Choosing a Family Dog
Wednesday, July 14th, 2021Time to add a dog to the family? No matter the reason you want a dog, the process of choosing the right dog takes a bit of research. When it comes to bringing a pet into the family, it is important
to understand the needs of both the dog and your family.
Take Inventory
First things first, take inventory of yourself and your home.
Do you have wonderful memories of having a Lab or German Shepherd chasing you around the yard as a kid and think you want another one? Do you have a yard? Are you able to take them for long walks or runs daily? How big is your home? Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, and German Shepherds are good breeds for kids and families, however they also have a lot of energy to burn. If you are busy and live in the city, your childhood memories may need to stay a memory while you look for a more appropriate breed for your current situation.
Do you live on an acreage with a lot of space inside and out for a dog to play around in or in a smaller townhouse or condo and spend a limited time outdoors? There are plenty of family friendly breeds for all types of home situations.
The Calgary Winter
As you know, it gets cold in the winter and can dip down to -40 at times, so it is important you choose a breed that won’t freeze during the colder months or you have a wardrobe ready to help them stay warm all year round and space inside for them to get their daily exercise.
To Shed or Not Shed?
How do you feel about dog hair on your furniture or vacuuming for the umpteenth time to keep the carpets from having a layer of fur?
Combing or brushing your faithful friend on a regular basis will reduce the amount of hair shed in the house and gives you some one-on-one bonding time. However, if the idea of your hand being covered in dog hair when you pet them or having to constantly comb their coats to get most of their hair into the garbage instead of the house, you may want to consider a hypo-allergenic option.
Poodles, Terriers, and the Bichon Frise have hair instead of fur, so they don’t shed. Since they don’t shed, they need to visit the doggy hairdresser to get a wash, cut, and blow out. If shelling out money for a trip to the puppy beauty parlour isn’t in your budget, you could always learn dog grooming skills.
Breeders have successfully created hybrid breeds trying to get the temperament of breeds such as the Golden Retriever or German Shepherd with the hypo-allergenic hair of a poodle. The first Labradoodle was bred by Australian Wally Conron as a guide dog for a blind woman whose husband was allergic to dog hair. The Doodle dogs started becoming popular in the last 10-15 years as families began to want a non-shedding option of their favourite pure breed.
Cost
Pure breeds and designer breeds come with a hefty price tag. If you want a puppy for your family, you will be looking at $1 000 on the low end and can expect to pay upwards of $5 000, and you haven’t even paid for their first shots or bag of kibble yet. A larger dog will cost more to feed and non-shedding breed will cost more in grooming.
Training
All breeds need to be trained, but some will need more training than others. Are you a patient person who will enjoy spending time training your new dog or are you too busy to put up with daily messes and mistakes? If you don’t want to spend too much time training and more time doing what you do on a regular basis, consider finding an older well-mannered dog whose owner can no longer care for them. There are several reasons why a pet needs a new forever home, their owner dies, moves, or has a life change the animal cannot be brought into.
If you have the patience to train an animal and deal with their misadventures or bad behaviours, consider a rescue dog with unique needs. Abused animals need someone who can give them understanding, patience, care, and love.
Buy or Adopt
Adopting can cost less than purchasing a new puppy. Adopting an older dog comes with less training, unless the dog was abused or untrained in its last home. Adoption has the added benefit of giving a dog a new home and ensuring they are not euthanised due to being without a home.
If you want to adopt, be prepared for an invasive process where your home and family will be assessed to determine your ability to own a dog. Many families abandon the adoption process due to the requirements, however, many rescue dogs need new homes. Finding the right pet takes time and the organization wants to ensure you are getting the right animal for your family.
If you decide to purchase a new puppy, make sure you are buying from a quality breeder and that the parents are healthy. Though the process is less invasive than adoption, each breeder has their own processes and approval criteria to ensure the animals are going to a good home. To ensure you are getting a healthy puppy, you will want to choose a breeder who cares about where the pup will be going.
Once you have figured out the size, temperament, cost, and training requirements you want in your new dog, it’s time to choose a breed. There are lots to choose from and each breed has its own general temperament, strengths, and weaknesses.
To help you determine which breed to start getting to know, we’ve found these online assessments to help you narrow down your search.
American Kennel Club Dog Breed Selector: https://www.akc.org/dog-breed-selector/
Dog Time.com Dog Breed Selector: https://dogtime.com/quiz/dog-breed-selector
Puppy Spot.com Dog Breed Selector: https://www.puppyspot.com/breed-selector-quiz
Have fun learning more about the dog breeds that are best for you!
There is a lot to do before you bring the new member of your family home.
