This is an archive article published on July 9, 2021

Planning on bringing home a dog? Make sure you pick the right one

The most common reason behind people abandoning dogs is that they end up choosing the wrong one and blame the dog for their lapse of choice

3 min readNew DelhiJul 9, 2021 06:20 PM IST First published on: Jul 9, 2021 at 06:20 PM IST

Getting a puppy home is one of the most exciting experiences for a pet parent. You are on your way to make a lifelong commitment with an adorable furball that you are going to shower all your love on. But it is important you pick the right dog for your home.

“Choosing the right pet dog depends on a lot of factors –the size of your house, the kind of lifestyle you lead, etc,” said Sharath Kenny, the owner of Nitro K9 Academy, one of the leading dog training schools in Chennai. According to him, the most common reason behind people abandoning dogs is that “they end up choosing the wrong one and blame the dog for their lapse of choice”.

Here are a few factors you should consider before you choose your pet.

Space

This is probably one of the most obvious things that should come to mind when you think of getting a dog. Different breeds have different space requirements. If you live in a small apartment you would be best served by a toy breed like a Shih tzu, Pug, Dachshund or King Charles Spaniel. If you have a larger apartment you could consider the ever-famous Labrador or Golden Retriever. You should not try to get a working breed like a Rottweiler unless you have a large area to keep them.

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Activity level

Something that a lot of people ignore when picking a Pooch is that they have different exercise needs and energy levels. If you are the kind who likes to lie down and chill on the couch, you should get an appropriate breed like a Pug, French bulldog or even Great Dane. If you are the exact opposite and are on the more adventurous side, try going for a more athletic dog like the Border Collie or the Belgian Mallinois. One important thing to note is that just because the dog is small does not mean it needs less exercise. You would be surprised by how much energy a tiny Jack Russel Terrier would have!

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Temperament

This next part is not about the breed of the dog rather the personality of the individual. If you want to get a dog for protection, you need to make sure that the puppy is unafraid. A dog that displays timid tendencies will seldom be a good guard dog. If you are going for a family companion, try to make sure your dog is comfortable around people and eager to please.

Picking the right pet dog can be a really difficult task, but once you put in the work and pick the right pupper, you are sure to have a new best friend for life.

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