Before anyone gets a dog or a puppy the first thing that they need to think about is what dog breed do I get? The breed of dog that you choose will have a huge effect on how your family operates and runs in the future. Why? Well a dog breed will determine a lot of things. How? A dog breed has specific traits that are common among all dogs of that particular breed. For example, a Rottweiler is a wonderful dog breed in my opinion but they have certain traits that many people cannot handle. Since you can have a wide array of personalities while sticking in the same dog breed we will focus on the general things. In our example of the Rottweiler, they are huge dogs. They are considered a large dog breed and must be recognized as such. Large dog breeds will require more room in a house and yard than smaller dog breeds. When it comes to food, larger dog breeds will require substantially more dog food that the smaller dog breeds. That is just the tip of the iceberg.

When many people by dogs they choose the dog breeds at random and based off of what they think looks nice or sounds fun. Depending on where the dog will be living that may be OK to do, however some people live in areas that certain dog breeds should not be purchased. One example would be a Siberian Husky. A Siberian Husky is a dog breed that has a thick and heavy coat of fur. They have this coat of fur because they are meant to live in extremely cold environments. If you live in south Florida this may not be one of the dog breeds you should be looking into. Granted, you can shave the coat down so that the hair is suitable for that climate but that is not necessarily the point. My opinion is that a dog breed should be able to survive happily in the climate without alterations to their natural state. Many people will disagree with me and that is alright.

In addition to the physical attributes of dog breeds there are the mental attributes. Many dog breeds like to be very active and do require either a large area to run around freely or substantial amounts of walking and exercise on a leash. If you are a person that lives in a small apartment and does not have a yard or a lot of time for walking your dog then the larger and more active of the dog breeds may not be the best for you. This is not a horrible thing and many people fit into this group. The good thing is that there are a ton of dog breeds that will fit just that situation. Many dog breeds do not require a whole lot of exercise or room to run around, mostly the smaller dog breeds. If you have limited room and time consider selecting one of these dog breeds.

In a nutshell, dogs are great and there are huge amount of dog breeds to choose from but do yourself and your dog a favor, choose a dog breed that fits your lifestyle and needs.