How To Chose A Purebred Dog

The American Kennel Club has 180 registered dog breeds.The American Kennel Club is a registration service for purebred dogs. What this means is that both parents of the litter are already registered. Having an AKC registration on your puppy is not a guarantee of quality. Every breed of dog is required to have a parent breed club. For my breed Miniature Schnauzer the parent club is the American Miniature Schnauzer Club. Any reputable breeder will be a member of either the parent club or a local breed club. Breeders have to sign a code of ethics when they join one of these organizations. This means that they will breed to the breed standard.

Choosing the right dog for your lifestyle is something that should not be taken lightly.This means studying the breed standard set by the AKC and matching it to your lifestyle. There are seven different dog groups and each has their own purpose and personalty traits. If you pick a breed that does not fit your lifestyle you could develop serious issues with your dog.

Sheepdogs, collie, corgis, and Border collies are members of this group they are not livestock guardians they actively round up cattle and sheep with frantic running, eye contact and aggressive barking. One of the more intelligent breeds that belong to this group is the ever popular German shepherd dog, which is most famous for its police work. These dogs require owners who are skilled at training and willing to give them “work” that rewards their instincts. Even though they are now mostly companion dogs these herding instincts are still strong in them.

The hounds are the original hunting dogs. There is a great deal of difference both behavioral and physical within this group. These breeds originally assisted hunters in the field with either excellent scenting abilities. Scent hounds are bloodhounds, beagles and foxhounds. Today the bloodhounds are commonly used by law enforcement to tract fugitives or missing persons. Some of the oldest breeds are the speedy sight hounds such as the Saluki and pharaoh hounds.

The Sporting group has some of the most popular breeds. These include pointer, setters, retrievers, and spaniels. These breeds are always in the top five breeds. The Labrador retriever and the Golden retriever account for nearly one-quarter of the more than 1 million dogs registered with the AKC every year. They are Alert, active and intelligent and have a good reputation for being among the best family dogs. They are often used as service dogs for disabled people and bomb and drug sniffers for law enforcement agencies.

The non-sporting group is the catchall group for breeds that didn’t seem to fit in elsewhere. They include the Bichon Frise, Dalmatian, Chow Chow. And the poodle. The poodle is the most popular of this group.

Terriers were originally kept to hunt vermin, especially mice, rats, rabbits, otters, stoats and weasels. Some Terriers were designed to go down the holes of the European fox and other agricultural pest animals in order to chase them out for the hunter, and the name terrier is from the Latin terra, meaning earth, in reference to the dogs going underground. today the majority of modern breeds developed from the old terrier types are pets and companions. A few are still used as working terriers, and some terriers are large enough to be kept as guard dogs.

The toy breeds are mainly for providing companionship for humans which they have done well over the years. Toys range in size from 6 to twenty pounds. They are good for people that have small living spaces. They are very fragile and have a tendency to be yappy.

The Akita (Japan), the Komondor (Hungary), the Portuguese water dog, the Newfoundland, the Saint Bernard (Switzerland), the Alaskan Malamute, the Bernese Mountain dog (Switzerland) and many more make this group a veritable United Nations of dogs. This group is a diverse group skilled in a number of disciplines; most working breeds are robust, intelligent and headstrong, often unsuitable for novice owners. Made up of guardians of livestock and property, police dogs, sled dogs and rescue dogs, these workers come in all shapes and sizes, from the standard schnauzer to the Great Dane. But for the most part, these are large, powerful dogs. Without the right training, some working dogs can be difficult to handle, even dangerous.

Always remember to buy from a breeder who is a member of either a national or local breed club. These breeders breed to meet the breed standard requirements. They always have their breeding stock checked for any hereditary defects.Any dog found with these defects will not be used for breeding purposes. Always expect to sign a contract with the breeder and always feed your dog the best food available for your breed.