Selecting a Breed

Coren, Stanley. Why We Love the Dogs We Do: How to Find the Dog That Matches Your Personality. Thorndike, ME: Thorndike, 1998.

Based on a research project carried out by the author, Coren presents the idea that people within a specific personality grouping will prefer certain types of dogs. The book largely consists of episodic tales of famous individuals and their dogs and of how they fit into this theory. A short personality test for the reader is presented, along with corresponding lists of recommended dog breeds. Unless the reader wants information on the famous and their dogs, this title lacks substance.

"The Dogs We Love." <http://www.purina.com/dogs/
index.html> Welcome to Purina. Updated March 2, 2000. Seen July 22, 2000.

Purina is a manufacturer of pet foods. To get to the web pages on selecting a breed, the user must click on "Breed Selector." The user is asked a fairly comprehensive series of questions to which the user may select as many answers as pertain. The user is allowed to jump around to the various sections of the web page and to select breeds for comparison. Highly recommended.

Hart, Benjamin L., and Lynette A. Hart. The Perfect Puppy: How to Choose Your Dog by Its Behavior. New York: Freeman, 1988.

Benjamin Hart is a professor for the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of California, Davis, while Lynette Hart is the director of the Human-Animal Program at the same institution. They profile 56 popular breeds, rating each breed on thirteen behavioral characteristics such as excitability, barking, aggression, and ease of training. Highly recommended.

Kilcommons, Brian, and Sarah Wilson. Paws to Consider: Choosing the Right Dog for You and Your Family. New York: Warner, 1999.

Kilcommons and Wilson both train dogs. Kilcommons is on the faculty of Tufts University Veterinary School of Medicine. The authors group various breeds into their own categories: Good Dogs That Are Hard to Find, Nine-to-Five Dog, Family Dog, High-Input/High-Output Dog, City Dog, Indoor Companion, Low-Shed, Watchdog, and Not for Everyone. For each breed, brief information is included on personality, height, weight, color, grooming, exercise requirements, bite potential, health concerns, and more. Not all AKC breeds are included. Black-and-white photographs. Recommended.

Ruckert, Janet. Are You My Dog?: How to Find Your Best Friend. Berkeley: Ten Speed, 1989.

Veterinarian Ruckert guides the potential dog owner through various decisions relating to adopting a dog and provides guidance for introducing a new dog into the home. Ruckert concludes with chapters on protection dogs, seeing-eye dogs, hearing dogs, service dogs, companion dogs, and dog actors. Easy-to-read and highly recommended.

Tortora, Daniel F. The Right Dog For You: Choosing A Breed That Matches Your Personality, Family and Life-Style. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1980.

Tortora profiles 123 AKC breeds arranging them into the six American breed groups and then listing them alphabetically. For each breed, sixteen dimensions of temperament are noted. For example, outdoor activity level, indoor activity level, dominance of strange dogs, dominance of familiar people. When appropriate, Tortora makes a distinction between well-bred and puppy-mill dogs. A variety of surveys are included to help readers focus on breeds likely to be a suitable match. Highly recommended.

"Welcome to Select-a-Dog." <http://www.waltham.com/
section.html?section=Dogs&content=> The Waltham World of Pet Care. Update unknown. Seen July 22, 2000.

Waltham is a manufacturer of pet foods. To get to the web pages on selecting a breed, the user must click on "Choosing" and then on "Select a Dog." The user is asked a series of questions concerning house and yard size, amount of time dog will be alone, whether children live in the home, etc. A list of possible breeds for ownership is then shown. Purina's page shown above is more useful and contains more breeds than does Waltham's page.