Customer Reviews

The Right Companion: The DVD Guide to Dog Breeds

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

 

 

This video started out well enough, and then started taking a turn for the worse. In one interview with an "expert" dog handler showing Doberman Pinschers, she stated that the breed was started by a man named Dobe Mann. At that I went into hysterical laughter and almost fell out of my chair.

In actuality the Doberman Pinscher was developed and perfected by a man named Louis Doberman in the late 1800's. Wow, who would have thought of that? It was "started" by many different people. The breed is really a mix, like almost all purebred dogs. It is a cross of the German Pinscher and a lot of other type dogs. The German Pinscher looked like a smaller solid version of his grandchildren.

Many of the exercise requirements of the different breeds are simply ridiculous. How can a Golden Retriever or Labrador Retriever call for less exercise than a Mastiff? I'm afraid to tell you that if you decide to go run with your Mastiff for a couple miles on a sunny Saturday afternoon, you will need to also have the energy to run to get two people to help you carry your 190 lb. Mastiff to a vet for emergency medical care.

Basically this DVD is good if you want get a dog and you would to see pictures of different breeds. But it only has about 50% of very accurate information. If you are not a dog "expert" already (and know better), it can give you an erroneous view of many breeds.

I agree with the first reviewer - there are a startling number of inaccuracies in this video. The Dobe-mann thing got me too - it is obvious to me that the producers of this video did not seek out the best representatives of the breeds. The woman speaking of behalf of the Doberman breed is frankly embarrassing - her grammar!
I too was astonished at the incorrect information given for exercise requirements. A mastiff needs the highest level of exercise - higher than a Labrador Retriever?? Ridiculous. A pug needs no exercise at all?? I think that is an irresponsible thing to say - all dogs, no matter what breed, need walks and excercise.
Some other notable moments from this video include the Miniature Schnauzer 'expert' stating the breed orginated in England, the Rottweiler 'expert' saying the breed was from the German town of 'Rot-wale', and watching a growing wad of spittle emerge from the mouth of the German Shorthair Pointer 'expert' as she spoke.
There are numerous other inaccuracies/strange moments I won't bother to mention. The best way to watch this video would be to do so with it muted - that way you are seeing the best part of it - the dogs themselves - while weeding out all the misinformation by the breed 'experts'.

I agree and shared the laughter with the other reviewers. My favorite error was on Great Dane where she said there are six colors recognized by the American Kennel Club (AKC) and proceeds to list only five. Stop, reverse, play again. Yep five. Interesting.

However, my problem is that I want a pet, not a show dog, and from looking at the cover and the title I was led to believer that's what I'd learn about on this DVD. Those cute pet type dogs in the picture aren't what's on this DVD. If you're looking for a show dog this might be an okay (and funny) DVD to watch. I'd never heard of or seen a lot of the dogs on this DVD, which made it somewhat interesting and worth the one star. Seems like it was shot in Canada and not the U.S.

You'll do a LOT better off surfing the net for breed information than watching this DVD.

Just like the title said, it helped our family find the right dog for us!