dog books dog enyclopedias and dog breed books which do you read and own?

hmm i never counted mine...... i have several i know... my DH has made comments though about it when i want to get another dog book lol he kinda made me think... "its all the same info.. so essentially i am paying $50 for a book with cool pictures"..... so yeah.... lol however he did go out and buy two dog books for me - i didnt ask... one is Training Puppies For Dummies (or something like that) and Raising Kids with Puppies.

however... i DID grow up with puppies and have trained puppies - when i was a kid too! - but i guess its the thought that counts lol he rarely buys books for me.

my most valuable dog books would have to be The International Encyclopedia of Dogs "edited by Anne Rogers Clark and Andrew H Brace. DOG the Complete Guide by Sarah Whitehead and Working American Bulldogs by Dave Putnam.

mostly i'm after the history of the dogs.... and the perdy pichtures  

My dog books are about training and behavior.  I'm cynical of books on breed because I prefer to get info on a breed from experts of that breed, rather than an "outsider" who has loosely compiled some information about each breed.  Some of the things I've read about German Shepherds in these types of books and articles has been downright laughable.  If I am really interested in the breed, I will try to meet some people who have owned and trained that breed, who are very familiar with the standard and the temperament.

One of the best breed books I have read is one from the 80s called "Simon & Schuster's Guide To Dogs". It has more tehn 320 breeds and gives a picture and description with each one along with history. Its pretty cool and I use it the most when I look up a breed of dog.

lol Kyda my cousin accused me of making up names when it came to dog breeds. she'd never been to a dog show before and i was saying names lik Borzoi, Thai Ridgeback, Saluki, Malinois.... she just stared at me then said "Are you kidding?? those are real words?? Prove  it!" 

 Well I've only seen a few encyclopedias on dogs and haven't cared too much for them because most of them just give a little information which is sometimes not even accurate.

There are several books I would like to get but haven't had the extra $, I've been able to check a couple of those out though. I almost bought Dogs of Velvet and Steel when I did have the $ and I found it "cheap" but still couldn't justify paying that much for a book.

 Ones I've got off the top of my head some simple little book about APBTs, you know one of those owners guides. It was ok, don't remember the exact name.
A New Owner's Guide to American Pit Bull Terriers (Todd Fenstermacher)
All 4 of Strattons APBT books, don't have any of his others.
The Sporting Bull Terrier
The Complete Gamedog
Pit Bulls and Tenacious Guard Dogs
Animal Behavior book
Why Do Dogs Have Wet Noses
Dog Tails
Bull Terriers (Martin Weil)
Lots of APBT magazines from real old to recent as well as Dog World, Bully Breed and Dog Fancy magazines.

I've got lots of other animal books too, many that are on reptiles, some on cats, arachnids, fish and the like.  

DumDog

lol Kyda my cousin accused me of making up names when it came to dog breeds. she'd never been to a dog show before and i was saying names lik Borzoi, Thai Ridgeback, Saluki, Malinois.... she just stared at me then said "Are you kidding?? those are real words?? Prove  it!" 

 Wow I'd be like are you kidding me! I never realize how much of a dog nerd I am until I start talking with non dog nerds. Then they are like what, huh.
 

I only own a couple dog books (on different breeds) and those have other information within them as well.  Other than that I prefer books on training/behavior on varying methodologies and philosophies.  I can't fathom owning too many books on breeds since essentially the same info is in all of them - and I'd rather go to other sources to learn about breeds.   

The only book I recommend to people for giving a fair comparison of different breeds is The Right Dog For You, by Daniel Tortuga. It's an older book, so some breeds that have really gained in popularity in the last 10-15 years are not included.

I think he is very fair. I also like that he breaks personality down into small but definitive pieces. For example, one trait is sociability with strangers. Sociability with family is a separate trait.

And I also like how he does not put value judgements on anything. Each trait is just ranked on a continuum from low to high. Because really, each trait is a good thing for some people, and a bad thing for someone else.

Kyda-  I have read is one from the 80s called "Simon & Schuster's Guide To Dogs". It has more tehn 320 breeds and gives a picture and description with each one along with history. Its pretty cool and I use it the most when I look up a breed of dog.

