This AM I wasn’t sure what I would blog about tonight, but on my way back to work at lunchtime I saw a lady carrying her dog. I couldn’t tell for sure while driving but it was either a French Bulldog or a pug. I could see it was a short nose breed dog & I sorta chuckled & thought I am way too active to ever have a dog that can’t hike & walk 3 miles with me. I’ll be honest I don’t ever plan to be a small dog breed owner. I prefer med-larger breeds for myself, but enjoy being around dogs of all sizes.
Now I can’t directly say what the best dog breeds are for you, but I hope to give you some ideas/help in this post so when it is time to bring a new dog into your home you are more informed to make the best breed choice.
There are quite a few classes of dog breeds which include: Toy, Herding, Non-sporting, Hound, Sporting,Working group & Terrier & each has some characteristics that are known for.
I find it sad that when a dog wins at the publicized dog shows that the breed suddenly is seen all over the place, the French bulldog is a good example of this. I was in rescue for years & rarely knew of anyone who had one, now I don’t go a week or two without seeing one or hearing someone saying they have one. I am not saying this is a bad thing, but it concerns me that “backyard” breeders are breeding them for profit & not keeping the standard of the breed. I saw a French Bulldog today that had to have been 25+ lbs(not overweight) & way taller than what is standard for the breed. I doubt the breeder of that dog was concerned about keeping the standard, it makes me sad. Please don’t get a dog just because it is the “popular” breed at the time.
I also don’t recommend you get a dog breed solely on looks. There are so many adorable breeds, but they may not have the traits that are best for your family. If you find a breed that really catches your eye do a lot of research about the breed before you ever go meet one. Below are some things to consider before bringing any breed of dog into your home.
- How active is this breed & how active is my family? Do you camp, hike, take long walks & will this breed be good doing this with us. Some dogs love these things, but some short nose breed dogs may not do well if you live in some place that has high elevations. I had a friend who had a friend & he moved to Colorado with his Boxer & took it hiking in the mountains & the elevation proved to be too dangerous for him & he lost his beloved dog. If the dog is an active breed do you have the time & energy to help this dog use up its energy after a long day at work? Some dogs can run with you, or are happy to play fetch (Retrievers) & this is sufficient to use up their energy. Active breeds need something to do or often will get into trouble. There are couch potato dogs, or should I say part-time couch potatoes, & require less things to do.
- Some breeds are bred to work, such as Border Collies love to herd & they need an outlet for this energy. They can make great agility dogs or rally etc… A Doberman is bred to guard & not usually going to want to cuddle on your sofa with you, they like to watch over their home. So these are examples of things you want to research about any breed you’re considering.
- How much grooming is required for the breed? Will it need to go to the groomer every 4-8 weeks or can I brush & bathe it yourself? Will the dog shed a lot? This might seem odd but the color of the fur might matter to some people. I wear a lot of black (what I have to wear to work) & I knew I didn’t want a white dog that would shed because fur would get on my clothes.
4. Some breeds are more easily trained than others & some are known to be more stubborn or harder to train. Sadly my dog Hunter is not that bright, but Echo is very smart & eager to please most of the time. My dog Ace was stubborn, but smart. Dogs that are eager to please usually are easier to train. 5. Some breeds are known to be better with kids than others. The more timid breeds are usually less comfortable around kids & some breeds want to guard the kids or herd them. Of course early exposure to kids is a good thing, but still not all breeds are recommended to live with kids day in & day out. 6. Is the breed good with other animals, this may only be important if you have or want to have other pets. Again some breeds love the companionship of other animals, but not all do. Some breeds such as Terriers may not be good if you have pet mice, rats or hamsters as they are bred to search & get rid of rodents. Some hunting or hounds may not be good with some small animals as well. I found that some of my fosters had to be kept away from my birds. I don’t have ferrets because of the strong hunting instinct of my last dog & my current dogs. They are good with my birds, but they don’t interact with them closely either.
