Crossbreeding has been around for millenniums, ever since people and dogs have hung out with each other, hunting, working, and bonding together. In the earlier times, dogs were crossbred for their work. When the mutual relationship of dogs and men strengthened and community and city life went through changes, dogs had to get accustomed to the restricted life inside their owners’ houses. As a result, made-to-order dogs evolved.

In the introduction by Norma Bennett Woolf, the role of genetics in crossbreeding, the term designer dogs, and the book’s mission are explained. Following the introduction, some of the terms in dog breeding are clarified, and most importantly, the reader is advised that crossbreds are not a breed and they won’t exactly match a true breed.

“Hot Dogs!” is a beautiful book with wonderful photos to enchant any dog lover. Fourteen mixed breeds, such as Maltepoo (Maltese and Poodle), Beagalier (Beagle and Cavalier King Charles Spaniel), and Pekaboo (Poodle and Pekingese), are given their own chapters. In each chapter, history of the breed, recognition of the breed, characteristics of the parent breeds, characteristics of the first and multi-generation dogs of the breed, crossbreeding goals, choosing a breeder, screening tests, size, appearance, colors, temperament, behavior with people and other dogs, general health and lifespan, grooming, and activity levels are explained.

After the fourteen chapters on the breeds, two more very informative chapters on selecting and caring for a dog have been added to the book. At the end section is an appendix for diseases, health checks, and screening tests.

The book is in direct, plain language that is easy to understand by anyone at any age. For example, on the history of Cockapoo, it is written: “The Cockapoo is one of the older designer dogs. Rather than being a new fad, the Cockapoo has been bred since at least the 1950’s. Because it has no undercoat, the Cockapoo sheds less than a Cocker Spaniel, making the crossbred a potentially good option for allergy sufferers…”

information on choosing and caring for hybrid dogs.

the color photographs of the dogs and puppies.

get a dog.

Norma Bennett Woolf is a dog lover who has put together numerous breed profiles.

anyone who wants information on that very special dog that will fit his family’s exact needs and is looking forward to a hybrid dog will find this book to be a very reliable source of information.

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Created Sep 15, 2007 at 7:53pm • Submit your own review...