Choosing The Right Dog for You and Your Family

Bringing a dog into your home and family is always an exciting prospect with huge potential for everyone involved. It also comes with numerous responsibilities, and should not be lightly undertaken. Once you have decided that you are ready for a dog, what the right dog is becomes the next consideration for you and your family.

Potential owners must factor for any number of decisions when considering which dog is best and most appropriate for them and their family. In our experience, compatibility with your current and likely future lifestyle is the most critical factor. A senior rescue Shih Tzu will have very different needs from a working line German Shepherd puppy, which fully understanding is critical to any dog’s wellbeing. As far as we are concerned, there is no such thing as an inherently good or bad choice of dog. Instead, there can and is the right or wrong one at any given time.

Breed, age, training status, and parental line are all important factors we advise any prospective owners to consider before getting a new dog. A puppy will naturally be exciting and attractive, but also require significant commitment. Temperamental issues may only become apparent later on its life, whereas an adult dog is more likely to be a “known quantity”, especially if rescued. Adult dogs offer more certainty than puppies, and are often less demanding. Similarly, a trained dog such as the ones we place with families around the world offers significant benefits to owners seeking a dog ready to work.

Even if you are buying a puppy, there can be significant variance within the same litter. Some puppies will naturally be bolder and more dominant, while others (often the runt) may be timider and more submissive. Where possible, it is worth observing puppies interacting as a litter to give an indication of their likely personalities when they develop into adult dogs, as well as spending time with their parents.

Given the significance of getting any dog, ensuring you choose the right one is of paramount importance. Matching its needs with your lifestyle as well as what you can offer it should be the starting point for any such decisions which should ideally be made as a family. For further advice from our training team about choosing the best and most suitable dog, please email us on [email protected].