Dog Breeds: What Breed Is Right For My Family?
Dog Breeds – Choosing the Right Dog for Your Family
After the more general article before it is now time to consider whether the breed of a dog is really that important.
Once you have decided to take the plunge and get a dog the time has come to decide what breed of dog is the best for your family. This is the beginning of a lovely adventure for you and your family. The next question is – of all the hundreds of dog breeds available, which dogs would fit perfectly into your family and how do you choose the very best dog breed for you?
Is the breed of a dog really all that important?
Some people think that a dog’s breed is only important because of size and looks, but nothing could be further from the truth. I used to think that with the right training it didn’t really matter what breed you chose from a behavioral point of view, but the more I learned about the different breeds the more I realized how wrong I was!
My husband and I had always loved the husky-style breeds of dog and their resemblance to wild wolves. The first dog breed we set our hearts on was the Alaskan Malamute but we soon realized that it would be FAR too big for our small home.
Next, we thought we would go for a husky. We visited some breeders and talked to them and started to get a little worried! We heard a lot of tales about huskies that have a strong tendency to stray, and one breeder warned us that a husky could scale a 6-foot fence without too much trouble.
We finally settled on a breed called the Norwegian Elkhound. While this dog has the look of a husky, it has very different personal characteristics. The Elkhound is, like the husky, quite an independent dog, but it also is extremely gentle, more placid and very trainable.
What sort of dog is right for YOU?
Things you should consider carefully when choosing your dog breed include:
- Will your dog simply be a family pet or do you have other reasons for getting it – do you want it to be a guard dog, or a dog you can hunt with, or even a working dog if you live on a farm?
- What size dog can you accommodate? If you live in a flat or have limited access to the outdoors, you should consider a very small dog. On the other hand if you have a well-enclosed garden then any size is OK – as long as you are going to have the time to walk your dog sufficiently. As a guide, a dog the size of a retriever should get a minimum of 45 minutes exercise a day, and more is better.
- Health considerations – when you have a shortlist of dog breeds, you should look seriously at what health problems tend to afflict the breeds you are considering. Some highly inbred dog breeds have shockingly high statistical chances of developing certain diseases. For instance, 1 in 4 Dachshunds will develop serious spinal problems over their lifetime.
- Personal characteristics – certain dog breeds DO have specific behavioral attributes. Look into these before you finalize your choice. Must you have a dog you can rely on not to stray? Does your dog need to be excellent with small children? Or do you live in a neighborhood where it is important that the dog does not bark too much?
There are lots of points to consider before you make your final choice. Choose carefully and you will have a valued, very special new member in your family that will bring you joy for years to come!
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