The Puli lover may find their favorite breed, being a little on the obscure side, neglected in popular magazines and best-selling dog books. Luckily, there is support for the breed in the form of various local clubs (depending on the reader's area) and books. Below is a brief list of available Puli books and their descriptions. Regretfully there is little information at the ready regarding any available monthly publications or national clubs focusing specifically on the Puli. Even with the unfortunate scarcity of Puli clubs and publications, hopefully the reader will have found something that fits their needs by the end of this article.
One of the earliest works of Puli literature would be This is the Puli, by Les Benis. The book was first published in 1976 by TFH publications, and while it comes highly recommended, it is sadly out of print. Unfortunately, this would seem to be the case with most of the popular Puli books that have been printed in English.
While they're given relatively little attention in current publications, luckily, an historic article on the breed is still available. In 1937, National Geographic published some information on the Puli, bringing the dog to the attention of the world outside of Hungary for perhaps the first time in many places, and these issues can be found in archived collections of the magazine. If your local library does not have a complete collection of National Geographic, the entire archive can be found on CD-Rom at most major bookstores for a fairly low price.
There are some recommended, still-in-print books on the Puli, however, the majority of these are in Hungarian. One of the few available books for mono-lingual readers is arguably quite useful, but more likely falls into the 'just for fun' category. Just Enough Hungarian, by D.L. Ellis and A. Cheyne. The purpose of the book is to teach the English speaking Puli owner a handful of phrases in Hungarian, and the book itself alleges that the breed, being of Hungarian origin, has a tendency to better obey commands in Hungarian than in English. While this theory might need some validation before the book's worth as a training tool can be taken seriously, the novelty value is undeniable. Who wouldn't want to wow their friends with a dog that speaks a foreign language?
A savvy book collector might possibly find some out of print English Puli books, and someone with the patience and time to learn Hungarian will find enough Puli books to satisfy any reader, the English-only reader without the time to hunt through bookstores and auction sites is unfortunately left with little more than the AKC Complete Dog Book. Luckily, the book is regularly updated and kept in stock. It can be ordered from The AKC, 51 Madison Avenue, New York, NY, 10010. However, one can never be too certain when one breed or other will fall in or out of vogue, so any would-be Puli book or magazine collector is advised to keep their ears and eyes open for any new publications that might come out in the future.
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