How to choose a dog breed

Adopting a dog whose breed does not match your lifestyle can be very difficult to manage and lead to a very unhappy dog.

In this article, we will give you advice on how to choose a dog breed that matches you and your family's lifestyle.

Are you able to offer this dog the life that they deserve?

The best way to chose a dog is to ask yourself if you are able to meet all the requirements of their breed. You must read about the breed, meet breeders or owners to gather the most information you can before you adopt an animal.

Also, the dog you choose must meet your requirements : do you want a guard dog, a dog to run with you or a dog to keep you company?

The body and spirit needs

The dog breeds created to do specific tasks, such as guarding, hunting or herding have important energetic needs. They need to exert themselves a lot and be mentally challenged by their owners. They will be very happy to learn new things and engage in physical activity with you.

Obedience

A dog's obedience is important. As you know, every species of dog is different, but some breeds are more or less known to have good obedience. Some dog breeds have been created to be obedient to human beings, such as the welsh corgi. Poodles are also very good at learning and obeying, and love to spend plenty of time with their owners.

Some other dogs are very independent, such as the Great Pyrenees. They were created to be able protect a herd and make decisions by themselves.

But every breed is different and some Poodles might be disobedient, when some Great Pyrenees might be very obedient. It just means than some breeds will more likely be happy to learn things from you, when other breeds tend to be more independent.

Your environment

Living in a house or an apartment is not an environment. It's just a part of it. Other parts of the environment are the place where you walk your dog, the amount time you can offer them every day...

If you are not at home during the day, your dog's environment will be poor in interaction. Some breeds have trouble managing this and cannot stand being bored. To cope with this situation, you must teach your dog to be alone, and offer them plenty of time when you are home.

To conclude, before adopting a dog think about what you can offer them, and not just what they will offer  you.

If you make your dog happy, he will make you happier!