Choosing the right breed for you and your family can be hard, especially when there are so many to choose from. When looking for the right breed for you and your family consider the following:

Size: What size dog do you go for? Big, small, or something in between? Your living situation should be a consideration when picking the size of your new family member. Do you live in a big house with a big garden? If so, you might go for a larger breed like a German Shepherd. Perhaps you live in a smaller house or flat with less outside space? In this case, smaller breeds might be the better option for you.

Cost: Any breed can be costly. Some things you need to consider are vet bills, including fleeing and worming. On top of this though you will also want to consider that certain breeds are more prone to certain health problems which may need regular attention. Grooming, some breeds will need more grooming than other breeds, which in the long run can also begin to add up. The amount of food your dog will require should also be considered, larger breeds will need more food than smaller breeds, which means you may have to buy a lot more.  

Exercise: Different breeds have different energy levels which means the required exercise is going to be different for different dogs. Do you have the time and are able to exercises your dog regularly. Consider your lifestyle also. Are you someone who likes going for walks and needs a breed to matches that? If so, you might go for a breed such as a Border Collie that can match your energy levels. But you do also have breeds that have lower energy levels, which might be better suited to you and or your family. 

Breed Traits: All breeds are different in terms of their breed traits, but remember every dog is their own individual. Especially for families with younger members, the most important factor to look at will be if the breed is known to be gentle with children and affectionate with family members in general. Other traits you may look for when picking a breed are how dog friendly is the breed likely to be, are they easy to train, how much mental situation will they need and what is the breeds tolerance to being left alone. 

Charlotte - Behaviour Counsellor

A puppies socialisation period is approximately between 3 and 16 weeks of age. This is the stage in their development when they are learning how to interact with the world. It is also referred to as the ‘critical’ or ‘sensitive’ period.

During this period, we want our puppies to experience all of the sights and sounds that they are going to come into contact with in everyday life. Socialisation should be fun, gradual and create positive experiences and associations for your puppy. Some of the aspects of socialisation are what we commonly think of – different dogs and new people – but it is also to other stimulus such as sounds (traffic, the doorbell, sirens, household appliances etc), the outside world (cities, countryside, the vets, the car etc), textures and surfaces (grass, concreate, brushes, walking equipment etc).

How we introduce our puppy to all of these things is important. I mentioned earlier that it should be fun but also gradual exposure, by this I mean not overloading your puppy with every stimulus at once. For example, if you are going to take your puppy out with you (being carried) for the first time, choose a quieter time and location instead of rush hour near a busy road. It is also being considerate of not doing too many things in one day – if it is your puppies first visit with you to the vet for a health check or vaccine this may not be the best day for a training class or puppy play session. As much as we want to expose our puppies to all these different stimuli in this important short window of time, it is also vital to give your puppy enough time to rest and sleep as it is very physically and mentally tiring to take in all of this new information. A young puppy during this period can need between 16 – 18 hours of sleep a day!

The other element to consider is making socialisation fun and creating positive associations. Our role in this can be to pair new experiences with games, treats, praise and comfort from us. This may be in the form of treating your puppy when walking past unfamiliar dogs or people in the street. Playing a fun game of tug with them whilst you gently introduce them to sounds on a desensitisation CD or YouTube clip. Praising your dog for polite play with an appropriate play mate – this could be a friendly adult dog or another puppy at a puppy play session. Giving your dog the comfort and security of not forcing them to interact with something they are unsure of – this could be a new person or a strange looking wheely bin in the street.

Lastly, it is important to include a balance of building confidence when meeting lots of new human and dog friends, and being able to remain calm and focus on their owner whilst in the company of other people and dogs.

Kerry - Behaviour Counsellor