Your Purebreed Puppy: A Buyer's Guide

by Michele Lowell

Reviews the physical, behavioral, and temperamental qualities of 175 breeds and outlines a procedure for selecting a dog that matches the potential owner's personality and lifestyle. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0805018921
• ISBN13: 9780805018929
• Release Date: January 1991
• Publisher: Henry Holt & Company
• Length: 275 Pages
• Weight: 1.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 7.8" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Every person wanting a dog should have this book!

What makes this book so great is not just its honest and informative summaries of the different dog breeds, but its instructions on how to locate a responsible breeder and a good and healthy puppy. Though you can just flip through the hundreds of breed summaries and pick one you like best, if you do this you can not be sure it is really the right one. The front of the book goes over what factors you must consider when you are getting a dog, from your willingness to exercise your dog, to your social needs. It covers factors that you may not have even considered, such as how much grooming you can put up with, but may determine which is really your perfect pet. You can then go through the book, and check to see how much each breed fits your lifestyle. Any dog that scores a perfect ten is sure to be a winner. The back of the book contains possibly the most important information in obtaining a puppy: how to find a responsible breeder. From what to look for, to what to questions to ask, there is everything you need to know about good and bad dog breeders. Today, millions of dogs are being needlessly killed because of irresponsible breeders. Many purebred dogs are riddled with health problems such as hip dysphasia and blindness, and just as many dogs are plagued by troubles that have been specifically bred for! Pugs may have trouble breathing because of their cute little short faces. Tiny toys suffer from a list of ailments fifty times their size, as they have been bred for nothing but "cuteness" and the ability to fit inside a person's fist. If every prospective purebred puppy owner had this book: There would be no one whose faithful companion has an irreversible genetic illness. There would be no one with a bad tempered, ill adjusted, aggressive or excessively nervous dog. There would be no one with a breed of dog ill-suited to their environment. No hyper English shepherds trapped in city apartments. No delicate Italian greyhounds forced into big families with small children. And the list goes on... If you get this book and follow it, it is a guaranty! You WILL have a puppy that suits your needs, but more important then that, you will have a puppy with a stable temperament who is truly healthy. It's a sure thing.

Pretty much the best book of its kind

This book contains all the information you need on buying a puppy. Doesn't even have to be purebred for this information to be of considerable value. The description of the sequence of steps in the buying process is extraordinarily informative.The main part of the book is a presentation of all the major breeds with the kind of detailed information of most use to a prospective owner, including ratings (frow very low to very high) of traits that would make a particular breed desirable (amount of shedding, amount of exercise needed, suitability for a novice owner, etc.) allowing a very informed choice.In addition, there are chapters on how to make the purchase, how to contact a breeder, how to select the right puppy for you among those available, what to ask the breeder, etc. This way you feel prepared for the experience rather than falling in love with the first pup you see and buying it.The writing is approachable and readable, but most of all, directly tailored at someone doing this for the first time. After looking at other books on puppy/dog adoption, my wife and I put all the others aside when we came upon this one. Highly recommended.

The only one I recommend!

I'm a veterinarian and people often ask me what kind of dog they should add to their family. I tell them to get this book, decide if they truly want a dog and use the author's recommendations in selecting a breed and breeder and selecting a puppy. The breed descriptions are the most accurate and yet simple to understand that I've seen and the book covers many breeds not seen in most other books. I know from my own experience that the descriptions were right on target for my own two dogs. Other people whom I've suggested the book to have corroborated my story and had happy results as well.

Unquestionably the most objective, actual information

I have bred several breeds of dogs all my life. This book is right on target discussing the breeds. Most books only tell you the advantages of different breeds. Lowell did research with many breeders to get actual pros AND CONS of different breeds. The best part is that she tells you what genetic diseases you need to watch for in each breed. Don't select a breed without reading this. No other book has this much factual information.

This is an outstanding book for the first time dog buyer!

I have always wanted a dog and when a good friend of mine said that he would purchase one for me I was ecstatic. Not knowing what kind of dog I wanted, though, I decided to get online and get some information. Picking this book was the best decision I could have possibly made. I knew I wanted a small dog but didn't realize the different breeds and some really important characteristics that dogs have. This book was excellent in telling me the dogs' habits, what kinds of environments they need to be in, their health problems, and even what dogs not to pick out of the litter. It even gives you tips on how to recognize a dog that isn't a true breed; and with the detailed pictures that are contained within I am very confident that I will pick a perfect dog for me. This book is a must have for anyone thinking to buy a dog for the first time and wants to feel comfortable with their final decision.