Factors To Consider When Buying A Pet Dog

 

The dog is the most popular domesticated animal on earth. Human beings originally kept dogs to help them hunt. Domesticated from the gray wolf around fifteen thousand years ago, dogs played an important role in early human settlements. In addition to hunting, they helped pull heavy loads and were expert herders. But it wasn't until they became a companion animal that buying a pet dog became popular.

There are over 400 million dogs on earth, according to a recent estimate. "Man's best friend" even edged out the house cat as the most popular domesticated animal in the United States. There are over 75 million dog owners in America.

The increasing popularity of dogs has given rise to the concept of cross breeding. There are around 157 breeds of dogs that are recognized by the American Kennel Club; however in reality, there are many more breeds of dogs including the mixed breeds existing today. This indeed makes selecting a dog as pet a daunting task.

Selecting a dog may depend, to a great extent, on who the owner of the dog is and their family composition. A person living alone may prefer a bigger and furious dog, while those with young family members may want a tamed and kid friendly dog that would not cause any harm to the kids.

Dogs such as Rottweiler, Pi Bulls and German Sheppard are not recommended for houses with kids as they are more aggressive and not very kid friendly. On the other hand, small sized dogs such as Cocker Spaniels, Beagles and Golden Retrievers are in the category of friendly dogs and are suitable for families with kids.

Some dogs require more maintenance such as the others Poodle for example. Poodles require almost daily grooming and the coat must be brushed for at least twenty minutes each day, especially if the dog is allowed outdoors. Other breeds like the Siberian Husky are prone to nonstop shedding in the spring and summer months. If daily grooming or non-stop shedding isn't on your list of acceptable qualities it's best to steer clear of these breeds.

Diet also needs to be considered as the bigger the dog, the more it will eat. A St. Bernard or a Great Dane requires an enormous amount of food to keep their big bodies going. Feeding a larger dog can be very expensive compared to a smaller breed.

Like humans, the more intelligent the dog is, the less time it will take it to learn things and get friendly with people around the house. This feature may also be given consideration when selecting a dog as it may save you good amount of time in training the dog. Some intelligent breeds of dogs include Poodles and Border Collies, which are much preferred choices as household pets.

Most children love dogs but rarely enjoy walking them. For many children, walking the family pet is a chore and generally, the more energetic a dog is, the more needs to be walked. According to experts pugs, bulldogs and French bulldogs have noticeably lower activity levels than other breeds and are said to be great with children.