by L. Woodrow Ross

Created on: April 04, 2008   Last Updated: January 01, 2012

There are many factors to consider when choosing a dog. Too often, a purchase of a dog is based on impulse. Perhaps he is cute, cuddly, precocious, or has some distinct feature that draws you to him.

After the purchase, a few weeks pass by and you realize that you were too hasty and the dog is a bad choice for your family. Then you are committed and hesitate to get rid of the dog and you are stuck with a problem.

The best approach is to review the situation and make a choice based on all of the factors that you can think of that are relevant. Here is a short list of some ideas:
* How much space do you have for exercise?
* Do you have a big yard or just a patio home?
* Will someone be at home or will there be long periods of time that the animal will be alone?
* What is your temperament and what do you expect from an animal?
* Will you keep the dog inside or outside in a kennel?
* Is the dog to be a pet only, or do you plan to hunt or use it to herd animals on a farm?
* Do you have children, or will the animal be exposed to children often?
* If you choose to keep the dog inside, are you obsessed with a neat home, and how will this affect your relationship with the animal?
* What are your expectations with regards to training the animal?

These are just a few factors that should influence your choice. Depending on your situation, there may be many others not listed here.

If you live in an apartment and only have a patio or balcony space, it would be bad to select a large animal that requires a lot of space for exercise. He would cause more mess in the apartment, cause offensive odors and might limit your friendship with neighbors. Certain breeds are hyper, like border collies and require room to run and rid themselves of excess energy. The energetic breeds are also more likely to get bored and chew furniture or do other destructive things.

In this case a small or medium size breed that has an even quiet temperament would be the better choice. A Shih Tzu might be a good choice.

If you are looking for a dog that also can go hunting with you, there are many breeds. You must decide whether you want an all purpose animal like a German Short-haired Pointer, Labrador Retriever, Weimaraner or Hungarian Vizsla, or a specialist like an English Pointer or English Setter. The former can be used to hunt winged game, rabbits, track wounded deer, etc., but the latter are specialists for hunting and pointing fowl like quail and pheasants.

Then there are the hound breeds which trail game

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