Whether you are adopting an adult dog or buying a puppy there are important factors you need to take into consideration when choosing a breed.

First and foremost, keep in mind that most breeds are the result of literally hundreds of generations of breeding for certain attributes. For example, retrievers need to retrieve and most terriers need to chase small animals. Don’t make the mistake of choosing a terrier breed such as a Cairn and expect it to cohabitate happily with your child’s pet hamsters. The point here is that a dog’s temperament and personality are largely set at birth and it’s important to understand the breed’s traits when choosing a dog.

The Eight questions you should ask yourself before choosing a breed

1. How will the dog fit in with your lifestyle? Do you want a small dog can take with you almost everywhere or a large dog that will spend most of its life out of doors? Are you a hunter? If so, you will want to choose a breed such as a Lab, a Chesapeake Bay Retriever, or a German Wirehaired Pointer.

2. How much time and money you want to spend keeping the dog trimmed? If the answer is not much then you should choose a short-haired breed such as a Beagle or a Boston Terrier. On the other hand, if you don’t mind spending the money to have the dog clipped every other month or so, you can choose a longer-haired breed.

3. Do you want a family pet or a show dog? If your goal is to have a friendly, family pet, choose a breed that is even-tempered and laid back such as a Cocker Spaniel or a Dalmatian. On the other hand, if you wish to have a show dog, you may need to accept a dog that is more nervous and high strung.

4. How much time and attention you devote to the dog? Some breeds are happy to spend most of their time alone and require very little from you. However, there are other breeds that are very affectionate - such as Fox Terriers -that may want more of your attention.

5. Do you want a guard dog? If so, choose a breed such as a German Shepherd, a Rottweiler, a Doberman Pinscher or some other breed that has been bred over the generations to be great guardians.

6. Do you want a dog that will listen to you and follow your commands? There are breeds that are very amenable to training and others that are more hard-headed. For example, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels are considered easy to train while Welsh Terriers can be more difficult.

7. Do you want an adult dog or would you like to raise a puppy?. There are plusses and minuses to both alternatives. A puppy requires lots of time and training - including the need to housebreak it - while an adult don’t usually doesn’t.. However, when you adopt an adult dog you are sort of getting a pig in a poke as there is no way to know its background or why it ended up in a shelter.

8. How much time will the dog spend outdoors. If the answer is “a lot,” make sure you choose a long-haired breed that can withstand bad weather, such as Husky or a Samoyed.

You just can’t know for certain

There may be no way to choose a dog with 100% certainty that it will be perfect for you and your personality. But if you answer these eight questions, you will have gone a long way towards ensuring that you will make a good choice.

Food that can cause your dog to die before its time

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