Thingsto take into account (in this order)

1) Your lifestyle-Time, energy, financial resources

2) Age group. Puppy, adult, senior

3) Height/Weight

4) Grooming needs

5) Breed

6) Special needs-Medication, special bathing requirementsetc.

7) Individual Appearance

The first thing to do when searching for a new companion is to sit down and objectively evaluate your lifestyle. How much time can you put into a dog for grooming, exercise, play and training? Decide why you think you want a new dog and then startlooking for breeds that match your time allotment, personality and living situation.

Age is important when deciding to add a companion to your life. Puppies and seniors are going to require more time and money than a young adult dog. House-training and medication can be pricey in both energy and cash so make sure you have the resources available for the age group you’re interested in. Special needs are not always tied into age. Many breeds of dog need special care because of their risk of health issues. Pugs for instance need special bathing/drying care and English Bulldogs need tons of medical assistance.

Size and grooming amounts are consumers of time and money as well. Large dogs eat more, eliminate more and typically needHuge amounts of exercise/play time. Long-haired dogs need daily brushing and can require having the area beneath their tail trimmed short or shaved to prevent cling-ons. The same goes for dogs with double coats such as the spitz breeds. Their undercoat causes them to over-heat easily and needs a special rake’ to remove the matting under hair.

Breed is a very essential consideration because the breed dictates all of the above items. However in order to find a breed that’s suitable you have to decide just how much you want to invest into proper care. Once you have got it narrowed down to a small sampling of different breeds or a breed group that you’re interested in it’s time to hit the books or the Internet and find out as much about those breeds as you can. Research should be done before picking your new dog in order to provide you with a platform to startfrom. A good breeder will do their best to match personalities and many will also tell you if their breed isn’t right for you.

Once you have taken an honest look at your lifestyle and what breeds will mesh with you and your home it’s time to take a look at their physical characteristics. Only after everything else has been sifted through should a dog’s appearance come into the huge picture. Getting a dog because it’s cute’ or funny’ is a bad idea that frequently results in the animal being dumped because it just wasn’t working out. Love at first sight can be a great thing however, it soon wears off if you aren’t prepared for the work involved. Don’t make that mistake if you want the ideal chance of a long, successful partnership with your canine friend.

Dogs are generally split into seven major categories, sometimes eight if you count the miscellaneous category. The different types of dog groupings help to categorize dogs based upon there features. A few types of dog groups include Terriers, Toy Dogs, and Non-Sporting Dogs.

Terrier Dogs

Terrier dogs were originally bred to hunt and control vermin and other predators such as rats, mice, foxes and ferrets. This selective breeding for specific characteristic and traits gave rise to small, energetic breeds with very determined temperaments.

Terriers were bred for their capability to dig tenaciously in search of their quarry as well as the tendency to bark persistently in order to frighten their prey out of hiding.

Terrier dogs tend to be small or medium in size and are usually described as feisty, willing to take on even the biggest of opponents with no regard for size. This is an excellent trait for hunting rats, but not always a nice attitude with other pets or young children.

The very traits that make them successful hunters can also make them a Littledifficult to train effectively as their determined nature may seem to some as being stubborn.

Toy Dogs

Dogs belonging to the toy dog group were originally bred and developed to provide pleasure and companionship to wealthier people. Where other dog breeds were allocated specific roles in hunting or working, toy dogs had no specific working function and became somewhat of a status symbol.

Before the advent of breeding for appearance, toy dog breeds were often employed as lap warmers or bed warmers, spawning the name lap dog and could often be seen seated on the laps of nobles and royalty in both Oriental and European palaces and castles.

Toy dogs generally make very simple care domestic pets,even though without sufficient socialization when they are pups, toy breeds may tend to become very protective of their owners and their property. This trait can develop a persistent barking habit, or yapping, in these very small dogs as they seek to ward off others from what they perceive as their property.

Some more common types of toy dogs include the Chihuahua, Maltese terrier, Pomeranian, Shih Tzu, and Poodles among other types of dogs.

Non-Sporting Dogs

There are so many different types of dogs encompassed in the non-sporting dogs group that it is difficult to give one specific classification or general trait among them.

Non-sporting dog varieties are available in different sizes, coats, appearances, traits and temperaments. This classification is then more specific to all types of dogs whose primary breeding purpose is no longer utilized.

Many of the breeds found in the non-sporting dogs group were once bred for tasks that have alteredover time so that these tasks are no longer as commonly required. Such tasks as hunting small game, bull baiting, circus performing dogs and even coach dogs like the Dalmatian are included in these types of dogs.

Examples of the types of dog breeds included in the non-sporting dogs classification include the Dalmation, the Lhasa Apso, Poodle, Chow Chow, Bichon Frise, and the Chinese Shar-pei.

Herding Dogs

Herding dogs were originally developed to utilize theirLargelevels of stamina and agility. Many types of dogs in the herding dog group are able to herd animals that may be many times their size and this can seem as though they are able to control the movements and direction of other animals. They are also able to control the movements ofHuge herds of sheep, deer, or cattle that number in the hundreds with relative ease.

Most types of herding dogs have been bred over generations to sport a weatherproof double-coat that not only protects them from the cold, but can also insulate them against the heat.

Herding dogs are very intelligent and have enormous amounts of energy. The combination of these two traits can mean herding dogs often become destructive if not given sufficient exercise or mental stimulationTo halt them becoming bored.

The instinctive nature of herding dogs is very strong and they’ll attempt to round up members of the family, including other pets, in order to direct them back to areas or activities the dogwould rather to be enjoying.

Herding dogs respond very well to firm training and actually enjoy being challenged with tasks that make them hunt, seek, track, or find object. They will perform ideal when given specific tasks To completeprior to receiving a positive reward or reinforcement.

Border collies, Australian Cattle Dogs, German Shepherd Dogs, and Shetland Sheepdogs are among the various types of herding dogs.

In more recent times, the intelligence and natural determination of these types of dogs has led them to be utilized in alternative roles away from their traditional herding roles.

It is becoming more common to see many different types of herding dogs actively used in working dog roles, such as police work, tracking work, and even rescue work.

Miscellaneous Dog Breeds

There are some dog breeds that are classified as miscellaneous simply due to not being recognized by the American Kennel Club at the time of this writing, although they are being considered for inclusion into the recognized dog breeds list.

One miscellaneous dog breed includes the Neapolitan Mastiff, which was originally bred in Italy as a war breed to be used in dog fighting and bear baiting. They were also often used by the Romans in the arena, but these enormous fierce dogs are also very effective as guard dogs.

The Black Russian terrier is also quite an old Russian breed, dating back to the 1800s. Originally bred for military use, these Largedogs were also used in the bull-fighting ring.

Another miscellaneous dog breed is the Glen of Imaal Terrier, originally from Ireland and bred to hunt small game. The terrier is also known as a Miniature Irish Wolfhound.

Some current types of dogs that are popular come from the Terrier group and the Toy dogs group to name a couple. Read more about these different types of dogs.

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