what breed of dog should i get?

Answer 1

I'd need to know what your lifestyle is - kids or not? How much time are you willing to spend training, exercising and caring for the dog?

Get a healthy dog with a temperament that best suits your lifestyle. If you have an apartment, you should avoid the scent hounds, terriers, herding and toy dogs that tend to bark a lot. English Springer Spaniels, Vizslas, Goldens and other Sporting dogs are great if you've got the energy to exercise them. The bigger the dog, the longer they can go between walks and the easier they are to housebreak. Pekingese, ENGLISH Cocker Spaniels (not American!), Japanese Chins and Cavalier King Charles Spaniels are a great, friendly, quiet apartment dogs if you want something smaller.

Irish Wolfhounds, Greyhounds and Whippets are terrific apartment dogs, as long as you can take them out for a long daily run. They ARE couch potatoes (like our Borzoi - Russian wolfhound) and you won't even know they're around most of the time. They are quiet and easily housebroken and much better than most small dogs. Be careful if you're adopting a racing greyhound off the track. They are often fine, but many have behavior problems (like destructive chewing) from being locked in a cage with little socialization. Also, remember that sighthounds are hunting dogs and some will kill small animals (cats, rabbits, toy dogs) if they haven't grown up with them.

Find a good breeder by going to www.akc.org or talking to people at dog shows. You can also find info about the breed clubs on the akc site - they probably have a rescue group where you can get an older dog for less money. The best breeders will be members of their breed club, promoting healthy dogs with great temperaments. They should ask you a bunch of questions to make sure their puppy will be getting a good home. If all a "breeder" seems to care about is whether your check will clear, you can be sure he won't care a week later when the pup is dying from distemper or parvo and you want your money back.

Whatever you do, DON'T go to a pet shop, a flea market or buy one sight-unseen off the Internet!!!! You'll pay top dollar for what is usually a poor quality puppy mill dog. And you'll be supporting one of the cruelest industries in the country. The breeding animals are often kept in deplorable conditions - spending their entire lives in small wire-bottomed cages. They probably haven't been vaccinated against contagious diseases or tested for any health or temperament problems or genetic diseases - that costs money and cuts into their profits. A female is often bred every time she comes into heat. When her poor little body can't take it any more, she is often clubbed in the head and tossed into a dumpster or an open ditch. Most puppy mills ship their pups to pet stores at wholesale prices and many pups die before they even get there.

Answer 2

In my experience, the dog breeds which are the least likely to develop human aggression issues are the Pug, Beagle, English Bulldog, and Boston Terrier. I haven't really seen an example of any of those breeds that I would say had a serious aggression issue, though I have met more than a few nervous Beagles. Well-bred Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, Pit Bulls, and Greyhounds would be right up there as well. On the other hand are the breeds which are most likely to be aggressive. I have never had a pleasant experience with a Yorkie. In fact, of the 50 or so Yorkies that I have encountered, I would say all 50 had some sort of aggression issue. Chow Chows, Akitas, and Chihuahuas are right up there as well. But, I would say that the most aggressive dog breeds are the various breeds of Terrier from Scotland, the Scottish Terrier, West Highland White Terrier, Cairn Terrier, Dandie Dinmont Terrier, and Skye Terrier. Scotties and Westies in particular are very bitey dogs.

Answer 3

Choosing the right dog depends on several things. 1) How much time do you have for play? 2) How much time do you want to spend grooming the dog? 3) How much space do you have? A large dog does not necessarily need a lot of room. Some large dogs are quite happy in apartments. Likewise, some small dogs need lots of room to be exercised. 4) Can you handle a strong-willed dog? 5) How much time will the dog spend alone? Also, large dogs generally cost more... More food, ect.

This website has a great questionare that you can answer. After you answer it, they will suggest several breeds for you.
http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/search.htm

Answer 4

Before you decide on a breed, PLEASE consider adopting a homeless dog. There are SO many furry guys out there who so desperately need a home and someone to love. I have 2 Golden Retrievers, both were adopted from rescue groups when they had only a few days left.

Check www.petfinder.com. You can type in your city or zip code and see all of the dogs in your area who are looking for a new home.

Answer 5

Well that all depends on you and your lifestyle. Are you an active person? Do you live in a house or apt? Do you have any other animals? Do you want a big or little dog?

Go to akc.org to learn about different breeds and how they match to you. Or go to ukcdogs.com to learn more.

Answer 6

depends on your lifestyle
are you active, have a big back yard? live in an apt? a house? will you be around a lot, or will this dog be alone a lot?
do you want a guard dog?
pick a dog that is a good match, or you'll have troubles
some dogs, are very active and need to run a lot
some need to have "jobs"
how about a golden retriever, or a pug?

Answer 7

It all depends on your surroundings. If you live in an apartment I would say a small dog, something cute, like a Pom or Yorkie. If you live in the country, get a bigger dog. Black Labs are great dogs.

Answer 8

Get a Golden they are awesome pets great with kids and very loyal. My friend next door has 2 and she loves them they are like part of the family. Good watch dogs and love to play.

Answer 9

i like always i would recommend labs. they are so cool!
try filling this out:

http://sy.adiho.com/ASA/Controller?adi_hasScript=1&_AD_195R22=85&adi_scriptSID=517E5F4398A0108D46028E4FFB592564&sysid=33&appid=9901

just fill it out and it will recomend a breed. it does not have to be a pure blood dog and dogs from the pound are just as cute!

for info on the breed try this:

http://pets.yahoo.com/pets/dogs/breed/alpha

for health info:

http://pets.yahoo.com/pets/dogs/hn/

for training info:

http://pets.yahoo.com/pets/dogs/bt/

for new dog info:

http://pets.yahoo.com/pets/dogs/ne/

also you could check the pound/shelter to see who is the next dog that is going to be put to sleep. hope this helps!

Answer 10

It really depends on ur living conditions, and what you are looking for in a dog,

If you have a big block , then get something that would like the space, if you got a small block , then of course, get something small ,