Choosing the right dog breed is a big decision and one that shouldn’t be rushed. After all, it’s a long-term commitment that comes with a lot of responsibilities.
Choosing a dog breed involves considering many different factors—such as your lifestyle, family, personal preferences, and capabilities. This can seem overwhelming, especially if it’s your first time buying a dog.
To help, the experts at Puppy Hero have put together this guide so you can feel confident in picking the right dog breed for you, your family, and your home.
When choosing a dog breed, there are several important factors that can influence your decision, including where you live, who you live with, and if you have any other pets.
Let’s take a look at these factors in closer detail.
Finding the best dog breeds for families can take a bit of time.
However, you can start by looking for breeds that have the following traits:
These traits are ideal for families—especially ones with children—as calm, intelligent, and playful breeds will adapt easily to lively and busy homes of all ages.
If you have—or are worried about developing—pet allergies, fret not. Many people who show signs of allergies are still able to introduce a dog to the family. It’s just about knowing the best dog breeds for allergies.
Some allergy-friendly dogs include:
You can also take steps to help manage your allergies, such as investing in pet allergy products (such as air purifiers that have a HEPA filter) or encouraging a non-allergic member of your household to take charge of grooming your new dog.
If you’re considering adding a puppy to the family, but are worried about your allergies, speak to your doctor about how you might be able to manage a reaction.
Read more: The Best Large Hypoallergenic Dogs
When it comes to choosing a dog breed, it’s important to make sure your home is right for the type of pup you’d like to home.
For example, finding the right dog breed for an apartment can take some additional time. Aside from respecting your apartment contract and rules about owning pets, there are a few things to consider:
When it comes to choosing a dog breed suitable for apartment living, the main things to consider are the size, loudness, and exercise needs of your ideal puppy.
It’s common for pet lovers to own more than one furry pal, but how do you know if you’re choosing a dog breed that’s happy with other pets?
Whilst owning several pets is a lovely idea, in reality, you should spend some time researching and choosing a dog breed that will get along with other pets.
Luckily, there are plenty of dogs that get along with other dogs—such as Collies and Cocker Spaniels. If you own a cat, Golden Doodles and Beagles are a purrfect match! And for all other pets, Golden Retrievers are one of the most tolerant breeds you’ll find when it comes to living with other creatures.
For further advice on choosing a dog breed when you own other pets, check out our expert guide on the best dog breeds for families with other pets.
It’s well known that owning a pet can dramatically increase your wellbeing, but did you know that mental health professionals can prescribe emotional support animals?
Whether you’re looking for a furry companion, or you need a bit of extra support, read our expert guide on the best dog breeds for emotional support.
One of the questions you may want to know the answer to when choosing a dog breed is whether you should get a pedigree or cross-breed puppy.
A pedigree pup will have parents of the same breed, a cross-breed puppy, on the other hand, will have parents of two different breeds.
Some of the benefits of choosing a pedigree breed include:
Puppy Hero personally verifies each pedigree dog breeder to ensure the health and safety of all puppies that need a home.
If you’re wondering how to choose a dog breed that’s right for you, you can make it easy on yourself and use Puppy Hero.
We care so much about giving puppies the right homes, that we have some non-negotiable standards. These include:
The best way to choose the right dog breed for you is to find breeders that are trustworthy. Find out more by getting in touch with us today via our online contact form, or email us at [email protected].