Original Dog Bible: The Definitive Source for All Things Dog

by Kristin Mehus-Roe (Editor)

The revised and expanded second edition of the best-selling The Original Dog Bible remains the most comprehensive dog lover’s resource on the 830 pages and over 500 color photographs cover every topic under the canine sun! The book is divided into eight parts, each fully illustrated and designed for easy reference, plus helpful, entertaining sidebars covering hundreds of related topics. Section “The Dog in Our World” starts with the domestication of dog and the development of breeds, explores the dog’s place in world religion, folklore, and popular culture, and analyzes how the dog fits into our society in terms of rescue, animal welfare, legal matters, and ethical and social issues. Section “A New Dog” is a new owner’s primer to deciding upon the right dog, whether purebred or mixed breed, the requirements of keeping and caring for a dog, and various considerations before choosing a dog (children, size, energy, etc.). Individual chapters on finding a dog (from breeders, shelters, and rescue programs), preparing for the homecoming (puppy-proofing, supplies, safety), and bringing the dog home. Section “Life with a Dog” discusses pet-care partners (from doggy day care to boarding kennels to pet sitters), emergencies, lost-dog protocol, traveling with a dog, senior years, and activities with a dog. The expansive activities chapter covers agility, flyball, sledding, weigh pulling, canine freestyle, lure coursing, herding, field trials, dock diving, Schutzhund, tracking, showing, therapy, obedience trials, and more. Section “Breeds” is the largest section in the book, providing an alphabetical catalog of over 250 purebred dogs, from Affenpinscher to Yorkshire Terrier, including all of the most popular breeds in the world as well as many little known breed. Each breed is represented by a full-color photograph and an article detailing alternative names, country of origin, kennel club group, history of breed’s development, physical description, height/weight, temperament, activity level, health concerns—all information necessary for owners to determine which breed would make the best companion for their life style and family. Section “Health” extends over 100 pages and covers establishing a veterinary regimen for a dog; infectious diseases and vaccinations; canine anatomy and bodily systems; reproduction and breeding; chronic disease and conditions; and diagnostic tests and techniques. Section “Daily Care” provides owners with fundamental information about grooming dogs, including breed-specific needs, history of grooming, and home grooming requirements. A chapter titled “The Complete Guide to Feeding Your Dog” addresses essential canine nutrition, including selection of the right food, safety, special needs, supplemental, obesity, and owner precautions. Section “Training and Behavior” could be a complete book unto itself, discussing canine communication, the importance of socialization, puppy training, house-training, specific kinds of training methods, equipment, adult-dog methods, and trick training. A chapter on solving behavioral problems covers difficulties owners might encounter with their pets, from barking and separation anxiety to aggression, eating, housetraining, and health-related problems. Section “Dogs and Work” includes a chapter about dogs who work and a chapter about people who work with dogs. The text discusses the many jobs dogs do in our society, from ancient roles like herding, guarding, and military work to more contemporary jobs like search and rescue, film acting, and detection work. The careers chapter catalogs jobs caring for dogs (veterinary-related, groomers, day-care), protection and advocacy jobs (humane societies, animal control), and training and handling jobs (obedience, behaviorist, working dog handlers). The book concludes with an extensive glossary, a 50-page resource section of books, websites, and magazines, and a complete index.

Genres: Animals, Reference, Nonfiction

832 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 9, 2009

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gives a lot of misinformation about what dogs can eat. For example, it approves fresh meat to dogs in its recipes. Furthermore, it lacks information about the natural characteristics of dogs. Some dogs do better in colder climates and some dogs do better in hotter environments. It spends too much time focusing on which dogs are most popular in different countries. Nonetheless, there is a good section on careers for dog-lovers and can give some OK information for introductory dog owners.

[Bleine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Useful, but it should talk more about the individual breeds rather than information that is generalized or may not necessarily be true. If someone's interested in a particular facet of raising a dog they can easily find a book on that subject; it's much harder to find a reliable source that helps you compare multiple breeds.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is so much better than the 1st edition -- the breeds are listed in straight alphabetical order and the book also talks about some of the cross-breeds including breeds like the labradoodle, puggle, etc.

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent source of all things dog! This book was very informatie and easy to follow, I loved the section on careers.

[Rey Stephens · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this book as a general reference. It covers dog breeds, training, health, and careers with dogs.

[Ryn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not enjoy this because I was looking for something with new information where as this seemed more like a broad overview for people who know nothing about dogs. Skimmed and quit.