You are finally entertaining the idea of adding a four legged member to your family but every member of your family wants a different breed of dog. Deciding on a breed of dog may seem like a daunting task at first but here are a few tips to help you when making this very important decision. Remember patience is key!
The first step to narrow down your search is to find out whether any member of the household is allergic to fur. If this is the case, then you will have to only entertain breeds with hair such as the yorkshire terrier, maltese, poodle, wheaten terrier, bichon frise, havanese etc. Dogs with hair do not produce as much dander as dogs with fur and therefore are less likely to stir up allergies.
The second step is to understand why every member of the family wants the dog and what they would be capable of doing with the dog. Our four legged friends can be watchdogs, playful companions, exercise buddies or just simply lapdogs or lazy couch potatoes (bulldogs anyone?). The main issue you need to address here is the exercise requirements. If everyone wants a dog to roughhouse with or to exercise/play with then you definitely want to steer towards a more agile and athletic pup. If no one wants the responsibility of taking the dog on long walks or actively entertaining the dog with quality play and exercise time then you want to turn your focus to dogs that require very little physical exercise.
The third step is to decide whether you want a purebred or a mixed breed pup. While choosing a purebred seems to be the most predictable option (as every purebred pup has their own breed personalities), going with the new “designer breeds” may be as viable an option as a purebred because they are purposely mixed and therefore their temperaments can be predicted almost as perfectly as a purebred’s temperament. Understand though that every dog has their own unique personality regardless of breed, size or gender and it is wise to interact with your puppy before you purchase him or her.
The fourth step is to determine whether you want to buy a puppy or adopt a dog. Ultimately this is
a choice you will have to make on your own and it will be based on your own preference. However, the key question is whether you want a puppy or an adult dog. If you have young kids, it may be wise to get a young puppy (under 1 year of age) due to the fact that a puppy is a lot more trainable at this age and has not been exposed to any ill treatment or abuse that would adversely affect the temperament of the puppy. The main concern here is the dog’s personality.
Other factors that may contribute to a better result for you and your family are smaller concerns but yet will help make everyone happier with the new addition. These include how much shedding would be tolerated and how large or small of a dog everyone would be able to handle.
Visit us at http://www.internationalkennel.com for your new puppy. Or call us at 516-794-PUPS for more information on how you can get your puppy bred for quality, temperament and trainability. The International Kennel Club has brought happiness and joy with its selection of puppies to New York residents since 1979.
