I think this book if good, but if you already have something like this it might not be worth buying another one.

Personally, I enjoyed this book a lot, it is filled with many photos, easy to read information about each breed. I think it's great if you are a dog lover and want to know a bit more about each type of dog there is. However, while it could help you pick a perfect dog for you, there are a few things that this book is not talking about, like common diseases for that breed, how easy or hard is to train them, how high their levels of energy are, if they require more grooming or not and so on.

If you just want to learn a little bit about dogs in your spare time, this book is great and fun and personally, I like to have something like this in my house.

This book was fun and full of all sorts of interesting tidbits for dog lovers. The pictures were great and the accompanying text was informative and accessible. Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read and review this book!

This encyclopaedia is notable for its beautiful photographs of dogs at leisure outdoors. I really appreciated the fact that the information given for each breed focuses on the purpose of the selection, encouraging the reader to think about the motivations behind the breeds and whether certain types of dogs are suitable for them.
However, I did notice some aspects that could have been handled better.
1) The introduction is a mere formality, it is very superficial and does not introduce the birth and existence of so many breeds very well.
2) There could have been more information about coat colours and the most common genetic diseases of each breed, but this was not a big problem,
3) the breeds are not grouped according to the FCI (Fédération Cynologique Internationale) classification, e.g. there are spaniels under companion dogs and nordic dogs under hunting dogs. This choice could have been justified by the author, and on what basis, for example, he classifies some Spaniels as companion dogs and others as hunting dogs.
4) Breeds not recognised by the FCI are described, such as the Cockapoo, the Golden Doodle or the Lurcher. Only the Labradoodle is mentioned as not being recognised. Personally, I have nothing against these breeds being mentioned, because it is right to talk about them if they exist, but it seems important to me to mention the fact that they are not recognised.This is for the purpose of breed genealogy, compliance with the standard and monitoring of possible genetic diseases.
In conclusion, this encyclopaedia brings nothing new to the genre. It should be approached with this in mind.

I loved reading this to be able to explore the history of dogs and to see how they have changed through time - with beautiful photography too.

Such a wonderful book. The photos are absolutely incredible. Perfect for dog lovers and families. Lots of new and interesting facts to learn. The ‘characteristics’ table provides an accessible overview if you’re not looking to go too in depth for every dog. My 4 year old loved looking at all the photos with me.

This is a great guide to lots of dog breeds. There are lots of photos of each dog breed and thorough information. It covers a lot of breeds I’d never heard of, though it doesn’t cover all of the modern mixed designer breeds (a lot of doodle types are covered though). I appreciated that it mentioned negatives like a lifetime of health problems for bulldogs or that a breed needs a lot of exercise or is prone to digging or barking. I would have liked even more of that for people who really want to pick the best dog for their family or understand the breeds that make up their dog. It’s a great guide.

I read a temporary digital loan of this book for review.

Encyclopedia of Dogs by Tom Jackson was received directly from the publisher and I chose to review it. Dogs are certainly mans best friend, at least this one. We also dog sit other peoples dogs and we get many breeds doing so. With this book, we can ascertain what the breeds are "all about,", even our pound puppie that thanks to AI and information from this book we have figured out is a Newfoundland mix. The book gives semi detailed profiles of many dog breeds, though not all (which is not a complaint, I don't have a warehouse to store such a book in if it covered every breed). The book does cover the breeds history and origins along with some characteristics and specific needs of the breed. The descriptions also have photographs of the breeds. This is a great gift for a dog lover.

5 Stars

I think this is a good gift for a dog lover. It makes a good coffee table book. Lots of great info but I wish there were more dog breeds and more info on each .
As someone who has studied dog breeds more than 24 years ago I did enjoy reading about some breeds that I had actually never heard of .

"Encyclopedia of Dogs" by Tom Jackson is a comprehensive and visually engaging guide for dog enthusiasts and anyone interested in learning about different breeds. The book offers detailed profiles of a vast number of dog breeds, covering everything from their history and origins to physical characteristics, temperament, and care needs. The clear, concise descriptions are paired with beautiful photographs, making it a great reference for both first-time dog owners and seasoned canine lovers. While the book is thorough in its coverage, it might not delve deeply into training or health issues, focusing instead on breed-specific traits. Overall, it's an excellent resource for anyone looking to broaden their knowledge of the diverse world of dogs.

A lovely gift for a dog lover, this coffee-table style book features many dog breeds, including some of the more modern cross-breeds like labradoodles and cockerpoos. Each breed has a few paragraphs about its history and main characteristics, and some basic statistics like size. It also includes a description of the temperament and key information that might be relevant to a prospective owner, like if it needs a lot of or less exercise, or if it gets on well with children. There are also smaller facts dotted around the large colour pictures which are an important feature of the book. Some of the more popular breeds like Labradors have a longer entry than others in terms of pictures and associated comments. There is also a full index.

As with all books of this kind, it can't match the internet for volume, accessibility and practicality of information. If you wanted to do serious research about which dog to buy, that's where you'd turn. What it gives instead is a pleasurable diversion to enjoy looking at pictures and reading a little bit about different dogs that you might not have known much about. It's the same as a travel coffee-table book - you look through for pleasure, inspiration and 'armchair' travel, rather than to do detailed trip planning. Think of this in the same way, but for dogs. It would be a nice gift for a young person who enjoys dogs - although might only increase yearning for a real pet!