Book Review: Designer Dogs

It’s Book Review time. Today I’m going to review The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Designer Dogs by Margaret H. Bonham.

It’s arranged from the least important to the most worthy read of this book. For this Designer Dogs book, I managed to come up with 7 most important points. Not bad huh? Some books I’ve to struggle to come up with just 3. So here you go…

What I like most about Designer Dogsk?

• #7 It tells why designer dogs are gaining more popularity. So you can source out the most common designer dogs to weave out those fly by night breeders.
• #6 What are you exactly paying for that special price tag? Some designer dogs can cost twice as much as a purebred. So knowing what you are getting for your money is worth the second thought.
• #5 What you should and should not get a designer dog? This is extremely helpful for those who are getting designer dog for the first time. With my years if not decades of experience with dogs, I still find some gold nuggets in this book on how to selecting a good designer dog.
• #4 The difference between the first generation and generational designer dogs and why it helps you to redefine your decision and selection.
• #3 What are the questions you should be asking? Most importantly what are the usual claims made by unscrupulous breeders that might fool you in getting a designer dog.
• #2 What are the common health issues you should be aware of. That way, I won’t be taken by surprise and incur unnecessary medical bills.
• #1 Where to find registered designer dog breeders? Nothing I stated above can have more importance than finding reputable breeders be it purebred or crossbreed. In a perfect world, all puppies are healthy. Unfortunately, things don’t happen this way. As much as we want to show compassion and nurse our recent purchased “sick” but adorable puppy to good health (if it ever will), most of us aren’t “veterinary” trained to do so. For the sake of the puppy and you, it’s wiser to return to the breeder. You never know, you might actually save the puppy’s life. And because they are registered breeders, they’d understand the situation and willingly to replace you with another one of your preference if they’ve have any. If not, they will put your on their waiting list. Don’t we all potential dog owners need this kind of reassurance?

Book Review Rating: 4 paws out of 5

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Designer Dogs – $5.48

Special Note: The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Designer Dogs is no longer in print (but you still can buy secondhand ones), an alternative to this book is Designer Dogs: Portraits and Profiles of Popular New Crossbreeds (ILLUSTRATED). This book doesn’t cover in-depth as Bonham did, but you won’t be short changed as it is filled with beautiful illustrations of designer dog breeds. Also, if you know what designer dogs you are looking for, you might want to try the Designer Dogs Set 7 series. These books (Age: 9 – 12) cover very basic information, so you’ve been warned.