I wish I could put another star on this book. It tells you everything you need to get the right dog for you, your family, and your living conditions. This book also tells you exactly what to look for in a dog and why you're looking for it. Choosing the Perfect Dog for You and Your Family also tells you more than enough information about every dog that is good with children. It gives you many helpful tips on training, housebreaking, and even naming your dog. Last and best of all, this book tells you about how dogs think, and by learning how dogs think, you will not raise a wild and out of control dog.

I have relied on this book since the first printing in 1989. The book is comprehensive and very user friendly. It enables the pet owner to converse intelligently with his or her own veterinarian. I highly, highly recommend this book. Catherine Weigel (Xcriber@aol.com)

Matthew Margolis tells of his humble beginings and love for dogs in New York City in the 1960's that leads to a fantastic and wonderful journey about his love for dogs to writing books about dog training. His journey includes appearing on numerous TV and radio stations including "The Johnny Carson Show" and his reputation for training dogs through "love, praise, and affection." His book moves, with him, to the west coast where he becomes "Dog trainer to the stars," people such as Woopie Goldberg, Cher, Jimmy Stewrart etc. It's difficult to put this one down. I would recomend this book to anyone who has just bought a dog or is seriously interested in training and loving one. It will leave you smiling!

Thin book with Good pictures, very nice words about GS dog very little obidience and not much about dog phsycology. No good examples. Very compact book. If you want more comprehensive info on GS dog look somewhere else. this book is just a touch up on most common topics.

There are better and more comprehensive books out there about general dog care: feeding, vet care, reproduction, etc. than this book. However, this book tells you what the traits of a German Shepherd really are. Matthew Margolis seems to really understand the German Shepherd mind. These are not dogs for everybody; they are incredibly intelligent, sensitive and intuitive animals that require a full-time life commitment from their "owners." I have had German Shepherds all my adult life and they are NOT like other dogs. This book will explain all that to you and really let you know what you can expect if you let one of these magnificent creatures into your life. For Shepherd owners, I would suggest owning this book for the psychology of the breed but for in-depth vet care/health/feeding/first aid info, I'd suggest "Dog Owners Home Veterinary Handbook" by Delbert G. Carlson D.V.M. & James M. Giffin, M.D. These two books will cover all the bases.

This book contains just what the person contemplating getting a German Shepherd Dog needs. I've owned German Shepherds all my life and know a great deal about the breed. This book gives everything you need to be a successful and proud GSD owner. Easy to read and understand. Great book for experienced GSD owners too. Pete Brevik

As a fan of 'Uncle Matty's" delightful television program, I was disappointed by this book. While the information about dog personalities and training techniques was good, the little anecdotes used to frame the information, which are touted as what makes it special, were very silly and unnatural. Uncle Matty and his collaborators need to get a better dialog writer.

A great book that gets you on your way to training a great to-be dog, with tips on almost all needed aspects of dog-training.

This is an excellent book for the average person to understand about teaching their pet household manners so the dog is much more enjoyable for the family. Matthew Margolis has such understanding of the differences between dog personalities and how they need to be handled in teaching technique. He uses praise rather than submission - therefore the dog responds because he 'wants to please his master'. He makes the statement that it is the owners that are usually at fault for bad behavior in our animals as they don't understand how to take charge. There is no such thing as an untrainable dog!

This book is great if you have a dog that is having problems with obedience. It keys on different dog personalities and ways for the dog to become obedient. However, this book falls short on several items. For example, it fails to give the importance of hand signal commands and verbal commands at the same time. (It does list it on some commands but not all). My two golden retrievers listen more to our hand commands than they do our words and tone. Secondly, it misses some other minor, but important commands. My favorite is the "Leave It" command, that is not listed in this book. We use this one on walks, when our dogs want to pick up every leaf and piece of paper left on the ground. This has to be one of the most effective commands that I have needed.

I would highly recommend getting a couple of dog training books rather than one. I haven't found one that gives me all the information that I need. If you are looking for a great second book, I would recommend "Good Owners, Great Dogs". Happy training.

Good Dog Bad Dog is a very detailed in the course of training your new member of the family. Matthew Margolis and Mordecai Siegal are good writers and they have a lot of experience in this category. I may only be 12 and not even have a new puppy but I still loved reading this one of a kind, five star book!

Thank goodness I got this book when I did! We bought it because we just got a new addition to our family that will live inside with my wife and myself - a blue standard poodle named Pepper. Surely, without having read this and modifying our behavior, this puppy would have thought his name was "no" instead of Pepper. My wife would also have remained subordinate to Pepper in our "pack." It is packed with such good information for dog owners who want a well-behaved dog. It would pay anyone even planning to get a new puppy to read this book "prior to" the aquisition as it contains valuable behavioral information on 100 different breeds the authors have had first hand experience with in training. Even if you plan to teach your dog (old or new) just a few of the basic commands, there are right and wrong ways to do even that. A must read for folks who care about dogs!

About a hundred years ago, before Margolis was "trainer to the stars" out in CA, I saw him on the Phil Donahue show on tv, as I raced around my NYC apartment hopelessly attempting to keep up with my destructive, hyperactive, insane puppy that we had adopted from the A.S.P.C.A.

In desperation, I called him and he came over and did the exact evaluation that he uses in this book to decide which personality type of dog I had. ( arrrghhhhh! ...I had grown up with wonderful, sweet tempered, placid dogs but this puppy was an "experience" I hope I never repeat--she was the most neurotic creature since Woody Allen! ).

