dankim
Do Your Research
So, you’ve narrowed down your selection based on the factors from above. However, there are still more things that you need to think about before making a final selection.
Next you need to consider things such as if the breed you want gets along with children and other pets, and more importantly, do you have children and other pets in the house? Some dog breeds are scared of children and this could make them lash out.
Even something seemingly inconsequential, like where you live, may need to be taken into considerations. Saint Bernards, for example, do not do well in hot temperatures at all but do great in cooler climates. So, if you live in Texas, I hope you don’t have your heart set on a Saint Bernard.
Some dogs have more medical issues than others do. The breed you are looking at may be one that racks up a lot in vet bills, so you’ll need to keep that in mind. Designer breed dogs, those who have been bred by crossing two purebred breeds, generally have fewer medical issues than their parents do. So, this may be an option to think about.
You might want to take a look at the average life span of the dog breed. For me, that was a deciding factor. I was looking to choose between a Golden Retriever and a Labrador Retriever and saw that the Lab lived to be about 3 years older, on average, than the Golden. I chose the Lab because I want a long-term companion.