I have this one too! I use it for reference occasionally, but I have found that there is a few errors in the book...  

I love seeing how breeds have changed over the course of sometimes only a few decades, the Poodle and A.Cocker Spaniel are two that mainly come to mind, as well as the Bulldog and some of the Terriers. I understand that most (if not all) of the information can be repetitive at times, and true, it can be completely inaccurate; but I still use the books as like a window into the past.  How far we've progressed in the dog fancy, how breeds have evolved, how we've changed our outlook towards companion animals, I find it fascinating.  Without these relics of the past, some key insight may be lost forever.  Plus I'm a book nut, so when mixed with dogs, it's all good!

I have:

Great Danes (Barron's 1994), Great Dane (T.F.H 1995). The New Complete Great Dane (1972) [One of my fave's], Great Danes (T.F.H 1989). The New Complete Airedale Terrier (Edwards, 1978) [Another beloved fave], Saint Bernards (T.F.H), Dogs (Arthus-Bertrand 2005), Simon & Schuster Edition, Encyclopedia of the Dog (1985), AKC Complete Dog Book 18th Edition (1992), The Intelligence of Dogs (Coren 1994), Good Owners Great Dogs (Kilcommons 1992) plus all of my dog magazines that I've collected over the years (too many of those to list!!! )

I hardly ever go into Goodwill stores, but the ONE time I did, when I was with someone else, I found two older edition dog books that I was really interested in for 5 $!  Didn't have the change, so I had to pass, but it really ticked me off... I'm trying to collect antiquarian dog books of any theme, so it was a let down.

To dogparklover :  I'd love to see pic's of some of your books!  It sounds like you have quite the collection! 

P.s. I chuckle, as a Rottie fancier, I have not ONE book on the breed...  I'm working on that one though!

BannedBreed Lover

P.s. I chuckle, as a Rottie fancier, I have not ONE book on the breed...  I'm working on that one though!

now thats bad! lmao! as an avid American Bulldog Enthusiast i played hell finding a good book about them - not the series of breed books you find all lined up in alphabetical order listing each breed. with a couple chapters of facts, and the rest of the book filled with xeroxed copies of traditional dog training and health advice.

No i was beyond surprised, stoked, walking on white fluffy clouds when i found Dave Putnam's book lol we were broke and hard pressed for money, but i was willing to skip meals for two weeks just so i could bring it home with me that night!

i also have a copy of Gladiator Dogs that, at the time, i felt the same way about. now i've discovered its severely biased, misleading in some areas (the author is pro-pitbull-for-protection) and has more opinion than fact.  but there are a few copies in amazon being sold from anywhere between $200 to $600 dollars...... dont think i havent considered putting it up on Ebay! but i highly doubt anyone would pay that much for it. i paid fifty for a brand new copy and dont i feel silly!

but the pictures are so nice!

((((is highly aesthetic)))) 

hmmm,... i just realized i dont own a single book about dogs... *making mental note to me some of those....

seriously though... i get most of my info on anything on the internet. granted, you often have to weed through a lot of bulls*** but ultimately i feel that, why should i pay for info i can get for free... hehe. no, i know sometimes a book can be good, just never felt i needed it...

the only books i buy that are not novels are interior design books. that kinds stuff is hard to find over the internet for some reason...

i want to become a dog show judge i study alot on the different breeds and rare breeds, and im currently in school for veterenary assistance, so i do alot of studying. and i always tell people i know if they are looking for a dog. they can borrow one of my dog books,

the_gopher

I only own a couple dog books (on different breeds) and those have other information within them as well.  Other than that I prefer books on training/behavior on varying methodologies and philosophies.  I can't fathom owning too many books on breeds since essentially the same info is in all of them - and I'd rather go to other sources to learn about breeds.   

I think that it depends on the books you get, if you get the series types which have a book on different breeds then you will probably get a lot of the same info rehashed. Those books really don't interest me, since its just basic breed info, same stuff over and over again. The books/magazines I get have different information, pictures, pedigrees, stories, and not all the same. Some also might have a bit of info that is relative to the time period it was written in.