Choosing A Dog Breed That's Right For Me!
by Nancy Houser
It is not as easy as you think, picking out the perfect dog breed. All purebreds are bred for a distinctive purpose – whatever that purpose might be, it will always be a part of who they are. This fact does make the purebred dog breeds more predictable than the mixed puppies whose background is uncertain.
Temperament and personality have a lot to do with choosing a dog breed, but even breeds of dogs differ in size, proportion of the body, shape of the head, etc., with these selections arising from the different physical traits. For example breeding timid Rat Terriers is no good if the Rattie is afraid of rats. Dogs display breed-related behavioral differences alongside of physical differences, while having a propensity to act in a certain way that is dictated by their genes. “Not all dogs within a breed have a tendency to act in certain ways,” but “most dogs within a breed have a tendency to act in certain ways – especially if those traits were important ones for doing the job for which that breed was developed.” (Coile, 1998)
Choosing A Dog Breed
An important factor in choosing a dog breed is recognizing your lifestyle and how it will affect the life of the puppy you have just chosen. Most people don’t even think about their lifestyle when they pick out a puppy. Too often, prospective puppy owners select a breed that is based on what it looks like, assuming that all dogs are alike. But for those owners who are around dogs 24/7 – we know that is not true.
Each puppy is a unique individual, with different energy levels, exercise requirements, playfulness, affection level, friendliness toward other animals and dogs, friendliness toward strangers, ease of training, watchdog ability, grooming requirements, and cold and heat tolerance. And none of these have to do with how the dog looks. What is important in choosing a dog breed is to understand what the dog was originally bred for, making them who they are today. Understanding this will open your eyes to why each dog “does what he does” .
Understanding Your Dog's Behavior
The only time a dog is in trouble with humans is when we do not understand and recognize their breed traits. If we knew why he was digging a hole in our flower garden or carrying our socks and underwear around all day long, it wouldn’t develop into a major issue. We could then see with a clear mind, what he is all about. We would offer him a place to dig that wasn’t quite so destructive to our personal space, or recognize he was bred years ago to hunt vermin and still carries that genetic trait today.
Choosing a dog breed does require research and an honest assessment of your lifestyle. In addition selecting a dog breed based on traits, temperament and energy levels will help narrow down our choices to find the best match dog breeds.