7. What known health issues are the breed susceptible to (heredity)? What could the expense to treat these be & are you financially able to treat them. An example is the Bulldog, they are very prone to skin infections & their folds need to be cleaned out often (sorry not sure how often, but think it’s more than once a month). Some dogs are prone to hip dysplasia & this can cause issues for a dog requiring therapy for the rest of its life. My dog Ace was part Golden Retriever (probably bred with Cocker Spaniel)& even though he was just under 50 lbs he had hip dysplasia for years & he had therapy towards his latter years. 8. The initial cost of a breed can vary widely, the more it is in demand (popularity) sometimes the more the cost. This is currently the thing that is happening with the designer dog breeds. Do your research & check out the breeder closely, Google search them & their kennel name & read the reviews. Ask for references of someone who bought a dog 6 months ago & someone a year or two before & contact them. A breeder may just tell you what you want to hear, but someone living with a dog may be a better source of information about the dog’s temperament. 9. Temperament is an important factor to & this is where reading & talking to anyone you meet with the breed may be a great resource to learn more about the breed. There are rescues for every breed that I know of, many have websites that will tell you about the breed. You can even reach out to a few rescues via email & ask them questions about the breed. Rescues want people to be educated before they get a certain breed, because knowing what you are getting can help an animal to stay in the home for its whole life.
10. Some breeds can live 8 years & some 15+ years, so knowing the longevity of a breed is something to consider before getting a dog. If it will likely live to be 15 years old, are you able to care for the dog till it passes away from old age? I honestly have a hard time when I see a single person who is a senior get a puppy. Obviously none of us are guaranteed tomorrow, but there are plenty of older pets needing homes that may be better suited for the calmer life of some seniors. I am not there yet, but not as far away from it as I was. I know my next dog will be 4-5 years old because I am looking at the whole picture. I plan to have dog till the Lord takes me home, but I have someone prearranged to care for them when I am gone. So if that is the case & you have the energy. patience & stamina for a puppy, go for it. 11. What size of a dog is best for your family? Do you have a yard for a larger dog to run in or are you planning to walk the dog several times a day? Are there size restrictions where you live? Do you want a dog you can easily lift if needed? Do you want a larger dog for some protection? Are you able to walk a large breed dog safely? When I was in rescue we had a rule with most of the rescues (keep in mind most were younger or adult dogs) no dogs under 35 lbs to home with kids under 5. We had this rule for a couple reasons. Small kids mean well, but we heard of too many young kids picking up a dog (not correctly, but kids don’t get it) & the dog bites the kid & in many cases the dog loses its home or its life. The other reason was we heard of too many young kids tripping over small dogs & saw dogs end up with a broken leg. If kids are born into a home with a dog, it can be a completely different story. I just like to give information for you to consider, you know your kids better than anyone else. 12. Sadly some towns have breed restrictions as do some insurance companies. I found out about insurance companies having breed restrictions from someone & I didn’t believe it till I called & a friend also called several places & it was true. I wanted a Rottweiler & my insurance company of many years said they wouldn’t insure me if I got one. I looked into this when I was seeking to buy a house. We had an adopter return a dog because when he was out walking it a police officer stopped him & asked the breed, he had no idea there was a restrictions so he told him & he was told they were not allowed in that town. The guy was very upset because he bonded with the dog, but he owned his home & couldn’t up & move.
I am a big fan of mix breed dogs & think they can be great pets, but you don’t always know what the dog is mixed with but if your open to a unique personality then maybe a mix of a breed that your research revealed was a good fit might be a good option. I was looking for a German Short-haired Pointer (GSP) mix when I found Hunter, I don’t believe he was listed as a GSP, but I saw it in him. He is 42% GSP, he is hyper at times, likes to be with me, camps,hikes, vacations with me. Echo looked like a Border Collie mix, he isn’t but he is part Aussie & mini Aussie, so he has the stamina for a day of hiking with breaks (which I need to).
There are books & websites to help people find the best breed for their homes & I highly recommend that people do their due diligence before deciding to get any pet. There are rescues for every breed so consider adopting a dog, & yes many rescues get puppies as well, some born while the mom was in rescue. These are not always advertised, but when submitting an application you can let them know you really are interested in a puppy or a certain age range.
I hope this post was interesting & when the time comes for you to be ready to add a dog you will consider the things I mentioned. I would appreciate it if you would help me get the word out about my blog. You can help by visiting often, by clicking the like button at the bottom of posts, subscribing to my blog, sharing the link on your social media sites, adding a positive comment. All these ways help my blog to be seen in search engines. My goal is to reach as many pet lovers as I can & share my lifetime of experience with pets (fostering & caring for pets). I have 125 other posts & you can find the table of contents on my home page under the show tab & then go back to the home page & scroll down to read the posts. I write about a variety of pets & if you have an idea for a post let me know. My email is echoinggreatpetcare@gmail.com Thanks for reading & please visit again soon, Debbie
Echoing Great Pet Care 