The Perfect Puppy: How to Choose Your Dog by Its Behavior [Paperback]

Benjamin L. Hart (Author), Lynette A. Hart (Author, Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1987 | ISBN-10: 0716718294 | ISBN-13: 978-0716718291

Describes the characteristics of the fifty-six most popular breeds, explains care requirements, and discusses practical aspects of dog ownership.

Product Details

• Paperback: 182 pages
• Publisher: W.H. Freeman & Company (January 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0716718294
• ISBN-13: 978-0716718291
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,397,120 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Eeeek!, December 15, 2001

By 

Chocolate Dog (Berkeley, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Perfect Puppy: How to Choose Your Dog by Its Behavior (Paperback)

There were times when I wanted to throw this book on the floor and shout "No! No! No!" First, I think Hart & Hart were far too discouraging regarding adoptions of adult dogs, although since the book is aimed at puppy buyers, I can look past this. If only that were the book's only foible...

The authors suggest that bringing a female dog into a home where there is already a female dog is just as trouble-free as bringing a male dog into the same situation, which I just haven't found to be true. (In my experience, one dog of each sex is preferable in a multiple dog household.)

Many of the breed rankings seem really off. Australian Shepherds and Chesapeake Bay Retrievers, for instance, significantly differ from the profiles Hart & Hart present. Chessies are far more dominant and territorial. Further, this book encourages people to conflate Chessies with Labs, which is not helpful, since there are pronounced differences in the temperaments of the two breeds.

This book is worse than worthless, it is misleading and can give people a false sense of security.

If you are looking for a puppy or dog, a much better bet is Brian Kilcommons' "Paws to Consider," or for a lighter, mongrel-centric touch, Kilcommons' "Mutts: America's Dogs," which contains short profiles of the more common mixes. I found both of Kilcommons' books to be right on target.

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Only POPULAR breeds, January 5, 2000

By 

Starr "carnevalestarr" (St Gallen, Switzerland) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Perfect Puppy: How to Choose Your Dog by Its Behavior (Paperback)

Although this book is great for the dog breeds it covers (only 56 of them) if you are interested in one of the less popular breeds (like the Papillon, Norwich/Norfolk terriers or Australian terrier) I would recommend Michele Lowell's Your Purebred Puppy. If you want a Poodle, Golden Retriever, or other popular breed, this is a very good guide to their behavioral traits.

22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars If you're looking for accurate breed profiles, keep looking, November 20, 2001

By 

"alyx2" (White Mountains, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Perfect Puppy: How to Choose Your Dog by Its Behavior (Paperback)

I don't know where the author got his information, but I surely don't think he's ever met an Australian Shepherd. If the other breed profiles are as mis-guided as this breed profile, Purebreed Rescue Groups are likely to see an influx of dogs purchased by those who thought they'd done their research. For the record: Aussie's *don't* read your mind without training, and a family with children had better have the time and commitment to devote to training this breed. In my experience, Aussie's are a highly excitable, high-drive breed with a profound instinct to herd. This herding drive requires focused training so that the dog will learn what is appropriate and what is not. Woe betide the intruder that thinks my male is a "benign" watchdog, or the poor soul who thinks my female, who is quite literally *never at rest*, is "relaxed". And if you think an Aussie won't challenge your dominance, think again: not only will some of them challenge your dominance, they'll challenge your intellect, patience and SAT scores (and probably top them too)! And a low rating on excessive barking? PUHLEEZE!

Don't get me wrong... Aussie's are the perfect breed for the *right* home, provided that home has made an informed choice and is fully committed to appropriately training and exercising their Aussie. If that home has used this breed profile they'll be expecting an "out of the box" mind-reading-mild-mannered-
playful-perfect companion, and they'll be unpleasantly surprised by the amount of training it will take to get that perfect companion, and quite unprepared for the level of exercise this breed requires.

While the intent of this book is admirable, it's execution falls far short of the mark. Readers would be better informed simply by consulting a responsible breeder for research, a local kennel club for references, or by contacting the purebreed rescue club... these rescue groups are more than happy to educate people about the characteristics of their breeds, and have a vested interest in preventing "uninformed" choices.

By all means, read this book for some light reading, but if you're looking for accurate and substantive information on which to base your selection of a new four-footed family member... keep looking.