When you decide to get a dog, choosing the right dog breed is very important. Your new dog will be living in your house or apartment, will have to be able to fit in with your lifestyle. This is very important and you need to take an honest look at your lifestyle to determine what kind of responsibilities you are willing to take on.
There are over 150 dog breeds that are recognized by the AKC, big and small dog breeds, and then you can add all the mixes that are not purebred. The most popular dog breed is the Labrador Retriever. Different dog breeds have characteristics besides appearance that are important. They have their own temperament, needs, and inherited health traits. What dog breed should you get?
Big And Small Dog Breeds
The most obvious characteristic is appearance and size. Dogs can be only a few pounds to over 200 pounds. The biggest dog ever was Hercules, an English Mastiff that weighed in at 282 pounds. English Mastiffs are the largest dog breed and can get up to 200 pounds. With size come needs. A bigger dog needs more food, larger areas to live in. Is your house or apartment big enough? Even small dogs can require a large area to run in. All dogs need exercise. The old saying is “A tired dog is a good dog” and it’s true.
Temperament
Because your dog will be living with you, and hopefully for a long time, it needs to have a temperament to blend with your family’s style of living. Do you want a dog that is really active or one that is more of the couch potato, take it easy personality? Some breeds can be very protective of their property and family, others are friendly towards everyone, including strangers. If the breed you choose is one that needs a lot of attention, they can become destructive if they don’t get it. Other breeds are content to be alone for periods during the day, maybe while you’re at work, school or just out.
Hair-The Long and Short of It
We have had purebreds and mutts, long hair and short. Most dogs shed, some shed a lot and some just a little. Some dogs shed all year around. A vet once told us that dogs shed according to the amount of time they see light. So in the summer when the days are long and it’s lighter out longer, they shed more. During the winter when they would normally see shorter daylight hours they would shed less. But we bring them into the house where we have lights on until we go to bed. So the dog’s eyes see the light and think the days are longer, like in the summer. I don’t know if that’s true or not but it makes sense to me.
Dog grooming is important regardless of the length of their coat to stay clean and healthy. Dogs with longer hair may need to be taken to a professional groomer periodically. So the long and short of it is to decide how much hair you’re willing to put up with.
Boy or Girl
There are minor differences in the average sizes of female vs. male. Usually it’s not much and as far as personalities or temperament, it makes no difference. If you get your dog fixed, and you should, it will eliminate other problems such as a female having pups. If you don’t get them fixed then you will have to prevent your female from getting pregnant during the times when she is in heat. It happened to us once when we were without a fence and the dog was on her tie out.
The Gene Pool
Some breeds are more prone to certain health problems than others. With a purebred the gene pool is smaller and those traits tend to show up more often. It would be wise to consider the types of health issues your breed is prone to have. There are general ailments that all dogs get, just as we do as we age, but ailments such as hip dysplasia will happen in some breeds more often than others.
Conclusion
Pick a breed that fits into YOUR lifestyle. Don’t think that you will change your way of life to fit the dog, it probably won’t happen. If you pick a breed that doesn’t fit your way of living, one or both of you will be unhappy.
