Right Dog For You (Paperback)

by Daniel F. Tortora (Author) "What do we mean by "temperament"?..." (more)
Key Phrases: behavioral constancy, watchdog ability, irritable snapping, High Med, Low Very, Bull Terrier (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

How to Find the Perfect Match for You...

Here is a systematic and enjoyable way to choose a dog. This highly informative and useful book will take the guesswork out of choosing a dog while leaving in the fun. It will tell you about more than 110 breeds and help you to select a dog compatible with your personality, family, and lifestyle. Choosing a dog can become easy and enjoyable as you learn everything there is to know about the breeds, including:

* physical characteristics -- height, weight, strength, coat color and texture, tendency to shed, and food requirements

* temperamental characteristics -- indoor/outdoor activity level, emotional stability, sociability, training potential, and watchdog/guard-dog ability

* popularity, background, and unique qualities of each breed

This fully illustrated guide includes easy-to-read tables and pages of practical advice, plus a miniquestionnaire to help you narrow down your selection to the perfect match for you, your family, and your lifestyle.

About the Author
Daniel F. Tortora, Ph.D., is an animal psychologist and nationally known expert in canine behavior.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 381 pages
• Publisher: Fireside (March 31, 1983)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 067147247X
• ISBN-13: 978-0671472474
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (52 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #65,487 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The best match-up service for dogs and prospective owners!, February 22, 1999

By A Customer

This book desperately needs to be updated, as there are several breeds who need to be included, but aside from that, this is the most extensive and helpful book anyone could have in choosing the right dog for your personality and lifestyle. Unlike most personality matchup tests which ask very vague and general questions for which "yes" or "no" answers are not enough, Tortora's book leads you step by step through a very detailed personality questionnaire, narrowing the list of dogs as you go, to find the ideal match for your personality, lifestyle and activity level. Tortora also includes the negative information along with the positive. Too often, the information from breeders who love the breed is all positive and they typically omit the breed's mischief, destruction or temperamental propensities. Tortora's book was the most helpful in steering me away from breeds I'd always liked, but who wouldn't fit my personality. So many dogs end up in shelters because people don't do enough research on a breed prior to buying and they end up with a dog who clashes with their personality and/or lifestyle or whom they cannot control. If you're a non-assertive female who has always loved the Kuvasz, for example, Tortora's book might make you think twice about whether you can handle such a strong, dominant dog who is prone to take control over someone he considers submissive to him before you find yourself in the heartbreaking situation of giving him to a shelter. In my opinion, Tortora's book is the best on the market and it only falls short of 5 stars because it needs to be updated. I recommend using it in conjunction with Chris Walkowicz' "The Perfect Match: a Dog Buyer's Guide" to cover the breeds not included in Tortora's book. Hopefully, if more people research the breeds to find one that will be a more perfect soulmate than just going on curb appeal or popularity, then there will be fewer animals in shelters and pounds.

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Still one of the best of its type, May 27, 1998

By	cindy stavenhagen (Texas) - See all my reviews

Tortora's book IS dated, but it is one of the most valuable sources of the breed-choosing books. He's not afraid to mention negative traits, which isn't always the case. (Look for out-of-print "D is for Dog" for some really candid descriptions). The long parts in the back about matching your own personality, family type and lifestyle is not just useful, it's fascinating.

Anyone who is serious about choosing a dog with as much forethought as they SHOULD, to make that match-from-heaven for 10-15 years, ought to read all the breed-choice books available. Some are contradictory regarding certain breeds. If one of those breeds appeals to you, try to find out why the contradictions. When you finally make a "short list", get to know some real dogs. And don't just think of behavioral traits, size and coat type. Look on the net at the OFA and other hereditary disease sites--the OFA lists breed incidence of hip dysplasia (range between breeds is from about 70% to 2%!). Cavalier King Charles Spaniels seemed to be temperamentally the ideal small dog, but more than half of them have congenital heart defects (and pups cost about $1200!).

If you want my soapbox opinion, here goes. Don't buy a breed that is so deformed it can't live a normal life. Dogs that can't breathe properly, have serious eye difficulties due to some exaggerated appearance thing (round pop-eyes or extremely droopy eyes, for example--or the "collie eye" problems of several herding breeds), or routinely have to be propagated by AI and Ceasarian sections have been taken too far by "fanciers". As a pet owner, you can encourage better dog breeding.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Most informative I've found, July 31, 2002

By	Keerawa (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

I am now buying my third copy of this book. I loan it out to any aquaintance thinking of getting a breed of dog they are not truly familiar with. If propsective owners went through this book, there would be much fewer animals ending up in rescue! Here are "The Right Dog for You"'s major advantages:

1) The book is honest about breeds, warts and all. Tortora is a man who has seen how different breeds go wrong, and it shows in his writing. Some reviewers don't like this somewhat negative slant, but I think it is absolutely vital when picking the right dog. Books that gush about how each breed is "wonderful in it's own way" aren't giving you the info you need to make an informed choice about what dog to spend the next decade of your life with.

2) The information is broken out in a consistent, analytical way that makes comparisons easy. I love those detailed temperment charts! Also, having indoor / outdoor activity levels listed is vital for making a good match between your lifestyle and a breed's habits.

3) Near the end of a book is a series of "quizzes" about your lifestyle and ideal dog, which result in a list of compatible breeds. If you've taken a Cosmo quiz, you can do this! It's strightforward, and gives you a specific set of breeds to look up in other sections of the book, or in other resources. I like the fact that this makes it harder to cheat, like you might in leading other books. "Gosh, that's a gorgeous dog! Hmmm ... vigorous exercise and assertive personality? .... Well, I guess that could be me!"

The book's major disadvantages:

1) Not intuitively laid out. The front and back halves of the book would be more useful if they were integrated together. Those quizzes belong at the beginning of the book, along with clear instructions.

2) Not very attractive. I'd hate to see someone pick up a book with poor information but prettier pictures, but it's likely to happen.

Once you pick a breed, by all means look to a breed book for more information and specific tips. But to know just what you are getting yourself into, read this book FIRST.