August 13, 2020
How to Pick the Right Dog Breed
Dogs make such great companions. Many dog owners have a favorite breed, however, there are also numerous owners who just love dogs and will have different breeds. Perhaps you’ve decided to get a dog, but you just don’t know how to pick the right dog breed.
Factors to Think About
There are a number of factors that you need to think about before selecting a dog breed to join your family. You need to ensure that the breed you choose will fit in with your lifestyle, living arrangements, and family life.
Are you a first-time dog owner? If so, you will want to have a breed that is relatively easy to take care of, such as a Labrador Retriever or Golden Retriever. Some breeds, such as German Shepherds and Rhodesian Ridgebacks, might be a bit much for a first-time dog owner as they tend to need more time with training and need a strong leader.
What is your living situation? Do you live in an apartment or a house? If you live in a house so can take dog breed that can run fast. If you live in an apartment you will want to ensure that you have a dog that doesn’t need a lot of room to roam throughout the day. Small dogs like Yorkshire Terriers and Chihuahuas are great if you don’t have a lot of space.
Do you have an active lifestyle? Or are you more of a homebody? If you are more of a homebody then you wouldn’t do very good with an Australian Cattle Dog, or any of the herding breeds as they have a lot of energy and need to have a lot of exercise and activity throughout the day.
There are some dog breeds that do ok during the day if you leave them to go to work, but there are many who don’t like to be alone for long periods of time. Dogs can become anxious and this could lead to destructive, and other unwanted behaviors.
Do Your Research
So, you’ve narrowed down your selection based on the factors from above. However, there are still more things that you need to think about before making a final selection.
Next you need to consider things such as if the breed you want gets along with children and other pets, and more importantly, do you have children and other pets in the house? Some dog breeds are scared of children and this could make them lash out.
Even something seemingly inconsequential, like where you live, may need to be taken into considerations. Saint Bernards, for example, do not do well in hot temperatures at all but do great in cooler climates. So, if you live in Texas, I hope you don’t have your heart set on a Saint Bernard.
Some dogs have more medical issues than others do. The breed you are looking at may be one that racks up a lot in vet bills, so you’ll need to keep that in mind. Designer breed dogs, those who have been bred by crossing two purebred breeds, generally have fewer medical issues than their parents do. So, this may be an option to think about.
You might want to take a look at the average life span of the dog breed. For me, that was a deciding factor. I was looking to choose between a Golden Retriever and a Labrador Retriever and saw that the Lab lived to be about 3 years older, on average, than the Golden. I chose the Lab because I want a long-term companion.
Final Thoughts
Dogs do not come in a “one size fits all” category nor can someone just tell you what the best dog is, as most everyone is bias on that and they don’t know your situation.
There are plenty of calculators online that will help you choose a breed, based on the answers to many of the questions we posed here. Even still, you will need to do your research on that breed and how it would fit in your life.
The good news is, most of the time people who have a certain breed in mind generally choose one that would fit their lifestyle anyhow. And some people are able to adapt their lives to the dog breed that they really want.
In the end, there may not be a perfect answer for which dog breed is the right one for you. What really matters is that whichever dog you choose is given a good home filled with lots of love and attention.