How To Choose a Dog

Every dog is a good dog but certain traits determine how well a dog will fit into our home and our lives — some of us want couch potatoes and others want jogging buddies, for example. But how do you know what kind of dog is right for you? For some, this choice is obvious. You may already have an idea of what you want in your next dog, but there might be some important factors you’ve not yet considered.

In this post, I will be going over traits that influence what dog is right for you, from temperament and coat type to differences of purebred and mixed-breed dogs. Please refer to my other post, What is a Breed? And Then… so that you have some much needed background knowledge. I would also like to ask that you try to make it to the end, I would hate for there to be a misunderstanding as we explore each section.

Temperament

If I were to ask you what you like about your favorite kind of dog, I’d bet you wouldn’t start by talking about their color. You may start gushing about how happy-go-lucky and friendly Golden Retrievers are, how much you admire how hard Border Collies work, how sassy Pomeranians are, how loyal German Shepherds are, and so on. However, these traits don’t describe just “dog”, they’re an integral part of a breed’s temperament and are only there because someone worked hard to get them there. While many dogs today are no longer working the jobs they were bred for, these traits that made them good at those jobs haven’t left them thanks to decades of responsible preservation breeding (although, unfortunately not everyone is doing so).

If you are struggling to figure out what kind of temperament suits you best, consider some of these:

• Velcro VS Independent: How attached do you want your dog to be to you?
• Aloof VS Friendly: Do you want a dog that acts indifferent to strangers, or one that’s everyone’s best friend? Can you handle the more extensive socialization and training that many aloof breeds need?
• Prey Drive and Herding Drive: Do you want a dog that won’t try to kill squirrels or other small animals? A dog that may want to chase cars? Are you able to take the time to train a dog not to nip heels?
• Tolerance of other dogs: Do you want a dog that generally gets along with all other dogs? Are you okay with having a single-dog or crate and rotate household?
• Ease of training: Do you want a dog that’s hard to distract and thinks before acting? A dog that will follow commands easily?
• One-person dog or family dog: Do you want a dog that sticks to one person or an entire family?
• Vocalness: Can you deal with howling, alert barking, or baying? Some breeds also like to grumble and groan.
• Sensitivity: Do you want a dog that won’t get butthurt if you raise your voice just a little? Sensitive dogs can easily “shut down” if corrected too harshly, they can become anxious if they sense that their owner is anxious, etc.
• Energy Level: Do you want a couch potato or a flying fur missile? Some breeds aren’t demanding energy-wise like the rough/smooth Collie but others are often unable to stay bored/pent up too long without developing behavioral issues.

There may be a few other things I’m missing here but these are some factors I think of first when considering temperament. This study notes that the temperament traits with the highest heritability were trainability, stranger-directed aggression, chasing, attachment, and attention-seeking behaviors. There are a couple other research studies on genetic behaviors at the bottom of this post if you are interested in reading up more on the subject.

While most temperament traits can be consistent across an entire breed, it can depend entirely on what breeder the dog is from and its heritage. In a future post I will be covering the specifics but note that a huge majority of dogs from rescues/shelters are generally not a result of responsible breeding, and this can be reflected in their physical and genetic health, as well as their temperament. As with mixed-breed dogs, their traits can be inherited in various ways, sometimes conflicting with each other, much to the dismay of many.

Here are the generalized traits of some notable breed groups, courtesy of @Canineology on Instagram:

Coat

The next thing people look at for their next dog is coat. Most people have preferences for fluffy vs short, soft vs harsh, or even hairless! Coat is important to consider for many people whether it’s for convenience or for personal preference (I personally like suffocating myself in any kind of fluffy coat). Now, like I mentioned earlier, when you mix two different breeds, you get a toss-up of whatever genetics each parent has. Poodles and other breeds are often crossed together because people want a dog that behaves like a (for example) Labrador Retriever with a Poodle-like coat, but genetics unfortunately don’t always work out that way. When it comes to their coat, you can get any combination of straight, wavy, or curly; high shedding or low-shedding; double coated or single coated, etc. It’s also important to note that while uncommon among well-bred purebred dogs, they can sometimes have unexpected coat types as adults too.

5 coat texture types from the KUSA Anatomy, Conformation and Movement of Dogs Guide

If you are struggling to figure out what kind of coat you can work with, consider:

• Texture: Some coats are harsh rather than soft or silky. If you like soft coats as much as I do, remember that these coats (such as in the Yorkshire Terrier) pick up dirt and debris easily so be prepared to bring rags and brushes on trips outside.
• Length: Some coats will grow very long if you let them — this is manageable with trimming but in all breeds it grows back, can you commit to a grooming schedule (every 4–6 weeks)?
• Weather: How hot or cold does it get where you live? While heat isn’t good for any dog, it can be especially difficult to exercise an arctic breed if it’s hot the majority of the year.

