It cannot be denied that dogs are considered to be the best companion of every individual. That’s the reason for the saying a dog is a man’s best friend.
People who love the clinginess of a dog would agree that these packed animals are cherished and valuable. Yes, the feeling and experience of owning a dog are different.
But do you know how to find the best dog breed for you? This is a question most first-time dog owners would ask. Picking the right dog is quite hard. Consider some factors.
The impact of these factors on your decision is always dependent on your preferences and circumstances.
In this post, we will provide you some of the important things to keep in mind when picking the right dog breed for you.
So, if you want to know more about it, then keep on reading and enjoy!
1. Dogs Require Grooming
All dogs, despite their breed, require regular grooming to keep them clean and looking good. But as mentioned, how frequent you will groom your dog will always depend on the breed you choose.
Just like humans, the nails of your dogs should be trimmed short. Whether you have a long-haired or short-haired dog, you need to brush them frequently.
To complete their proper grooming, your pup needs to take a bath occasionally. On the other hand, compared to long-haired dogs, short-haired puppies don’t require frequent brushing.
But take note that they shed more than the long-haired ones. This means that you need to allot more time to groom your furry friend and clean your house.
2. Most Dog Breeds Can Live More than a Decade
The lifespan of a dog will depend on different factors, including their size and breed.
But if you opt for a breed with good genetics and take care of them properly, they can live for more than a decade.
You are probably planning to get a hound to become a companion of your little son or daughter. Just imagine you purchase a hound as a present for your 12-year old daughter.
During that time, she is taking proper care of your gift. But, what if she will now go to a University to spend her college days?
Are you willing to take care of her dog? Take note that adopting or purchasing a pup is a lifetime responsibility.
3. Dogs Require Exercise
If you considered walking from your bedroom to your kitchen to get some stuff to eat as a form of exercise, we recommend you not to choose a dog breed that requires a lot of exercise.
Just like humans, a puppy or a big hound has their level of tolerance for exercise or inactivity. With that in mind, make sure to opt for a dog that has a similar level of activity as yours.
If you owned a dog before, you would agree that they are very adaptable and always want to impress their human parents.
As long as you and your pup are living together, they can adapt to your lifestyle. So, if you are an active person, look for a high activity level pup.
On the other hand, if you are a couch-potato type of person, look for a dog breed with a low level of activeness.
4. Be Open to Getting a Mixed Breed
As you go on with this article, there might be some potential breeds coming in your mind.
Before you visit this post, you have thought of purchasing a particular breed, but you are still undecided about whether or not it suits your lifestyle.
Most individuals who are looking for a pet dog based their decision according to the breed’s characteristics, such as grooming requirements, exercise needs, size, and many more.
Keep in mind that, even though a set of characteristics of a pup will depend on their breed, we cannot guarantee that a single hound can receive all the breed’s expected characteristics.
That’s why most dog owners recommend the first-timers to opt for a mixed dog breed.
Dogs that have a mixed breed are inexpensive, but you can also notice that they have the best combination of the characteristics of the two dog breeds.
5. Consider Getting an Older Dog
It cannot be denied that most individuals planning to get a dog would prefer adopting or buying a pup.
If you are one of them, why not consider taking care of an older or more mature hound. Most dog shelters in your area usually have adult dogs that are ready and available for adoption.
A mature dog can give you more advantages than a small one. First, you can foresee their potential size and height.
Second, you can determine their coat characteristics. Take note that the fur of a dog might change as he or she grows older. Aside from that, adult dogs don’t require a lot of training compared to puppies.
Lastly, you can easily determine their congenital issues, behavioral issues, overall health, personality, and many more.
6. Puppies Grow
As mentioned, you can’t determine how big your pup would be in the future. This means that if you are looking for a lap dog or have limited space, make sure that you will do thorough research about your chosen breed’s possible size.
This is because small pups grow larger than what you have expected.
What are the Benefits of Owning the Right Dog?
You get numerous benefits from owning and taking care of a dog.
These benefits include having a companion when you are alone or performing a little exercise during the day.
Aside from that, owning a dog can also improve your physical and mental health. Everyone believes in the saying that dogs are man’s best friend.
Indeed! Considering their happy-go-lucky characteristics and cute faces, no one can resist them.
But, do you know that you can get several benefits that can improve your physical health and social life? If not, let us give you a glimpse of these benefits.
