Choosing a Dog
This is an incredibly tough topic to cover in a short article, although, what is imperative to understand is that choosing a dog that will fit for you and your lifestyle takes some time. The choice should be accompanied by a sincere effort to research breed traits and be honest with yourself what will actually fit with who you are.
Choosing a dog is like buying shoes. First you have to decide if you want sandals, snow boots, hiking boots, stilettos, work boots, or slippers. You have to know what you are going to be doing and which shoe will work. As an example, different breeds have different generalized personality traits. Hunting dogs tend to like to follow scent more than they want food and they tend to have nice soft personalities that go well in a home where natural human leadership may be average. Guarding dogs tend to need a strong leader and require guidance and a ton of socialization. Working breeds, especially northern breeds such as Malamutes and Huskys tend to be very independent and are not especially easy to train. And terriers are bred to have high pain tolerance and huge interest in chasing vermin including the local squirrels, rabbits and anything else that moves. Terriers also require an owner that has some good leadership skills.
Once you have researched the traits of different breeds, much like deciding what kind of shoe you need or want, then you have to find the shoe that fits. Even though you might want a hiking boot, you need to find one that fits YOU. If you buy a shoe that is too big or too small, you can barely stand to wear the boot because of the blisters. Dogs can be much the same way. Within every breed, there are individual personalities. Taking your time getting to know a particular dog is the best way to realize if you can live with it and if the dog has the personality that you get along with.
When looking at mixed breed dogs, rarely do we find half the traits of whatever breed you suspect the dog may be. If you find a half terrier/half poodle for example, you may not get half of the terrier traits or half of the poodle traits. It could be more poodle than terrier, or more terrier than poodle.
Again, the best way to know if a dog fits your lifestyle and YOUR personality is to research potential breeds you are interested in, then look for those potential breeds in the mixes you find.
Be honest with yourself. If you happen to like a high-energy dog, but don’t have a fenced yard, or your dog must be home all day, this is going to create some pretty heavy behavior problems. If you like guarding or protection breeds like a German Shepherd or a Pyrenees, but you are a marshmallow when it comes to being directive and providing structure, then these breeds may end up causing you a lot of grief. A Pyrenees is not a white Golden Retriever! And most German Shepherds are not Rin Tin Tin!
Take your time bringing a dog into your life. Ask a professional what dog might fit for you. Once you decide what breed(s) might work for you, then look for an individual dog that fits. Bringing a dog into your home is a lifetime commitment. Dogs have precious lives that must be considered. They are not disposable. Always, always, always sleep on it. Never make a selection on impulse if you really want to enjoy the next 15 years.
Caption: The perfect dog for me is a German Shepherd. I love their loyalty, their protective instinct and how hard they work. They can be a very tough dog for many people and require huge training and socialization.
