The Complete Dog Book: 20th Edition (Hardcover)

~ American Kennel Club (Author) "THE BREEDS CURRENTLY RECOGNIZED FOR REGISTRATION BY THE American Kennel Club are presented in this section in the order in which they appear in dog..." (more)
Key Phrases: having won certain minimum scores, toes curved close, regular show classification, United States, General Appearance-The, American Kennel Club (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

There's the Scottish Terrier ("an earth dog used in hunting the fox and the brocke"), the Boston Terrier ("a lively, highly intelligent, smooth coated, short-headed, compactly built, short- tailed, well balanced dog"), or the Great Dane ("one of the most elegant and distinguished varieties of giant-type dog"). In fact, there are 146 AKC-recognized breeds profiled within the pages of the Complete Dog Book, and the pictures and text provide great bowser browsing. The breed descriptions help you choose among the hounds, terriers, toys, and working breeds, the herders, guard dogs, and sporting breeds. Measurements help determine which dogs will best fit your abode (Chesapeake Bay Retrievers measure 21 to 26 inches high at the shoulder, Chinese Cresteds are a mere 11 to 13 inches off the ground, while the Irish Wolfhound stands 30 to 32 inches tall), breed temperaments help you choose your ideal pet, and show criteria help you know what you're looking for when you actually start to shop for a pup. In the meantime, there are interesting stories about breed origins, and a useful glossary of dog terms, while the chapters on grooming, training, and Canine Health and First Aid will come in handy once you've brought your new dog home. --Stephanie Gold --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

“If the dog owner can buy only one book, this has to be the one!”
–The New York Times


From the Hardcover edition. --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 880 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books; 20 edition (January 31, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345476263
• ISBN-13: 978-0345476265
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.7 x 2.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #19,933 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent resource for "dog-people" though it is limited., March 15, 1998

By	[e-mail] (Nebraska) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Complete Dog Book: The Photograph, History and Official Standard of Every Breed Admitted to Akc Registration, and the Selection, Training, Breed (Hardcover)

The American Kennel Club recognizes 150-some breeds of dogs. Each of those breeds of dog has a "parent club", that is, a group of breeders who have determined what the ideal dog of that breed should look and perform like. These determinations are called "standards." The 150-some breeds that the AKC recognizes have their standards listed in full in this book. There is also a short section on canine health, behavior and training. This is a good basic introduction but it is limited. There are over 400 dog-breeds recognized by the international dog community so the AKC barely includes one-third of them here. There are copious books written on the subject of canine health and behavior so the few pages included here barely touch on the subject. There are almost as many dog-training methods as there are trainers so the few pages devoted to dog-training here merely scratch the surface. The pictures (both black and white and color) are nice. It's a good resource for people who really want to know more about dogs but not for the person who is first considering a dog.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A more perfect reference book on dogs could not be written., January 3, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Complete Dog Book, 19th Edition (Hardcover)

Definitely the complete dog book. Only the AKC could compile such a magnificent encyclopedia of dogs, their temperments, genetic problems, not to mention some basic training and health tips. As a dog owner and writer I find myself constantly looking into this book for needed facts and reading far beyond what I originally intended. What more can one say?

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well I give it 5 stars., July 17, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Complete Dog Book, 19th Edition (Hardcover)

In my opinion this is a nice book. I am very active in show dogs and the AKC, so this book suits me fine. However, some people may not be completely happy with it. For instance, if you want to know what breed of dog you should get, this is not the book to help you. Although it glosses over the history and care of each breed, you will need a lot more information if you want to decide which breed to get. Also, if you are not into purebred dogs or their standards, you probably wouldn't be interested in the book, maybe only the last section with dog care in it. Which brings me to this point: if you are looking for a book which teaches you how to care for your dog, this book only contains only the absolute basics, and you will need a much more detailed book to teach you thorough care. Another thing is, there are more than 400 breeds of dogs, and since the AKC recognizes around 150 of them, this book only gives you a small taste of all the breeds that are out there.

With that said, I truly enjoyed this book, and if you are none of the above, then I recommend this book to you!