Why We Love the Dogs We Do: How to Find the Dog That Matches Your Personality

by Stanley Coren

Book Overview

A Dog's Best Friend
In Why We Love the Dogs We Do, Stanley Coren provides a foolproof guide to understanding which dog will make the best lifetime companion. He brings together his expertise in the fields of human psychology and animal behavior to provide a completely new approach to the dog/human relationship.
Working with a team of animal experts, Coren has identified seven groups of dogs based on characteristics such as...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 068485502X
• ISBN13: 9780684855028
• Release Date: April 2000
• Publisher: Free Press
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.4" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Great Book

Bought this book several years ago and thought it was great. Considering the dogs I have had in the past, it was dead on in why I thought they were great or why I couldn't wait to get rid of them as fast as possible. Unless it's a rescue dog as I have now, which is a terrior mix, I will definitely go back to this book time and time again as a reminider for the breed that is appropriate for me.

Glad I read the book before these reviews

I have always lived with German Shepherds and a mother who is such a German Shepherd person that she never needed a book to know this. I have always loved our dogs, but I have also found that they kind of "hurt my feelings" sometimes. Now I have the perfect dog for me -- one I never would have thought of without this book -- a so-called "stubborn" terrier who always comes when I call and has never "hurt my feelings." I was kind of hesitant because my score was not way above the other categories, but I'm not a scientist so I tried it and it really worked for me. I don't remember the anecdotes about the celebrites. I was also hesitant because I wanted a lap dog and thought about a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. Well, the terrier sits on my lap, even thought that's most definitely not a "breed characteristic." All I know is the book worked for me, and the people who rated it poorly seem not to have actually bought a dog that turned out not to fit. In other words, they didn't really try it.

It works!

I admit, I went into this book thinking it couldn't possibly work - that I would know just by reading dog descriptions what dog I wanted. But I have been there - I have gotten a dog and it just didn't work - so I tried this. I read the book, I took the test. I examined the types of dogs that he recommended - I did further research and then I bought one of those types. WOW was he right on - this has been the best fit yet! I am an absolute fan of this book and recommend it to anybody who tells me they are thinking of getting a dog. Most people don't really know much about the different breeds - they know what looks good to them - and what looks good is NOT what fits into our lives. Try it - you'll be surprised by what he comes up with - and I bet it will be a match for life!!

Interesting concept

Interesting concept of matching dog and human personalities. I found the personality quiz fun. A great deal of research went into the dog personalities and groupings. I thought the groupings were sensible. This book will help prospective buyers better aquaint themselves with what to expect from a prospective breed of dog. Whether you agree with his advice is not the point, this book helps you research your breed and learn about your personality. This information should help you make better choices. Besides, the celebrity pet stories are worth the price of the book. They were funny and poignant.

Indispensable for matching people to dogs, by temperament.

I have never had a dog. Now that I'm 39, with two boys (4 & 7), I'm researching breeds. This book is proving to be indispensable in developing an understanding of myself and the type of dog people like me get along with best.I'm looking at the breeds in the "Friendly" group. We may be selecting a Labrador Retriever.This book is based on exhaustive research. It contains tables showing the results. It gets complicated, but the author keeps it understandable.Chock full of stories of famous people of all temperaments. Their favorite dogs were in temperament groups matching their owners, according to his research.I found people I identified with, and discovered what their favorite dogs were.This is the book I needed. I highly recommend it.