The Best Dog Breeds for Your Lifestyle

BY | February 25 | COMMENTS PUBLISHED BY

Choosing a dog for your family is a great experience, and the beginning of a wonderful relationship.So getting the dog that's best for your lifestyle and expectations is incredibly important.Different dog breeds will vary greatly in size, temperament, and needs, and according to the 

ASPCA

, millions of animals are given to shelters every year because a family's needs don't match those of the pet.So we've put together your guide to finding the right dog for you! Take a look!

The Most Active Dog Breeds

For those seeking hiking buddies, hunting partners, or camping mates.

What Are the Best Dogs to Travel With?

For road-trippers and globe-trotters.

The Best Dog Breeds for Fancy Grooming

For pamperers.

The Best City Dogs

For city slickers.

The Best Dogs for Older People

For those ready for a more relaxed pace.

The Best Dogs for Children

For the large or growing family.Remember that every dog is different, and you should be sure to ask the shelter or breeder lots of questions. You may also want to consider adopting an older dog, since their behaviors and needs will be known factors, which isn't the case with new puppies.

To Breed or Not to Breed, That Is the Question

to-breed-blog

It is possibly the most contentious rivalry in the whole of the pet community -- Breeding vs. Adoption. Both camps have die hard advocates and both have a well thought out stance. Some say it's an issue of morality, some call it genetic preservation, while others still think it is nothing more than preference.

Well, we here at PetCareRx would like to hear what you think! Here is your chance to hash this whole thing out once and for all in our PetCareRx Community.

To expedite the process, I crafted a brief list of each side's key talking points (however, donโ€™t feel shy about letting me know if I missed anything). After that, the floor is yours!

purebred-breed-blog

Purchasing from a Breeder

Any die hard purebred enthusiast is quick to rattle off their list of reasons why getting a pet from a reputable breeder is of the utmost importance. They are also some of the first to admonish the practices of puppy mills and/or breeders who are not whelping healthy dogs, since it is these types of institutions that give breeding an unjustly earned bad name (so please refrain from attacking purebred enthusiasts on these grounds, since it is safe to say that anyone reading this is against the practices of these types of establishments).

As for buying from a reputable breeder, the arguments in favor are:

Finding the breed you want

It can be nice to be able to do some research, pick out a breed that has all the characteristics you are looking for, go out, and get one. And while you may be able to find a purebred at a shelter, chances are they won't have the specific breed you are looking for. And chances are there is a breeder out there that does.

Knowing what you can expect

Since some breeds are genetically predisposed to have certain characteristics that others might want (i.e., Dalmatians arenโ€™t always good with kids), it is good to know what you can expect, insofar as temperament and size are concerned, from your new addition to the family.

Getting โ€˜em while theyโ€™re young

Again, while a shelter may have young dogs, actual puppies are hard to come by, and many people feel that these first years play a huge part in developing a dog's overall temperament. To guarantee that your dog does not have any ingrained and unwanted behaviors, training them early is the only way, and to do that you need to get them as a puppy.

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Adopting from a Shelter

Rescuing a dog or cat from a shelter often makes people think they have the moral high ground on the issue, and not without some decent claims. A few of the key arguments are:

Saving a life

The first thing any shelter advocate will tell you -- adopting a pet saves them from life in a shelter, or being put down. That's pretty great.

Subtracting from the number of unwanted dogs

Go to a shelter, and it's not hard to see -- there are way more dogs out there than homes willing to take them in. And while this is in no way a call to arms, asking people to take in 15 dogs a person, it does raise the question, โ€œShouldn't we be taking care of the dogs we already have? Why are we actively making more?"

Mutts are less likely to have health problems

While this is not a hard and fast rule, there is a good chance that a specific breedโ€™s genetically transmitted health concerns are less likely to be inherited if they are cross-bred with another breed, or breeds, that donโ€™t share that trait.

Now, head over to our community and speak your mind. Where do you stand? Let us all know!

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