Each breed has its own characteristics. If you match these with your personality and lifestyle, it is much more likely that you will have a happy and fulfilling relationship with your dog.

The sections within this area will help you with your choices.  From the very start of the process whilst you are thinking about bringing a puppy or dog into your home to finding the right breeder and the responsibilities of dog ownership.

• Buying a puppy or a dog
• Finding a pedigree dog breeder
• Accredited Breeder Scheme
• Choosing a rescue dog
• Dos and don'ts of dog ownership

How to choose?

Use the list below to help you consider your choice of breed or type of dog:

• Energetic and lively or couch-potatoes
• Strong-willed and ambitious or easy-going and indulgent
• Friendly with humans or reserved with strangers
• Playful or disinterested in toys
• Friendly to other dogs or disinterested or incompatible
• Friendly to cats and other pets or disinterested or incompatible
• Affectionate or aloof

Buying a dog check list

Before buying a dog, ask yourself:

• Can I afford to have a dog, taking into account not only the initial cost of purchasing the dog, but also the ongoing expenses such as food, veterinary fees and canine insurance? As a very rough estimate a dog can cost £25 a week.
• Can I make a lifelong commitment to a dog? - A dog’s average life span is 12 years.
• Is my home big enough to house a dog.
• Do I really want to exercise a dog every day?
• Will there be someone at home for a dog? - dogs get lonely just like humans.
• Will I find time to train, groom and generally care for a dog?
• Will I be able to answer YES to these questions every day of the year?

If you have answered ‘no’ to any of the above, you should think again before buying a dog.

If you have been able to answer ‘yes’ to all the questions you should proceed to the next section which will help choose whether you should get a puppy or a dog.

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Choosing the right dog 

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