Choosing A Dog Breed Is A Serious Business!

"Choosing a dog breed without first doing
your homework may end in disaster, especially
if you later find you can't manage the
breed you've chosen!"

Choosing the Right Dog Breed

If you've already decided that the Cocker Spaniel is the breed for you (and who wouldn't?), you can skip straight to choosing a Cocker Spaniel puppy.

When choosing a dog breed, there many things you need to consider, so we've set out some of the main points below to help you to narrow your search.

Why Do You Want A Dog?

What are your main reasons for owning a dog?

Do you want a working dog, a guard dog, a hunter or retriever; do you plan to show the dog, or do you simply want a family pet?

Is having a friendly, biddable dog important to you? For example, a cocker spaniel, a labrador, springer spaniel, etc. are typically classed as 'family' dogs because they're very playful and willing to please.

Your answer to this question can help to eliminate certain breeds; narrowing your choice which will help to make choosing a dog breed that little bit easier for you.

Cost Of Owning A Dog

Owning a dog can be expensive!

Before choosing a dog breed, be sure you understand what the associated costs may be, for example:

• Purchase price of the puppy;
• Bedding such as, dog bed, blanket, puppy crate;
• Cost of feeding your dog;
• Miscellaneous essentials such as collar, lead, towels, dog toys, and treats;
• Vet bills - We strongly recommend pet health insurance, as veterinary bills can prove very expensive!
• Kennel fees;
• Grooming fees - unless you intend to groom your dog yourself, in which case you'll also need to factor in the cost of the essential basic dog grooming tools.

Choosing A Dog - Size Really Does Matter!

What size of dog are you considering: large, standard, small, miniature?

If you've only a small garden, or you live in a studio or an apartment, it might be wise to consider one of the small dog breeds.

The size of dog you choose may depend upon the type of house you own.

For example, how much (or how little) room do you have?

Do you have a garden for the dog to run around in?

Is the garden big enough for a large dog or is it more suitable for a medium-sized or smaller breed?

Will you need to make any alterations to your home or garden to accommodate the dog and/or make it puppy proof? If so, can you afford the costs involved?

All puppies are small to begin with; however, they don't all remain the same size as they grow into adult dogs. Be sure you understand how large your chosen breed will grow as an adult.

The size of your home may automatically eliminate some breeds, thus making the task of choosing a dog that little bit easier.

How Much Exercise Will He Need?

When choosing a dog you'll need to be realistic about how much daily exercise each particular dog breed will need - some dogs need quite a lot of exercise; others don't need so much.

Then ask yourself if you're fit enough to exercise your dog? Do you have the time and the inclination to exercise a dog properly - he'll need to be walked every day, come rain or shine!

Please be aware that exercise is very important - under-exercised dogs can develop behavioural problems and become high maintenance; barking, chewing, attention seeking!

Choosing A Dog - What About The Children?

We recommend that when you're choosing a dog breed, you ensure the right 'fit' for the family. For example, a Chihuahua or similar small dog breed probably wouldn't be suitable for a family with young children as it could easily become injured by boisterous or over-excited children.

We all know that Cocker Spaniels make good family dogs but not matter which breed you decide on, children need to learn how to behave around a young puppy, and would need supervision at all times until you were confident that they could trusted with a dog.

A labrador, for example, would be a good choice for families with children as this breed could probably manage a 'bit of rough and tumble' from the kids!

A small or miniature breed may be better suited to an elderly couple or as an 'apartment' dog.

When choosing a dog breed, consideration should be given to where you live - suburbs, rural, town, city? Not all these environments are suitable for all breeds.

Do You Have Any Other Pets To Consider?

If you're going to bring a puppy into the family, you'll need to consider other household pets when choosing a dog breed.

A hunting dog may be unable to tolerate living around a pet rabbit or guinea pig; small animals such as these may bring out the hunting instincts in, say, a lurcher or a greyhound.

Imagine having to explain to the kids that the dog has eaten their pet rabbit!

Choosing a dog is not as easy as you first thought - is it?

Choosing A Dog That's Easily Trained

Some dogs are so easy to train; others can be rather strong-willed, making them more difficult to train.

A strong-willed breed will need constant on-going training, especially if the puppy you choose also has a particularly dominant personailty.

Are you prepared to invest time and effort to train a puppy?

Grooming A Dog Can Be Pretty Time Consuming

How much time are you prepared to devote to grooming your dog?

How much grooming a particular dog breed will need will depend on the length of the dog's coat; the longer the coat, the more likely it is to become tangled and tatty, requiring more regular grooming.

Grooming isn't only about brushing your dog's coat; there are many more elements to it such as bathing, keeping the dog's ears clean and healthy, clipping nails, brushing teeth and much more.

