Dorsetdog - Choosing a dog from 200 breeds
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.
There are over 210 breeds of pedigree dog, Choosing the right one for you and your environment is very important
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 The Kennel Club's breed matching facility, where you select the requirements you have, and the search engine gives you some breed suggestions.
https://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/getting-a-dog/are-you-ready/finding-the-right-dog/
Click here to see a list of guides on choosing, buying, and ownership produced by the kennel Club
https://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/getting-a-dog/
This link takes you to Discover dogs, an event where you can physically see and touch lots of breeds, and meet their owners.
Choose carefully
