So, you have been through that “Cat person or Dog person” debate, you have listened to your personal calling and you have decided that dogs are cuter and better than dogs; now you wander from one dog person friend to another dog person friend, one pet store to another pet store, asking yourself, “What kind of dog should I get?”, and you do not get any answer. Well, this is where we come into play. This blog-post intends to answer this question, and we are quite sure that you won’t need any dog breeder selector after going through this article.
First of all congratulations! There is a reason why most of the people prefer a dog to a cat, and you have taken the right decision. Now, relax, get a mug of coffee or tea, whatever fancies you, go to a quieter corner of your house, sit relaxed in the couch, take one long sip and see how we make this a rather very difficult choice, a piece of cake for you.
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Contents
- What kind of dog should I get?
- What kind of dogs Americans love the most?
- Where can I go to get a pet dog?
- Infographic
- What is the best dog breed for me?
- What defines the kind of dog that I need?
- What is the size of your ideal dog?
- How would you like to spend time with your dog?
- How bright and responsible would you like your dog to be?
- What kind of residence do you have?
What kind of dog should I get?
Well, there is no easy answer to this question. This question actually leads to a lot of other questions. Those questions discuss in detail your personality, your perfections and imperfections and what kind of person you are. After all, dog is the best companion of human beings; you will only get a companion identical to you in terms of mood, behavior and personal liking and disliking.
However, before we get into those questions, let us run a simple test – what kind of dogs Americans love the most. This will help us understand the trend and thus pick the right kind of dog for you.
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What kind of dogs Americans love the most?
As per the facts and figures, Americans prefer small dogs to bigger dogs. The number of small pet dogs exceeds the number of medium and large sizes; it is 27.5 million.[1] However, when it comes to the favorite breed, Labrador Retriever stands first, followed by German Shepherd and Beagle.[2]
Apart from Lab Retriever, German Shepherd and Beagle, Americans love Golden Retriever and Yorkshire Terrier the most.[3] Yet, the reason for Americans loving the smaller dogs is not beyond understanding. The American population is fast moving from rural to urban areas and thus those extra-large canines do not find much space in small and congested urban dwellings. People do not have much choice, but to move from bigger to smaller breeds.
The number of pet dogs from small breeds is rapidly increasing, while dogs from large and medium-sized breeds are simply losing the pet battle to smaller breeds. As per the facts and figures shared by Washington Post, the percentage of American households with small pet dogs as compared to a total of American households with medium and large-sized dogs is roughly 50%.[4]
As per the statistics shared by the same website, 1999 marks the beginning of a new era in the dog petting trends and behaviors. From this year onwards, the number of big pet dogs has fallen by 1 million pets, the number of medium-sized pet dogs has fallen to half a million, while the number of small pet dogs has increased by a whopping 15 million! O yeah! Who would have thought that the big American pet dog legacy would vanish so soon?
So, next time when you feel like asking yourself, “What is the best dog breed for me?” you must know that answer lies in your surroundings and your personal choice. As per the opinion of the Washington Post writer, the rather dramatic shift from big to small dogs, is because of migration from rural to urban areas. However, in our opinion, another possible reason is the bad economic situation. You need a big pocket to feed a big dog, while a small dog does not cost a lot.
As per Roberto A. Fredman’s (author of Washington Post article) own opinion, another reason why most of the Americans would prefer a Chihuahua over a big dog is delay in marriage and kids. While marriage and kids seem too far, it is always possible to adore and adopt a small and economical canine. A 2010 report of Pets International also seconds to this opinion and makes mention of how tiny dogs have become new fashion trend.[5]
What really marks the advent of small dog era is the launch of French bulldog, which weighs more or less 20 pounds. It was back in 2008, as per the opinion of Fredman, when small dogs became the most popular dogs in the USA and this trend is only going sky high.[6] This is why, the answer to your question, as to “What dog is right for me?” can possibly be a “Small Dog!”
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Where can I go to get a pet dog?
After you have been through the dog breed selector part, you can go to a pet store or a pet shelter to buy or adopt a dog. As per APPA, 23% of dogs are taken from shelter, 20% from friends and 34% from pet breeders/stores.[7]
Americans love their dogs and as this is why USA is on top of the list of countries with highest pet dog population; the number is more than 69,929,000, leaving behind Brazil with 35,800,000 plus and China with 27,4000,000 plus pet dogs.[8] The annual American spending on their pet dogs exceeds $50 billion and this gives raise to the pet store and breeder business. So, if you have money to buy your favorite breed, you can go to a pet store, otherwise, get it from a shelter or a friend. Not to mention that 6% of Americans get their pet dogs from streets; yes, stray dogs make 6% of the total pet dogs come from streets.[9] However, adopting a stray dog can cause legal issues as well as health-related issues.
If the dog turns out to be legally owned by someone else, it can be a legal problem, and due to the lack of vaccination and other health-related protocols applied to the dog, you may end up with a contagious disease. As per the facts and figures of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, 1.6 million dogs are adopted each year from the pet shelters.[10] Thus, after you are done with dog breeder selector, you can go to a dog shelter, go through the proper documentation and legal procedure and adopt a dog of your favorite breed.
Infographic
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What is the best dog breed for me?
There cannot be a certain answer to this question. Each and every human being is unique and no dog breed selector can tell you exactly the canine that you would love to have. However, based on your budget, type of residence and your personal priorities, you can choose the breed that suits you.