For example, a Cocker Spaniel that's walked in the countryside requires approximately 30 to 45 minutes brushing each day, or every other day at the very least, to keep his coat free from tangles and mats - grooming a Cocker Spaniel can be fairly time consuming!

Choosing A Dog - Allergies And Asthma

Does anyone in your family suffer from allergies or asthma?

Some breeds shed profusely and may aggravate an existing condition, other breeds don't shed at all.

If there are allergies or asthmatics in your family, you may be better suited to one of the hypoallergenic dog breeds, for example, the Bichon Frise, the Standard Schnauzer, the Poodle - to name but a few.

If you'd like to learn more about hypoallergenic dog breeds we recommend you visit our friends at Choosing-a-dog-made-easy.com - they really do make choosing a dog easy work!

Home Alone All Day?

It's not good to leave a dog home alone all day and puppies should never be left alone all day - they're simply too young!

If you have an older dog and need to leave him all day, make sure he's had a long walk first and arrange for a neighbour to look in on him a couple of times to let him into the garden do his toilet.

Alternatively, you could arrange for him to go into a kennel for the day. At least that way he'll be with other dogs and will be able to play.

If you're unable to be home for most of the day, we would recommend your re-consider owning a dog until you have more time on your hands.

Choosing A Dog - Purebreed Or A Mongrel?

Whether you want a purebreed or a mongrel is purely a matter of choice.

With a pure breed you can be fairly certain of any characteristics, temperament and health problems of the breed, whereas a mongrel's traits and temperament may be uncertain unless you are familiar with the puppy's 'parents'.

A pedigree is not necessarily a better dog simply because it has a better lineage and costs more; there are many mongrels with a gentle, loving nature whose families wouldn't dream of parting with them!

Choosing A Dog - Male Or Female?

Consider whether you want a boy or a girl.

Some owners prefer bitches because they're quieter and easier to train.

Others prefer males dogs because they can be more affectionate and more faithful than a bitch.

Bitches come into season every 6 months or so but they are quieter and more easily trained than male dogs.

During her season you will need to guard her fiercely as all male dogs will try to mate with her - a dog can smell a bitch in heat from a surprisingly long distance!

The bitch will discharge blood during her season which will obviously need to be cleaned up so as not to stain carpets or the furniture.

Males tend to be slightly bigger and stronger than the bitches and can become a bit of a handful when they reach two years old - full of their own self-importance - and may need firmer handling.

As there's not too much difference in temperament between the two sexes, we believe it's simply a matter of choice!

Choosing A Dog - Adult Or Puppy?

You'll need to decide whether you want a puppy or an adult dog.

A puppy will need to be vaccinated, trained to use his crate, and potty trained, socialised and given puppy obedience training.

A puppy will also need to be trained to walk on a lead, to walk to heel, and you'll probably need to acclimatise the puppy to being groomed.

An adult dog, on the other hand, is more likely to be toilet trained, house-broken, vaccinated and fully socialized.

Although puppies are cute and adorable, you may decide to choose an adult dog because there's less to do - why not consider a rescue dog?

Thousands of dogs end up in rescue centres each year, mostly because their owners find they can't cope with the requirements of caring for their chosen dog breed, or because they've underestimated the cost of looking after a dog.

Unfortunately, many such rescue dogs are put to sleep long before new homes can be found for them.

That's why choosing a dog breed should never be taken lightly!

If you decide to go for an older dog, why not consider a Cocker Spaniel rescue centre?

Be sure to ask what (if any) behavioural problems the dog may have and seek professional advice to help you overcome them.

Please note: not all rescue dogs have behavioural problems.

Choosing A Dog Or A Puppy

Once you've chosen your ideal dog breed, it will be time to source a reliable breeder. Please don't use pet shops or puppy farms as these are not reliable sources of puppies.

If you've never owned a puppy before, we recommend you read our article on puppy care skills.

It's also recommended reading if you've owned a dog before but you're a little rusty and need to brush up on your puppy care skills.

There are many things you will need to consider prior to bringing home a new puppy such as puppy-proofing your home and garden, your puppy's sleeping arrangements, establishing a puppy care routine - to name just a few!

It's important to begin puppy socialization very early and, as you'll be held responsible for your dog's behaviour, you should also train your puppy to be well-behaved - puppy obedience training or a puppy training class (or both) will do that for you.

Last but not least you'll want to give your new puppy a name - our comprehensive database of puppy names will help you to do this!

Choosing A Dog

Well, that's just about it for our page on choosing a dog - we hope you've enjoyed reading it and that it helps you to find the perfect dog breed for your and your family!

Don't forget to visit our page on puppy care skills to help you give your puppy the best start in life.

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