Book Reviews Choosing a Dog

Choosing a Dog: Your Guide to Picking the Perfect Breed: Nancy Baer and Steve Duno, (New York: Berkley Books, 1995). ISBN 0425-14958-7
The Perfect Puppy: How to Choose Your Dog by its Behavior: Benjamin L. Hart and Lynette A. Hart, (New York: W.H. Freeman, 1988). ISBN 0-7167-18294
The Right Dog for You: Daniel F. Tortora,(New York: Simon and Schuster, 1983). ISBN 0-67147247-X

As shelter staff and volunteers are acutely aware, the vast majority of adopters make their selection of a new dog first and foremost on the basis of physical appearance, whether for aesthetic reasons, status concerns or because a particular breed is the current Hollywood favorite. Yet physical appearance is arguably the least important factor in a successful placement. Temperament and behavioral characteristics are far more critical determinants of the suitability of a dog for a given household.

When dogs are relinquished to the shelter for behavioral problems, it is almost always the result of a conflict between the dog's normal, instinctive reactions on the one hand and the owner's expectations and inexperience on the other. Since most adopters enter the shelter with the assumption that a dog is a dog is a dog, adoption counselors make every effort to draw their attention to the variability among different breeds of dogs and breed mixes.

The Perfect Puppy and The Right Dog for You have been consulted by adoption counselors and prospective adopters seeking help with breed selection for many years, and now a third publication also addresses this niche. Baer and Duno, who are dog trainers at the Academy of Canine Behavior in Bothell, Wash., offer profiles of 145 breeds, based on their personal experience. For each breed in the seven American Kennel Club breed groups (plus a miscellaneous category) there is a brief discussion of its origins, physical appearance, behavioral characteristics and the "best home" for the breed, accompanied by a black-and white illustration. The authors' aim is to match the adopter's personality, lifestyle and household circumstances to specific breed characteristics and requirements.

The breed descriptions are very realistic, and the assessment of their suitability for different types of owners, such as elderly adopters, those with disabilities, and families with children, is accurate and reliable. Those of us who are fixated on a particular breed - say, for example, the Golden Retriever - will find an honest assessment of its typical characteristics. While many people enjoy the exuberant and loving nature of the Golden, others find them annoying and pushy in their constant attempts to seek attention and express affection. If you value your space and would not enjoy having a dog in your face, a more aloof breed, such as one of the sight hounds, might be a better choice for you.

In addition to the breed profiles, Baer and Duno offer sound advice for obtaining a dog. Readers are cautioned against buying from a pet store or back yard breeder, and are encouraged to seek out shelters and responsible professional breeders. There is a chapter on the advantages and disadvantages of adopting mixed-breed dogs, as well as advice on evaluating the temperament of individual dogs. Adopters also should seek the advice of adoption counselors, dog trainers or professional breeders in making their final selection.

Both The Perfect Puppy and The Right Dog for You are still in print, and conscientious adopters will want to consult these works as well. Both of these books represent a larger spectrum of opinion than the authors' experience. Hart and Hart are animal behaviorists who surveyed 96 veterinarians and obedience judges on 13 behavioral characteristics, such as excitability, destructiveness, ease of housebreaking and excessive barking, for 56 popular breeds. The scope of this book is somewhat more limited but the approach is more scientific. (Their findings were originally published in veterinary journals.)

Tortora, who is also an animal behaviorist with academic credentials, presents behavior profiles for 123 breeds, based on data supplied by veterinarians, trainers, groomers and published sources. Breeds are rated according to such characteristics as activity level, territoriality, sociability, guarding behavior, dominance to dogs, and dominance to people. Tortora places much greater emphasis on the adopter's self-assessment, matching breed characteristics to human personality traits. A series of questions helps adopters rate their own qualities (impulsiveness, responsibility, sociability, patience, energy level, dominance, assertiveness, irritability, fastidiousness, etc.) and relate this information to the characteristics of specific breeds of dogs.

The advice and information in these three books is very similar, and if you are thinking about adopting a canine companion, you will be well served by any of them. Of the three, Choosing a Dog is the most succinct and easiest to use. Covering only 56 breeds, The Perfect Puppy is the most limited in scope, although many readers will appreciate its scholarly approach. The Right Dog for You is the most demanding of the three books, but will guide you through the process of analyzing yourself and your circumstances in order to make an informed selection. Dog fanciers and fanatics will enjoy perusing all three works.

Selecting a dog is an intensely personal, emotional experience. After all, you will live with the consequences of your decision for many years to come. The more information you can bring to bear on your selection, the greater your chances of making a choice that will bring years of joy and companionship to all concerned......Mary Stuart

Mary Stuart is a former member of the CCHS Board of Directors and taught adoption counseling to shelter staff and volunteers for a number of years.

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`Book Reviews 1997 : Choosing the right dog for you`