and tips to find the best breeder. Insted of putting breeds in the standard grouping (Sporting Group, Toy group, etc.) They had catagories for dogs that were good with kids,nine-to-five dogs, and active dogs.

My only bone to pick (pardon the pun) is that they didn't do a review of every breed. They had one scetion of breeds that was made up of breeds that could be hard to handle (Like Jack Russels, Dalmations, Border Collies). For these breeds, they only did a paragraph or two on what put the breed in that catagory. What frusterated me was that Bulldogs and Shar-pei's were put in that section just because of their health problems. This is probably a good idea for first-time dog owners, but difficult if you have had plenty of experience (experience meaning you have successfuly controled over a number of dogs recently, not that you managed one golden retriever or had a dog growing up.)

However, this is still a good book to bring along on your dog search. If you want info for the experienced, a good book would be "The Perfect Match: A dog Buyers Guide" by Chris Walkowicz. This Book has tons of breeds, and has activites the breed is well suited for (agility, compition obedience, etc.) However, for novices, "Paws to Consider" can't be beat.