Here is a full list of coat textures provided by the KUSA Anatomy, Conformation and Movement of Dogs Guide:

• Bristle coat: short, harsh and bristly, straight and stand-offish, without undercoat. eg. Shar Pei.
• Broken coat (wire coat): a harsh and wiry outer coat with a soft, dense undercoat. The outer coat texture often resembles coconut matting. Periodically, this kind of coat ‘blows’, in other words, it softens and loosens, and must be stripped out so that new coat can grow, eg. Airedale Terrier.
• Combination coat: this kind of coat has both short, smooth hairs and long, silky feathering, eg. Saluki.
• Corded coat: the top coat and undercoat naturally intertwines into cords, varying in width from quite narrow to broad, always completely separate, eg. Hungarian Puli.
• Curly coat: comprises a mass of thick, tight curls, which trap air and protect the dog from water or cold, eg. Irish Water Spaniel.
• Hairless: as the description implies, the coat is without hair, the skin typically warm to the touch, but prone to blemishes and sunburn, eg. Xoloitzcuintle
• Harsh coat: hard, wiry and rough in texture, usually stripped to lie flat against the body, eg. Miniature Schnauzer
• Heavy coat: characterised by long, thick coat together with short, smooth coat, requiring regular brushing, eg. Newfoundland
• Hypoallergenic coat: often claimed to be allergic free, this type of coat is less allergic (not free of allergens) because they shed very little, eg Poodle.
• Linty coat: a soft, downy-textured coat, typical of the Bedlington Terrier.
• Open coat: sparsely coated — the hairs are quite widely separated from each other, lacking undercoat and often off-standing. The opposite of compact, flat coats.
• Silky coat: softest in texture, a silky coat feels heavy and ‘cold’ to the touch and falls easily back into place, usually long, eg. Yorkshire Terrie
• Smooth coat: short, close-lying hair, eg. Whippet. 
• Stand-off coat: a characteristic of all spitz-type breeds, the coat stands away from the body as opposed to lying flat, usually also supported by a dense undercoat, eg. Pomeranian
• Pily coat: crisp in texture with a harsh outer coat and a soft, fur-like undercoat that lies close to the skin, particularly used to describe the coats of the Dandie Dinmont Terrier and the Border Collie.
• Weather-proof coat: usually double-coated, the outer coat often quite harsh in texture and coated with natural oils to provide good weather-proofing, eg. Labrador Retriever.

Fun fact: Did you know black coats in Poodles are known for having the best texture compared to other coat colors? Pictured: Black standard Poodle in a Continental clip.

How to Research a Breed’s Traits?

This seems like a no-brainer but it’s a great question for anyone to ask. I cover what a breed is and what makes one legitimate in this post, but in another (here) I address what is called a “breed standard”. When researching a breed, the first thing you should look at is the breed standard for that breed because it contains information on what that breed is meant to be like and what you should be looking for in that breed. The second thing you should do is look up your country’s national breed club for that specific breed (ex. Poodle Club of America) which is covered in both posts. The last thing you can do is to meet the breed(s) in person — as many as you possibly can. Dog shows and sports venues are a great place to do this, but make sure you bring hand sanitizer and remember that it’s a busy and chaotic event where not everyone can oblige to requests to pet their dog.

What About Service Work?

I honestly wasn’t comfortable covering the topic of choosing a dog for service work but I wanted to give it a light mention because it is a concern for many people.

I can’t help you decide what kind of dog you should get for service work; there’s a lot to cover when it comes to service work and is frankly something to discuss with medical professionals and reputable service dog training organizations (two things I am not). Generally speaking though, the “fab 4” are commonly recommended to people due to their high success rates and temperaments that are naturally suited to service work demands: Labrador and Golden Retrievers, Rough/Smooth collies, and Poodles. If you need a trained service dog, I highly recommend these resources:

• Service Animals — MOPD (nyc.gov)
• Considerations for Selecting a Pup as a Service Dog Prospect part 1- introduction to service dogs — BetterBred.com
• Considerations for Selecting a Pup as a Service Dog Prospect part 2 — BetterBred.com

Mixed-Breed VS Purebred?