For a small (ha, ha, ha) fee, a trainer was sent over to teach me to control my dog. Thank heavens. Obedience training is a must for any dog, as is stressed in this book. The family/puppy bond does come first, however, as is also stressed in this book.

I am about to get a new dog for the first time in years...for my family to love and enjoy. I was happy to be able to purchase this book and know that I will be able to understand the philosophy behind having a puppy join the family, and how to properly train our new member. --Because, even though it's been years, when Margolis trains you to properly train your dog, you don't forget.

woof,

Jean

This book should be included free with each new puppy. Both experienced dog owners and those picking out their first puppy will benefit. "Uncle Matty" talks about the pup's personality and how to relate to your new dog--a chapter I found fascinating. He also goes over the how-tos of housebreaking. I wish he would go into more depth about puppy problems. Our new pup had a terrible problem with biting (people, not chewing which is quite natural for pups!.) The book gave some insights but I wish it had more examples of what to do to change the behavior. We ultimately decided the pup was not for us and found a better home. "Uncle Matty" talks in depth about finding the right personality match and I highly recommend this book to everyone!

Really loved this book. Covered just about everything you need to know.

Just like a parent should have a comprehensive pediatric medical guide for their children, dog owners should have a comprehensive medical guide for their dogs. And, technically, this one certainly fits the bill.

This book is thick for a reason. It covers nearly every medical condition, disease and ailment that you can think of. It also provides solid information on normal dog growth and development, feeding, and home health remedies.

HOWEVER, if you are looking for a user-friendly, easy-to-read, "For Dummies"-type canine medical reference, THIS IS NOT IT. I strongly disagree with some other reviewers who say otherwise. "The Book of Dogs" rivals your average human medical reference guide -- full of medical jargon and technical terms. I cannot find my way through this book without constant use of the glossary and index in the back. And I find myself sifting through page after page trying to locate the exact information I'm looking for. Not user-friendly at all -- especially in an emergency.

(By the way, I AM an educated -- albeit non-medical -- professional, and I STILL have problems understanding this book!)

Unless your dog has some kind of serious medical condition(s) -- my dog, for instance, has Sebaceous Adenitis, a rare auto-immune disease -- for which you need more detailed information, you don't really need this book. You (and your dog) are better off with a book like "What Your Dog Is Trying To Tell You: A Head-to-Tail Guide to Dogs' Symptoms And Their Solutions" by Stephanie Pedersen and John Simon.

No, this does not have all of the info of the Merck Veterinary Manual, but most dog lovers and owners can be easily frustrated by the medical terminlogy etc. THIS however, is simplified and essential info for the average person to really learn so much about their dogs health. My Merck, this book and "Symptoms and Solutions" are my dog bible trio!! I can not tell you how many people I've been able to help w/ dog health problems, solutions and understanding the disease or condition.Worth your money!!

Great reference book, without getting too technical. I consider it my "canine bible" and "dictionary" rolled into one. Arlene Millman, author of BOOMERANG - A MIRACLE TRILOGY (The tale of a remarkable Boston Terrier).

Very detailed information. But a bit difficult to use for the average cat lovers. Symptom flow charts would be a great addition to the book

Written by faculty and staff of the Cornell Feline Health Center, Cornell University, THE CORNELL BOOK OF CATS is an inexhaustible font of current medical information that is clear yet does not sacrifice clinical accuracy or detail. It outlines the feline anatomy. It discusses behavior and misbehavior and how to understand, identify and correct a cat's behavior problems. The book gives readers guidelines on how to select a cat or kitten, whether a typical house cat or a valuable pedigree. It also provides descriptions of various national associations. Further, it explains feline nutrition and how to properly feed a kitten, and adult cat, an obese cat, a sick cat and an older cat.

The Cornell Book of Cats is the definitive feline health text for cat owners, cat breeders and wise vets. Its depth and range of practical advice and its clear, non-jargon-laden symptom description and treatment options are, in my opinion, without peer. It covers every aspect of feline life and demystifies the latest research and advances. Its descriptions and temperment assessments of the various breeds is accurate. One especially good feature uses simple YES/NO question 'trees' to identify symptoms and their possible causes and treatment choices. It also includes at-home remedies and, most importantly, when NOT to use these remedies. These two features alone, I've found, have 'armed' me with specifics to which a vet can more quickly respond. And, four times now, this book has pinpointed a problem that escaped a vet's initial diagnosis. You may find, as I did, that you will need no other cat health and care books.

Half of this book was introduction. Although the introduction was very informational, There was too much. And it's true, they did leave out the Munchkin,Bengal,and there were a few more. I just can't remember them at this moment. This was a very good book though. I just don't recommend it to anyone who is tring to decide what breed they want.

I think this book was okay but it has more introduction than breeds. It also left out a few breeds like the Munchkin,Bengal and more. If you don't mind having a few breeds missing than this is an okay book.

Like the best-selling Simon & Schuster's Guide to Dogs, this new Guide to Cats is the best available, whether you need it primarily for identification, to help you choose a breed suitable for you, or for pure
reading pleasure. Concise, informative, and illustrated completely in full color, this book describes the fascinating history of cats and features 40 longhair and shorthair breeds, detailing for each its origin, coat,
color, body, head, eyes, tail, character, ideal owner, environment, feeding, care, mating, faults, and varieties, in accordance with North American standards. In addition, colorful symbols assist the reader in
understanding and appreciating each breed at a glance.

Over 200 full-color illustrations covering shorthair and longhair breeds, with a description of origin, physical and personality characteristics, ideal owner, diet, care, and much more, including helpful symbols for such traits as Good Mouser , Good with Children , and other traits.