It is important to select the breed of dog that is right for you, your
family, your home environment and the area that you live in.
Each pedigree dog breed has its own characteristics and there is certainly an
ideal breed for everyone. If you match these characteristics with your
personality and lifestyle, it is more likely that you will have a happy and
fulfilling relationship with your dog.
Items to consider when choosing a dog breed
All breeds of dog have different temperaments and different levels of
tolerance of human interaction. Generally, the larger breeds need more exercise
than smaller one, so keeping a Labrador in a small home and just letting it go
in the garden may result in behavioural troubles down the road.
Some dogs need more mental stimulation than others. The Collie breed is said
to be the most intelligent dog, and needs lots of mental stimulation games. Just
walking the dog without any stimulation activity usually results in a bored dog
with behavioural problems rushing around the house barking.
Whilst some people believe that Dorset is the place where one retires and
buys a gun dog or two, such as a Golden Retriever, it is wise to do some more
homework on the breed first.
Breeds such as the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, the Bichon Frise, the
Terrier and the Jack Russell are small, easy to manage breeds. However the
cavalier is a much more placid dog. The terrier breed are renowned for running
off to find the nearest rabbit warren when let off the lead, and (in my
experience) the Terrier and bichon breeds spend all day barking at anything. Not
ideal for a good relationship with the neighbours.
Visit Discover dogs to see all the breeds
The Kennel Club has a whole range of information at it's
website to help you chose your breed and care for it.
This link takes you to information pages on each of the Kennel Club's
registered breeds. Once you have chosen a breed, then on the right of the page
you can click on the Health Information link to see what conditions that breed
might have.
This link takes you to The Kennel Club's breed matching facility, where you
select the requirements you have, and the search engine gives you some breed
suggestions.
Click here to see a list of guides on choosing, buying, and ownership
produced by the kennel Club
This link takes you to Discover dogs, an event where you can physically see
and touch lots of breeds, and meet their owners.