One thing here I would like to address is the huge controversy surrounding the mixing of breeds. In most parts of the world, breeding between different recognized breeds is a practice most don’t bat an eye at. When deciding between mixed and purebred dogs, it’s just a matter of personal preference. Any dog can make a great companion, however, there are some important concerns surrounding the mixing of breeds that should be made common knowledge and are important considerations.

A random mix (left) and a Saluki (right).

In most countries, responsible purebred breeders follow breed club guidelines to ensure the quality of their dogs — this includes abiding by breed club health testing recommendations, titling in competitions, and not participating in unapproved mixed breedings. This begs the question of where the parents of mixes are from and what their health is like if the breeders behind them aren’t following breed club code of ethics or guidelines. There’s a new phrase that’s starting to trend, “purebred doesn’t always mean well-bred” and this is a concept we already hold in our hearts when it comes to other things — that labels and brands sometimes don’t indicate ethical practices or quality. When it comes to computers, you look at the technical specifications like RAM and the processor type rather than just the brand, because brand alone won’t tell you how good a computer is or how well it matches up with your preferences. So, while breed matters, the background of a dog is what you should pay attention to. Now, don’t get me wrong, it is possible for mixed-breed breeders to uphold the same standards but it’s far more difficult due to this difficulty in finding quality, ethically bred purebred dogs to use (and there’s no guarantee the match-ups are compatible). The Poodle Club of America has a specific statement about this on their website.

Are Mixed-Breed Dogs Healthier Than Purebreds?

The short answer? It depends. In addition to the research from my earlier mentioned post (here), I found a couple of other studies regarding the health differences between the two that I found interesting.

This study found that purebred dogs and mixed-breed dogs in general were at equal odds of having 13 genetic disorders (such as hip dysplasia and different cancers), mixed-breeds were more prone to a ruptured cranial cruciate ligament, and purebreds were more prone to 10 other genetic disorders (such as dilated cardiomyopathy and cataracts). Many of these genetic disorders though, are easy to avoid through health testing and responsible breeding practices.

I think the reason why the belief that mixed dogs are healthier than purebred dogs came about mainly due to a misunderstanding of genetics and lack of knowledge about breeding practices. I myself didn’t even know that breeders had health testing tools up until about 5 years ago, yet the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) has been around longer than I’ve been alive. There also weren’t very many reliable research studies on the difference up until recently either.

I also think that the reason this belief came about out of hopes that it would help empty shelters and rescues — and while I sympathize with this (especially as a rescue volunteer myself), it’s a harmful narrative that doesn’t address how these health issues become widespread in the first place. This entire topic I plan to expand on more in the future, so stay tuned!

Conclusion

My goal was for you to finish this post more informed than you were before you read it, and regardless of what your decision is, I cannot stress how important it is to look into what temperament and health testing requirements the breed(s) you’re interested in has. Even if you’ve decided to adopt a dog from a rescue or shelter, information on the health of the breed (or breeds) that make up your dog will help prepare you for any future challenges. There are just so many considerations to think about before choosing what kind of dog to look for, and your next step will be where to get it from. I will cover the specifics of this in my next post, How to Select A Breeder if you have decided that a rescue/shelter dog isn’t for you.

If you enjoyed this post and want to see more content like this, please give us a follow! It would really mean a lot.

SOURCES

• What is Temperament? — American Kennel Club (akc.org)
• Highly heritable and functionally relevant breed differences in dog behaviour | Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences (royalsocietypublishing.org)
• Genetic Characterization of Dog Personality Traits — PMC (nih.gov)
• Personality Consistency in Dogs: A Meta-Analysis — PMC (nih.gov)
• The Poodle Club of America
• The Canine Health Information Center | OFA
• Designer Dogs — The Labrador Retriever Club, Inc. (thelabradorclub.com)
• Service Animals — MOPD (nyc.gov)
• Considerations for Selecting a Pup as a Service Dog Prospect part 1- introduction to service dogs — BetterBred.com
• Considerations for Selecting a Pup as a Service Dog Prospect part 2 — BetterBred.com
• Tests Reputable Breeders Perform with Veterinarians — Ethos Veterinary Health
• The Canine Health Information Center | OFA
• KUSA Anatomy, Conformation and Movement of Dogs
• The Labrador Retriever Illustrated Standard
• The Poodle: Illustrated Standard
• Prevalence of inherited disorders among mixed-breed and purebred dogs: 27,254 cases (1995–2010)
• Recent breeding history of dog breeds in Sweden: modest rates of inbreeding, extensive loss of genetic diversity and lack of correlation between inbreeding and health
• New RVC research debunks belief that designer crossbreed dogs are healthier than purebreds