Choosing the right dog breed is pretty difficult. There are hundreds, maybe thousands of breeds. So, how do you even begin choosing dog breeds?
You probably have a general idea of the breeds that might work. Once you’ve got a good idea of the breeds you’re interested in, talk to several owners of the breeds you’d like to buy. This will help you greatly when choosing the right breed of dog.
Breeds vary enormously in personality, and it’s crucial to consider if a breed’s personality matches you and your family’s needs. Different breeds were developed for different functions, and this can greatly influence their behaviors, so choosing dog breeds is a pretty difficult task.
For example, Border Collies were bred to be herding dogs, and are happiest when kept busy with walks, playing Frisbee, or herding sheep. They need something to do every day of the week, and every week of the year. You may be choosing the right breed of dog if you’re happy exercising your dog every day.
These dogs even need mental stimulation like games of hide-and-seek, or hiding favorite toys under rugs or in other rooms. Border Collies can be wonderful pets for an active person, but a huge bother and burden for someone who doesn’t like to take walks every day. Don’t choose a dog breed like this only based on looks or personality – they’re a huge amount of work.
Spend some time in online groups that are focused on the breed. Google, Yahoo, AOL, and MSN all offer dog-related email lists. Often, members in the lists can be incredibly supportive and helpful when choosing dog breeds.
Of course, any information that you get over the internet should never be a replacement for professional advice from breeders, veterinarians, or kennel clubs. Choose a dog breed based on a lot of research.
You can find email lists at:
you make some good points here, the key to responsible dog ownership really is to find the right dog that is compatible for your lifestyle
there are many factors to consider but you can break them down into these broad ideas:
Firstly, can you afford a dog? Dog ownership needent be expensive but there are costs involved such as insurance, annual jabs vet checkups, food, if you have a pure breed there may be health issues, training or dog sitting/walking services.
Your lifesyle and compatibilty, a Border Collie for example is incredibly active, if you are a couch potato then the relationship with your dog is not going to work. simularly if you enjoy power jogging and want a companion then getting a 3 legged dachshund from your local shelter is clearly going to be a bad idea.
Caring for and training your dog, breeds come in all shapes and sizes some are more biddable than others, some need extensive grooming and some are literally “write on wipe off” ensure you dont choose a breed that involves to much time or energy than you can afford to put in.
Do you have children, if so how old are they? how responsible are they? or other animals? how sociable do you need your dog to be
these are important things ot consider.
Some final points; Do you really want a puppy? puppies are hard work, maybe you would consider adopting a rescue dog instead already trained with a temperament that is a known quantity. choosing a mutt over a pure-breed may save you lots of expensive vet bills or health issues over the longer term.