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Dog Breeds - Looking past the cuddly exterior!
Choosing the right breed from the myriad of dog breeds which are available is an absolute must if you’re going to get exactly the right dog for your family.
If you are reading this page, I am assuming you are particularly interested in choosing a thorough-bred / pedigree dog. If however, you are not particularly interested in one of these, but want a good dog to be part of your family and a pleasure to be with , click on adopting the older dog or a puppy and Free to good home dogs. You will find some indispensable information on where to look and what to look for and which dog breeds make the best family pets.
Cute and cuddly is certainly not something to go by when choosing a suitable dog – though sadly enough, this is often the deciding factor when an inexperienced person makes their choice of dog. It is this lack of experience and knowledge which accounts for a huge number of dog attacks on children (PLEASE see our Note of Caution towards the end of this page) and also for 1000s of dogs being abandoned in dog shelters each day – and even more sadly, 1000s of dogs being euthanized each day.
If you don’t want to contribute to this sad trend – and if you are serious about getting just the right dog for you and your circumstances – do read on.
Cute and cuddly is not necessarily bad, but you need to realize that more than anything else, a dog’s temperament is influenced by its breed and breeding. If you haven’t already done so – take a look at the following pages -
A dog’s breed is vitally important – right the way through from the little things like energy and intelligence levels through to the bigger issues like possessiveness, territorial instincts and aggressiveness.
A dog’s breeding is also of utmost importance. Dog breeds differ from each other, and dogs within a breed will also differ from each other depending on how closely they have been bred to the Breed Standard. A good breeder will breed to enhance, protect and promote all the good qualities of his particular breed. An irresponsible breeder will produce dogs simply to make money and with no thought of the consequences of his actions.
Worse still, there are many breeders who will breed dogs that are temperamentally dangerous – dogs that are viscious, unstable and simply an accident waiting to happen. These are the dogs that maul children, kill other pets and terrorize the neighborhood – these poor dogs are victims of gross human selfishness and disregard for life. And, regarding these dogs, I have added a special note of caution below.
As usual, we’ve done all the research for you and presented you with a list of dog breeds and profiles. We’ve pointed out the important aspects of each breed’s characteristics and the related issues - all the information you need to help you make the right decision on getting just the right dog. You get to benefit from years and years of our first hand experience.
You are, after all, considering making a commitment for the next decade or so of your life – get it right at this stage and you have so much to gain. Get it wrong and it could result in stress and even danger for you and your family – and the probability of yet another abandoned dog.
If you are already the proud owner of a beautiful dog, please use the box below to tell us about him or her. Tell us everything – warts and all! Share your experience with those looking to get a dog for the first time – you’ll be doing your bit to ensure the right dog goes to the right home. Use the contact form at the bottom of this page to tell us your experiences of owning that particular dog type. Your feedback is so important. We’ve used a Dog Breed Profile standard so you can compare like with like. If you are a potential dog owner, you probably already have an approximate idea of what kind of dog you want – you just want to check out the details. And this is where we’ve looked to provide you with the nitty gritty on the breed or breeds you’re particularly interested in. Check out our list of dog breeds. We’ll be adding to it constantly – both with information and breed specific products we find for you. And we hope to also provide you with first hand experiences of people who actually own these breeds. After all – experienced as we are, we’ve never actually owned a gorgeous little pug or a beautiful standard poodle! It will be nice to hear from people who know all the ins and outs – all the intimate details – all the horror stories and all the fun – their particular dog has brought to them. If you're not sure what to write - take a look at Eileen Johnson's review - Living with Dobermans.
And last but certainly not least ......... Though most of the information is fairly self-explanatory – there is one area that I would like to elaborate on. It would be entirely irresponsible of me not to do so – and that is the area of a particular dog breed’s suitability with children. This subject is so important, I would like to include it under its own heading ………..
Please note that we have based a dog’s suitability to children on the strength of its breed characteristics. In other words, we are assuming you will do your homework and choose a reputable breeder. You may, for example, be surprised by the fact that we have marked the little dachshund as unsuited to young children, but given the German Shepherd and the Rottweiller full marks in that particular department. That is because, responsibly bred German Shepherds and Rottweillers are intelligent, sound of temperament, dignified dogs. However, an irresponsible breeder turns these gentle giants into potential killing machines. No amount of training or conditioning will ever make a badly bred dog into a reliable family pet. On the other hand, we have labelled the little dachshund as unsuited to children, because, however responsibly bred they are, dachshunds are territorial of their owners and space – not very keen on a child’s rough handling and therefore more likely to bite and be generally more "cranky" - that is simply their inherant personality.
I have been bitten by more small dogs than I care to remember! To be honest, most of this is through my own fault. Having had large dogs all my life, I tend to be slightly “dismissive” of little dogs and will take liberties with them that I would not dream of with a larger strange dog. In other words, I invade their space and I have the scars to show for my carelessness! However, we don't hear much of small dogs biting people or children – because as nasty as a small dog's bite can be, it is only a minor injury – and usually it is more injury to pride than any actual bodily harm. A bite from a big dog is entirely another story. It isn’t that a big dog bites any harder or is any more aggressive than the little dog – it is just that a big dog is so much more powerful and thus causes so much more damage. You also do have to be aware of a properly bred dog’s particular breed characteristics. For example, a German Shepherd has been bred to herd and protect. Once a GSD has bonded with it’s family, it will protect it’s family. Therefore, while your family may be entirely safe from your dog, a stranger simply reaching out to shake your hand will be seen as potentially dangerous – and therefore liable to be attacked. This is where proper socialization of all dogs is also so important.
Therefore, please do your homework and choose only the best dog breeds for your situation – you’ll be so happy that you did. Don’t forget to bookmark this page so you can come back as often as you need to and check out more dog breeds as we constant add to our list. You can also subscribe to my Perfect Pets Blog so you have all the newest updates brought directly to you. You can do this simply by clicking on the little orange RSS button in the highlighted light green box along the left margin of this page - and following the directions from there.
Also do not miss the other useful articles available to you – check out the links at the bottom of this page for free information and help with all your pet queries and concerns.
Click here for help and advice on choosing the best dog for your child Click here for great advice on choosing a suitable dog for your lifestyle Click here for some helpful advice on choosing a suitable dog breed Click here for information which prepares you in choosing a suitable family dog Click here to return from Dog Breeds to our Home Page
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