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At the bottom of this page you will find several links to pages with more information to try and help you to get the right dog for you.
Do you have little kids around the house or are you planning to have kids that the dog needs to get along with. Is the right dog for you an active dog that is bouncy and ready to go, or a dog that is more relaxed? Are you looking for a dog for protection. Do you want a dog that is friendly with everyone or one that is more reserved. Do you want a dog that must be near you whenever possible or do you prefer a dog with a more independent nature. Do you want a dog that can get along with other animals, like cats, rabbits, horses, etc. Are there specific things you would like to do with this dog, like hunting, herding, obedience, agility, showing, etc. Do you expect the right dog for you to be a one that will accompany you when you want to exercise, like walking, jogging, hiking, etc. Is this your first dog or do you have experience with dogs. What are you looking for in the right dog for you? It might be harder than you think to find the right dog for you. There are so many great beautiful Dog Breeds to choose from and every puppy you see is just as adorable as the next one. The different Dog Breeds have been bred for different purposes. Some were bred for their scent, for racing, for hunting and retrieving and so forth. Think of the things you would like to see in the right dog for you dog and which things will start to annoy you. Reading about dogs in books, talking to breeders and owners will give you a general idea of these kinds of characteristics. A reason to choose a purebred dog is that the characteristics in purebreds are probably more reliable because of their consistent breeding. However, every dog has an individual personality, within each breed, within each litter variety appears. Reading about the Dog Breeds can not give you more than just a general idea of what to expect. To use as an example, are the Labs my sister and I had. My sister was the proud owner of a beautiful black Lab, named Lady, with the funniest character traits ever seen in a dog and, she loved water. Retrieving fowl from water was something that came natural and she could simply not resist the smallest, dirtiest puddle. She had to jump in, roll in it with great pleasure till every inch of her body was soaking wet and good and dirty. She just had to take a dip in every pool and pond she saw. My blonde Lab, Sandy, despised water. In her book that was only good for drinking. Sandy hated having to go for a walk if it was raining out, would stand in the doorway looking up to me as if she was saying: You must be kidding me: do you really expect me to go out in this kind of weather? Once outside she would walk around every little puddle, lifting up her feet as high as she could, hurry to do her business, then stop, look up to get me going and bring her back home as fast as possible, away from that appalling wetness. The times I took Sandy to the beach or to a lake, she would only go into the water if I would go in first, lure her in with a stick or a ball and play with her. When I saw what kind of things my sisters Lady did, I did stop and wonder if a Lab would really be the right dog for me.
How much space do you have for your dog? Living in a small apartment, you should take into consideration that many dogs will not do well there unless you are able and willing to give a lot of effort in meeting their needs. Dogs are usually pretty adaptable, but they do need some help from you. When looking for the right dog for you, do not just look at the size of a dog, thinking a small dog will be OK in a small apartment. There are a lot of small Dog Breeds, like the Jack Russell Terrier, that are very lively and bouncy little dogs that do need a lot of exercise. On the other hand there are big Dog Breeds, like the Saint Bernard and the Mastiffs who are happy as can be lying on the floor and not doing anything at all for a longer period of time. Friends of mine chose a big Saint Bernard as their companion. And many times I wondered if it was a real dog or a stuffed one. Joost would only lift his head the slightest bit, to glance over and just slightly wag his tail a couple of times whenever someone came in. His owners had to bribe him with some dog treats to go out for a walk. The most important thing about finding the right dog for you, is, that you should be happy with the dog and last but not least the dog should be happy with you. An unhappy dog can hardly be the right dog for you! How much exercise can you give your dog? Do you have time to take your dog on long walks, take it to places where it can run, get rid off its energy? If your time is limited, the right dog for you is probably a smaller or a less active dog that can get enough exercise in and around your home or from short walks. Do not think that all small dogs are less active, or that a large dog would be more active and thus not be the right dog for you. Again, it all depends on the breed.
How much time can you spend on training your dog? It does not matter what kind of dog you get, training will make your dog much more compatible with you and what you want to do. A trained dog is a pleasure to everyone. A trained dog can accompany you to more places without disruptions, and can be more easily a part of your life. You will find that a well trained dog is the right dog for you. How much can you spend on grooming your dog? Some dogs hardly shed and require hardly any or no grooming, no clipping, and no stripping. Other dogs shed only a little but require more grooming while others shed but do not require grooming. Some dogs both shed and require grooming. Almost all dogs do need some nail clipping. If you get a dog that does require regular grooming, you need to make some time to either learn to do so yourself and do it regularly, or be prepared to pay for its grooming regularly. How much money do you want to spend on buying the right dog for you? Getting a dog from the shelter, from friends or otherwise not too expensive, is an option if you can not afford to spend a lot of money to obtain the right dog for you. Some Dog Breeds can be really expensive. Do not forget however that you will have to buy food as well, pay for veterinary checkups, routine medical care and the vaccinations. That you will have to buy other things for the dog over the years, like a leash, a new collar, a bed, or toys. Maybe you want to take your dog to training classes, take it to shows. And then there could be things the dog has damaged or destroyed that need to be replaced. Maybe money for medical emergencies. If you want to go on a vacation, can you bring it with you, maybe you can leave your dog with a friend or with family, or will you have to take your dog to a dog hotel? Do you have the financial resources for all of this? The last thing to look at is, would a male or a female dog be the right dog for you? There are things to be said for either sex, but all of those are no more than generalities and may or may not apply to a specific dog. If you do have a preference, get the sex you want. If you are not sure what sex will be the right dog for you? It really does not matter, just look for the dog you hit it off with; that dog will be the right dog for you!
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How much time can you and your family members spend with your dog? All dogs, our house dogs as well as their closest wild relative, the wolf, are social creatures. Some Dog Breeds are more independent than others but a dog will not be happy when left alone too long too often. You should not just be committed to spend several hours a day with your dog, you should love to do it. Commitment is not bad at all, but loving to spend time with your dog, doing things together, going places together makes you look forward to it, not start dreading it, seeing it like a chore that needs to be done because you once decided to get a dog.
