Tips For Choosing A Dog Breed
November 16, 2008 by Lee Dobbins · Comments Off
There are many breeds of dogs available so you should do a little research when interested in choosing a dog breed for your new pet. Your lifestyle will play a large part in the choice as you different dog breeds have different needs. Dogs take up a lot of time so you need to make sure your lifestyle can accommodate a dog so that you can enjoy your new pet.
Allergies may be a determining factor when choosing a dog breed. Many individuals have specific pet allergies and may react to long haired dogs. In that case you may need to select a short haired breed. Or perhaps someone in your family cannot tolerate any animals; you need to find this out before you spend the money on getting a dog.
You also need to take into account the cost of your dog. Certain breed will cost more than others. Remember that when looking at the whole package the actual cost of the dog isn’t that high compared to everything you need to pay for once you have the dog. You will need to pay for shots, crates/cage, obedience school, inoculations, feeding and other accessories. You will be constantly spending money on your dog.
Where your dog will spend time is important as dogs are very social and like being with people. If you are never at home or will be keeping your dog chained all the time then you should investigate getting a dog that can handle being a lone for long periods of time. Or if you have a family and are active then you may want to get a very social dog breed.
The size of your dog is extremely important. Most breeders can give you a pretty good estimate at how large your dog will be once it is full size. This is based on its breed and parents. You can pick a dog that is small, medium, large or very large (giant) breeds. Make sure you have room and can handle the size of your desired dog.
You can obtain dog breeding information through books, the internet, from veterinarians, local breeders, kennel clubs, pet supply stores and boarding kennels. These people will also have information about where you can find specific dog breeds if you have a type in mind. It is important to purchase you dog from a reliable breeder to guarantee a smooth transaction and healthy dog.
If the breed of your dog doesn’t matter then you may want to rescue a puppy form your local animal shelter. There are always animals that need a home and you can get a puppy for free.
