Customer Reviews

An Eye for a Dog: Illustrated Guide to Judging Purebred Dogs

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Once I started reading "An Eye for a Dog" I was unable to put it down. There is so much information crammed into this book! As of the time I'm writing this review I'm reading it for the second time!

Mr. Cole has made it possible for any novice dog showman to develop his/her "eye." The format is fun, easy, and very informative all at the same time. Definitely a must for those getting into the sport of dog showing or breeding.

4 Paws UP for this book because:
- It is written almost like "lessons" in judging dogs
- It allows you to practice and develop your eye with wonderful illustrations and tests your knowledge of several breeds
- It is incredibly applicable! I find myself using it as a reference while watching dog shows on TV!

Another great thing about "An Eye for a Dog" is its generality. It doesn't go too deep on any one breed, but instead uses a few breeds to apply principles to the dog world. It emphasises correctness for each individual breed, and not what is "showy" or eye-catching.

Subjects covered in the book:
Type, balance, proportions, features (plus how to highlight/hide them!), faults and illusions, and a very complete section on movement!

I would recommend this book to any dog breeder or showman, or anyone interested in judging purebred dogs. It's a great general reference and starting point for dog structure and judging!

I tend to be highly critical of books I read, but I can't criticize this book! It has made a huge difference in my ability to see details and critique dogs.

I have a much better understanding of proper gait and a crystal clear understanding of "type". I can quickly see balance and actually pinpoint areas that make a dog off-balance, instead of just feeling that "there's something off about this dog..." I can also find tiny flaws in dogs I previously thought were perfect-

This book is an invaluable aid for any breeder/exhibitor to prevent kennel blindness, aid in selection of mates, understand judge's decisions, etc.

In the process of learning about structure and gait, I also gained many, many little tid bits of information about a lot of different breeds and now I can watch a dog show like westminster and actually know what to look for in most of the breeds.

This book is fun to read, since you compare two sketches of dogs that look almost identical and pick which one you like more, which flaws they have, etc. Then you get to read the author's pick and explanation and see if you did a good job critiquing the dogs. I got more and more accurate as I went through the book, so I know that it definitely helped me develop an "eye for a dog".

I love this book, will definitely read it again and highly recommend it!

I asked my local kennel club to purchase it for the parish library, but when it came in I went back to them and asked that a copy be purchased for each family in the kennel club. They agreed. We even intend to keep them on hand to give new members joining the club also. The information is great for new conformation exhibitors and for those who have been showing for a while. The illustrations make it so much easier to see what the author is trying to describe, and the descriptions are in a language even the novice can understand.

I thought this book was well worth having.
Gets you into looking for small differences when looking at dogs.

As a person who knew virtually nothing about what is involved in judging purebred dogs, I learned a lot from this book. The author is very comprehensive in his explanation of what should be considered when judging purebred dogs. I enjoyed the authors invitations, throughout the book, to view pictures of dogs and "judge" them before reading his opinion. My only challenge is that this asks the reader to have a good idea of standards that are in place for several different breeds of dog (as the book does not explain them beforehand). Undaunting for some judges, perhaps, but not for someone with less experience. Nevertheless, thanks to this book, I now feel much more informed and involved when going to dog shows and watching dogs in the rings. The concepts taught in AN EYE FOR A DOG could even be used to help select a sound dog for purchase or adoption, which I think is a valuable thing.

If you want to be a serious breeder, judge or handler this book is a must have. There are secrets in the show rings and whelping boxes that only the best and most successful breeders know. It doesn't come around often when a breeder will open up their head and give you a glimpse of what makes a great show dog. This book will show you with a ton of pictures and diagrams the subtle differences between beautiful and drop dead gorgeous. New and old alike can benefit from this book. People tell you to go and sit ring side and you still don't see? Next time take this book and go sit ring side and see just what they mean. Ever had a handler tell you to hold a leash or a head a certain way and you didn't know why? Next time you will with the help of this book. Check it out for yourself.
-S

This book is not that easy to follow if you haven't already studied about structura and gait. which bone and muscle do what? why is it that this breed has a longer pastern than the other? why would a dog need to be under or overangulated? etc. Anyway, you should acompany this book with some other about structure and gait analysis so that you can really understand the difference between the dogs illustrated in this book and also study the breeds standards. Definetely not for beginners.

This book goes a long way towared explaining the secret of really "seeing" a dog. Cole uses drawings made from photographs of purebred dogs to systematically show differences between dogs, and then invites the reader to choose the "correct" drawing, based on breed standard. The book is clearly-written and readable. I think there is something in the book for anyone interested in purebred dogs--the dog lover about to buy a purebred puppy, the person wondering whether their dog is "good enough to show", and the experienced breeder exhibitor. I am a breeder/exhibitor, and I have recommended the book to my dog show buddies, including top breeders. Whatever your level of involvement, if you love purebred dogs, you should read this book.

This was purchsed as a present for my sister in law. She was very impressed with it as she is a Judge for working dogs and this will help her a lot.

An Eye for A Dog is a good book that requires the reader to work very hard in order to get the maximum benefit from it: it should really be a DVD. It explains clearly and with excellant line drawings about dog structure and movement but the reader has to carry out excercises on just about every page in order to "get" the point that the author is making. The system works but it is rather like going back to school and requires effort. Additionally some of the authors comments are rather old fashioned in today's dog world and some of the breeds chosen as type examples are not generally popular ones, so that one tends to start to lose patience with the author. As said, this is a subject that today would be more user friendly if presented in DVD format with an accompanying booklet.