1. Having a Dog can Help you Stay Active.
One of the benefits everyone would enjoy from owning a dog, despite the breed, is that they can improve the time you spend for jogging or walking around your town in a day without noticing it.
Yes, it cannot be denied that exercising daily is quite hard for us, especially for those who have busy work.
But considering that dogs need regular exercise for their health, you need to give it to them without hesitation as a dog owner. In addition to that, playing your dogs in the ground is also considered a form of exercise.
Fetch is one of the popular games that will make you feel tired even if you are not the one who’s running around.
If you have a hard time to switch your couch-potato life into an active one, why not consider owning a dog as your pet? You would be more active without realizing it.
2. Dogs are Great for your Blood Pressure
Another health benefit given by our dogs is its capability to calm us. Your calmness can affect your overall health.
A study performed by the students of Harvard University concluded that dog owners are not prone to high blood pressure.
This is because they perform more exercises than before. Also, petting your hound also has a significant effect on your health.
3. They Teach us Valuable Skills.
Those who already previous owners of a dog know the importance of training their pooches. Dog training requires patience, effort, time, and other aspects that can help us to improve our lives.
But these things are only some of the numerous benefits that our pooches can give. Their cute look and gullible characteristic are enough for us to be happy during our downtimes.
If you have a child in your house, you might consider giving them a dog as your presence on their birthday. This is because dogs can teach your kids a lot of things regarding responsibility.
4. Dogs are Brilliant Companions
All of us know that dogs are a brilliant companion. When you are with them, negativity does not have space in your life.
Your heart is being filled with happiness seeing your happy yappy. There are a lot of dog breeds with a natural characteristic of being sociable. This means that they love being with their owner or other animals.
Your pup fetches you from the door of your house with a big smile on his face, giving you the companionship you need to feel recharged after a very tiring job.
5. Dogs Enable you to Meet a Lot of New People.
One of the most unnoticeable benefits you can get from owning a dog is improving your social life.
There are many methods your dog could help you make new friends, including walking in a park with your dog.
As mentioned, your happy yappy will require you to become more active. Being active will make you unnoticeably more sociable.
You can meet new people and start to create a new relationship by exploring other places for your dog’s daily exercise.
Despite being different, dog owners have a single similarity, which is the love for dogs.
6. Life Becomes better with Dogs.
One of the greatest bonding moments between you and your dog is through exercising, such as walking and jogging. Nothing can beat your walking experience with your dog in a fresh environment.
The happiness brought to you by a yappy is at a different level. It helps both of you to feel relaxed and calm when you are with each other’s company.
7. Dogs Make Us Laugh
Individuals who have dogs in their houses are a lot happier compared to those who haven’t.
This is according to the research of Society and Animals. According to the researchers, individuals who live with cats, dogs, and other pet animals laugh more in a day.
8. Dogs Save Lives
It cannot be denied that dogs and cats are not friends and would never be. But, a heroic dog shared his blood with a cat to save and extend its life. Just like humans, a dog’s blood is also considered to be universal.
According to the veterinarian, the cat needs a blood transfusion immediately, but the doctors cannot find available cat blood.
Thus, they have decided to use the dog’s blood for the cat’s blood transfusion. Aside from that, dogs are also known for saving human lives.
They give their owners an early warning for possible threats or unknown individuals walking and monitoring their property. This animal is also a great help for those individuals suffering from seizures.
Highly-trained dog pets can sense the possible occurrence of seizure. When the seizure starts, the dog will also start to bark.
When this happens, the individuals around the patient will become more alert. This will also prevent them from having injuries caused by falling.
The reason behind dogs sensing the possible danger or seizure is still unknown.
9. Dogs Boost Our Self-Confidence
Another study was conducted where the respondents are tasked to live with canines for ten months.
The research concluded that after ten months of being together, the respondents had shown less fear of crime, improved exercise habits, and enhanced self-confidence.
Conclusion
Owning a dog gives you a different kind of experience and happiness. Before you own one, assess yourself whether or not you are ready to take the responsibilities of being a PAWrent.
Before choosing a dog breed, make sure that you will consider the things we have listed above.
The benefits we mentioned might also be a huge factor that will encourage you to buy or adopt a furry friend.
If you have decided what dog breed you want to take care of, go to the nearest dog breeder in your area and find your preferred breed of yappy.
