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Is one breed a better family dog than the next? Does it matter if a dog is a large breed of dog or a small breed of dog? What is a good family dog?
Finding a Family Dog
Trying to find a dog that will fit in and get along with your family can sometimes be quite the challenge. It is best to find out what you and your family are REALLY looking for first. Otherwise, you might end up getting a dog you didn't really want or realize later just won't work out well with your family.
Why Does Your Family Want a Dog?
One of the biggest questions I would ask myself before going out to look at some puppies is "why?" Yes, puppies are sooo cute! Too cute and irresistible at least for me....maybe that's how we ended up with a total of five dogs! Thank goodness they have worked out just fine in our family though..but this may not always be the case.
So, a few good question to ask along with "why" are these:
Do you want a dog just for being a
- Companion? A dog that loves to do whatever you do...follows you everywhere no matter what....go for a walk, car ride, or just sitting around being a couch potato.
- A playmate for the kids? A dog that loves the excitement and energy of playing with children...has lots of energy to keep up with the kids, but also a very patient, gentle dog.
- A guard dog? A dog that is protective of your home and also of the kids maybe....I wouldn't go overboard with looking for a dog that is known to be very protective, aggressive, or territorial since it can lead to problems later...especially if you are not experienced in training or handling dogs.
- An exercise companion? This is a dog that loves its exercise and needs to be active..so, look for a breed that is more likely to need a lot of exercise and you'll be getting a great exercise buddy!
What To Look For
It's a great idea to look up and research as much as you can when looking for a new dog for your family. Although each and every dog has its own special personality, it is a good idea to look up the general characteristics of the breed.
A few things you should pay attention to whether you are getting a brand new puppy or adopting a dog from a local shelter:
- Breed-If you are looking at a specific breed of dog make sure to check out the general characteristics such as its size, energy level, training level (easy to train or not), common health issues, and average life span.
- Personality-Certain dog breeds are known to have more friendly personalities while others are known for being more aggressive in general. But, I believe that a lot of different factors contribute to a certain dog's personality such as how it is treated by its owners especially when it is a puppy, how well trained it is, whether it is in good health or not, etc.
When looking at a new puppy or dog that you are interested in welcoming into your home there are a few things that you may want to look for if you want to have it a bit easier on yourself and your family.
* What is its reaction to you? Does it come up to you wagging its tail or does it back away? Or, worse yet, its growling at you? Well, I can tell you now that growling is not a great sign unless you are up for a good challenge.
What Makes a Good Family Dog?
A good family dog is usually well trained, friendly, well socialized, playful, and pretty much loves to do whatever the family is doing whether it is going for a walk, playing frisbee or ball, or just sitting around relaxing.
So, go ahead and do your homework and then go get that puppy or adopt an older dog that needs a home! Although it may be hard to find that certain breed, you can also consider mixed breeds, which are great too. Just look up the different breeds that the dog is mixed with and you'll have some idea of its general characteristics...it could be any of those listed under either breed.
thanks for insights on getting a dog. I was petting a friend's dog earlier today kind of thinking I've never had a dog... and wondering a bit what it might be like and what dog. glad I found your article today.
Hi Cynthia, Wow, I can't imagine my life without a dog or five, lol. It's definitely a good idea to think about since it does change your life in some ways, almost like having kids, but with fur. Thanks for reading and commenting. I truly appreciate it! I'm glad to hear this helped and if you're thinking about getting a dog in the future let me know if you have any questions. I'd be happy to help in any way I can. Best wishes! :)
Thanks, Sherry....for the good info getting a dog...my daughter and sons want to have a dog, but the problem is, we often out of the country. Good article!
Hi Divine, Thanks for reading and commenting! I know how kids love the idea of having a dog, but they often don't realize the responsibility of having them such as in your case having to travel out of the country often...then what to do with the dog? We have the same problems, lol, times five, since we own five dogs now. Although we so far have not gone to any other countries, but even just to go somewhere for a few days is a big difficulty for us. Owning five of them, it is too expensive to consider boarding them in a kennel, at least for us right now, and the only other options are to either bring them all with us or have a trusted family member watch them. Myself, I would prefer having someone we can trust to watch them than a boarding kennel anyways...that way the dogs are more comfortable since they already will be missing us. I hate the thought of them left in a strange place anyways...yes, they are spoiled fur babies! But, I guess it all depends where we are going and whether the dogs will be welcome there or not.
Thank you Kymee! Yes, it does seem like even mixed breed dogs are expensive now too. It seems like its very hard to find free puppies at all anymore like when I was young too. Boy, even when I was a teenager we were able to buy a purebred toy poodle for $50 although my mom never told my dad we paid for it, lol. He wasn't too thrilled in the first place, but before too long he was spoiling her like a queen :)
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