Customer Reviews

Breeding Dogs For Dummies

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I bought this book thinking it would be as good as the other for dummies titles I've read, but I was wrong. It seems to me as if this book was written by a novice.

For instance, in one of the sidebars (titled "Old wives tales"), the author states that "the dominant gene prevails" and breeding a dog of one trait to another with the opposite trait (like tall to short for example) will never produce offspring that's in between. He obviously hasn't heard of co-recessive or co-dominant genes or gene mutations. In the same article, he also claims inter-species matings is impossible- I guess he's never heard of or seen a Bengal Cat, Liger or Mule. His statement about breeding dogs to their wilder counterparts like wolves will never better their hunting skills is also false (there have been many instances of dogs mating with wolves and the resulting puppies had traits of both parents, the controvertial American Indian Dog is one example). Perhaps he should have taken the chance to explain how these myths came by instead of proving his lack of knowledge by being a cocky know-it-all.

The rest of the book is nothing but articles concerning dogs and dog breeding in general- the only detailed articles (and there are a lot of them) are the ones bragging about the sucess of the author's breeding stock, the countries his breeding stock has travelled to and his credentials. For example, he talks about how important matching pedigrees is, how he does it all the time, how successful he is at doing it, but never tells us how we should go about it.

There is nothing in this book on choosing a potential owner for the puppies, only a couple of paragraphs saying that people should avoid giving out their dogs to those who only way one because the breed is a latest fad. Perhaps a sample question list would have been useful.

The fact that such a reputed publisher would let a narcissist who doesn't even understand basic genetics write a "How To" book worries me. A novice breeder would have better luck finding out about dog breeding in a general pet care book.

Please do not buy this book. The only time it'll come into use is when you run out of newspapers to toilet train your puppies with.

Beauchamp, a highly successful breeder and judge, makes very sure your motives are right for breeding top class dogs and makes no bones (pun not intended!) about discouraging anyone who thinks they can do this for profit. Takes you step by step through finding the right mentor and selecting the best possible stock to establish a bloodline that will produce typey, healthy and mentally sound puppies. He makes genetics really easy to understand and how important they are in developing a breeding program. I show my own dogs now and I'm not actually a beginner but far from achieving the goals I've set. This book will be kept handy for a lot of years to come I'm sure!
I think what is especially responsible about this book is that it not only cautions against breeding without making sure suitable homes are waiting but gives some great tips on how to go about doing it.

I don't think this book will encourage people to breed their dogs. On the contrary, I think it will discourage many people, once they learn how much time and effort it takes to properly raise a litter. Once all the people who wanted to breed based on a flight of fancy or stupid reasons (i.e. I want my kids to see the miracle of birth) have been weeded out, the people left are ones who want to breed dogs because they want to improve the breed. And, might I add, there aren't too many of these people.
I found this book well-written and helpful. It's a useful guide for someone who is seriously considering breeding, people who need a reality check of how much work it takes to raise a litter, and people who need immediate help on raising a litter.

My roomate recently rescued a pregant female dog and was literally unable to find a *single* book on dog reproduction in our strongly Animal Rights influenced community library so we bought this book. Might it ever occur to the writer of review 2 that there might be Humane reasons other than making money for wanting a book on dog breeding? Should the rescuers of pregnant animals be prevented from reading books that will tell them how to take care of their charges, safely deliver a litter, and care for the puppies afterwards? There are a lot of abandoned pregnant dogs needing new homes and thank goodness we are still allowed access to materials ( though we had to pay, the library was loaded with "adopt a dog" material, which we had *already* done and not a single book on how to help our adopted pregnant dog! )
This is a very good, detailed, informative book, and very HELPFUL. If we had listened to Reviewer 2's advice and not bought this book, we might have made mistakes in caring for our furry refugee, and what's humane about that?
Censorship is an attempt to control access to information. Censorship can hurt.

This was the least informative book I read in preparing myself for breeding my bitch for the first time. It talks in generalities giving little specific information as to what to look for in breeding readiness, actual breeding behavior and whelping. Don't waste your money on this one!

This was the very worst "For Dummies" book I have ever purchased/read. I am planning on breeding my young Poodle and I have purchased 3 other books on the subject of dog breeding. This book did not go into anywhere near the details which the other books had. The author of this book seemed more into telling you why you should not breed, then giving you the important details of what you need to know if you are going to breed. Would not recommend this book to anyone!

Great starter book. Picked up a few pointers that helped me understand the next book which was definitely NOT a primer. Plus this book was easy to bookmark for future reference. Would recommend this title to anyone who is just getting started and also has a mentor to refer to.

As a proud owner of 1 dog and 2 cats (all of which were rescued from a shelter or strays who found ME), I was overwhelmed when my boss announced to me that she had decided to breed dogs to make quick cash to pay off her debts!!! I stared at her in disbelief and started asking the normal questions of "Who will care for the animals?", "Where will you put them?", "Do you have ANY CLUE how much money is involved with vet bills, stud fees, price of good breeding stock?", etc. etc. Mind you, I am NOT qualified as a breeder (nor do I wish to be), but having loved and being "owned" by cats and dogs for my entire adult life, I recognize the great responsibilities and expenses involved with having a small menagerie in my own home. In 2 years of working for this woman, she has mentioned her FARM dog exactly 2 times and never in loving or caring terms. SO....I started looking for info on the internet--AKC standards, "breeding dogs", whatever, and of course, searching for books she MIGHT sit down and read (she hates reading, documentation, looking up info on the internet, no focus, etc.) I read excerpts from several books on Amazon. I decided to get the "Dummies" book because I thought she MIGHT be able to pick it up and read MOST of it, if not ALL of it. (AND.....hopefully, influence her to drop this insane (for her) project)

I found this book to be entertaining, yet giving much valuable information to people like me who are NOT breeders (nor do I intend to be), but it certainly points out responsibilities and characteristics needed for those people even considering such an endeavor, and resources. It also pinpoints major pitfalls and stresses extensive research, finding a responsible mentor and much contemplation before embarking on such an expensive venture.

Obviously, this book is NOT meant for someone truly devoted and well-informed on breeding dogs. However, for anyone "toying" with the idea, I think it will put things in a better perspective.

I have been a dog owner my entire life, have worked with dogs, and owned or fostered/rescued many myself. When I aquired my first AKC Pug, I began toying with the idea of breeding and raising Pugs myself. Aware that many Pugs suffer health problems due to negligant breeding, and that many dogs end up in shelters due to overpopulation, I knew that I needed to do a lot of research and preparation before making a decision to breed my dog.

I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the breeding of purebred dogs, whether for pet or for show. It touches on all the topics of genetics, selection, whelping, and so much more. And its written so that anyone can understand it with ease.
In addition to this, reading this information would help puppy buyers to discern what REALLY is a good breeder when they are looking to purchase a quality puppy, the things to look for.

reading this book by itself will not automatically make you a "good breeder" its just a start, but a good start. You also need to make sure you are always under the supervision of your veterinarian as well.

This book was full of delightful information about why people should not attempt to breed dogs. Not a very helpful book in my mind.