Dog Breeds of the World

Although Dog Breeds of the World is not as widely publicized (or as expensive!) as some other breed books, it is one of the best that I have seen. It has accurate information about history, health and temperament, as well as several good pictures of each breed. Best of all, it has a display box for each breed that summarizes exercise, temperament, grooming and feeding needs, with descriptions like "delightfully docile" temperament (for the Newfoundland). The book comes in several sizes, each with the same pictures and text. Dog Breeds of the World is the smallest version, fine unless you need larger print. The Complete Encyclopedia of Pedigree Dogs is a coffee-table-size version. The Complete Dog Book includes not only the breed information and pictures found in the other two, but also some very helpful general information about nutrition, health care, training, grooming, choosing a dog, and breeding. (I would have liked a somewhat stronger statement recommending against breeding, but I admit that sometimes a low-key approach works best.) Although the book is British, and therefore uses British measurements, Stockman is good to us non-Brits and translates dog heights and weights into U.S. terminology as well. He doesn't try to include every breed around, but I found all the common U.S. breeds, as well as many that are not so familiar. All in all, this is likely to remain one of my favorite dog breed books.