Let us make this rather complicated process easier for you. When someone comes to us asking “What dog breed is right for me?” we ask them a few questions which eventually determine the type of dog that is made for them. Let us cut the chase and answer these questions. Please be mentally vigilant and thoughtful while answering these questions, because they are the best dog breed selector tool that we use. For your convenience, we have mentioned the possible answers to such questions.
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What defines the kind of dog that I need?
- One that will wag its tail to welcome me and play with me in the nearby park.
- One that will be my cuddle friend and sleep a lot, just like me.
- A high-energy, obsessed with sports canine.
- A family dog: which will not only love me, but my family too.
- A loyal and big friend who would put its life in danger to save me and my family.
- A cute, little dog that I will take with me wherever I go.
Now, you should know that any of those typical “What dog should I get quiz” will not help you unless you are clear in your mind about the kind of pup or canine that you want. You first need to be sure about your purpose of getting a dog. If security is your concern, a cute little Chihuahua will obviously be a bad choice. And if, you want an easy to move, economical small dog, you should not think about the Golden Retriever. Likewise, if you need a pet to wake up at night and make sure that your family remains safe, then you would not like to buy a dog with more than 12 hours sleep time.
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What is the size of your ideal dog?
- I like small dogs.
- I like medium-sized dogs.
- I like big and muscular dogs.
- Size does not matter.
This is actually a very important question that any good dog breed selector will not miss. As we have shown you with help of infographic and facts and figures given in this post, small-sized dogs are preferred by 50% of American households that have pet dogs; remainder of the 50% households are occupied by a mix of medium-sized and large-sized dogs. So, while choosing a dog, you should always be very clear about the size of dog that you want. This is actually linked with previous question. Which means that if you want a dog for being cute, economic and easily movable, then your answer to this question should be “I like small dogs.”
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How would you like to spend time with your dog?
- Playing fetch a ball or Frisbee
- Running into other dog owners in nearby park and spending time with them and their dogs
- Going to nearest café and sharing a cookie
- Take a stroll for a while
- Sitting comfy in a couch, watching T.V.
Now any good “what dog should I get quiz?” will have these kind of questions, and while they may appear useless to you, they are not. This question, for example, is not one of “What kind of dog should I get?” questions, but it is still very important because it determines the type of activities that you would like your dog to get indulged into. Imagine getting a Great Dane dog, famous for being one of the laziest dogs, for a free time spent running and chasing in a park, playing fetch a ball or other such games? It’s a flop idea, isn’t it? On the other hand, if your idea of leisure is watching T.V., while sitting in a couch, then Great Dane is one of the best dogs that you can get.
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How bright and responsible would you like your dog to be?
- Smart enough to take care of me
- Should be responsive, but dependent on me
Well, this is another important question. To decide whether or not you want a certain breed of dog, tell your dog breed selector whether you want an independent and intelligent guard dog or a cute, little dog that you can pamper and take care of. The answer to this question will lead to either this way or that way. If you choose the first option, you will have a few intelligent and guard dog breeds to choose from. On the contrary, if you choose the second option, you will be led to dogs like French Bulldogs or Chihuahuas or their likes.
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What kind of residence do you have?
- Small apartment with no room to play
- Medium-sized apartment with no room to play
- Independent house with enough outdoor to play
Just like human beings, dogs are also subjects of their base desires, and a few dogs cannot help but feel like going outdoor and play a lot. They are not made to be refined in a small house or apartment. This is why we as people to ask themselves one question before buying a dog: what kind of dog should I get? And this question cannot be answered unless they think about the house that they can offer to a dog and then decide as per the size of residence. A Labrador Retriever cannot be confined in a breathless, small apartment; you have to have a considerably big house, preferably with its own yard or outdoor, to keep a Labrador.
Conclusion
When it comes to dog breeder selector phase, most of the people find themselves puzzled, baffled and confused. It is fine, because there are simply so many breeds to think about and God knows, a man cannot love only one and easily ignore others. However, with help of above mentioned facts and figures as well as the questions, you can make a sane choice. Write to us, if our statistics and questions helped you choose your perfect canine companion.
Resources:
[1] https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/02/26/how-little-tiny-dogs-won-americas-heart-and-took-over-the-country/?utm_term=.b8f57fcf727d
[2] http://www.bradfordlicensing.com/documents/pets-fact-sheet.pdf
[3] http://www.bradfordlicensing.com/documents/pets-fact-sheet.pdf
[4] https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/02/26/how-little-tiny-dogs-won-americas-heart-and-took-over-the-country/?utm_term=.b8f57fcf727d
[5] https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/02/26/how-little-tiny-dogs-won-americas-heart-and-took-over-the-country/?utm_term=.b8f57fcf727d
[6] https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/02/26/how-little-tiny-dogs-won-americas-heart-and-took-over-the-country/?utm_term=.b8f57fcf727d
[7] https://www.aspca.org/animal-homelessness/shelter-intake-and-surrender/pet-statistics
[8] http://www.petsecure.com.au/pet-care/a-guide-to-worldwide-pet-ownership/
[9] https://www.aspca.org/animal-homelessness/shelter-intake-and-surrender/pet-statistics
[10] https://www.aspca.org/animal-homelessness/shelter-intake-and-surrender/pet-statistics
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