Kids Questions: How do I choose the best family puppy?

By Vanessa

Question: How do we choose the best puppy for our family?

This question is from a 14 year old girl who loves dogs; however, neither she or her family members have lived with a dog before. The family lives in a suburban house with a big fenced in backyard.

When looking for a puppy to come into your home, you first need to figure out what breed you want, and this isn’t necessarily an easy question. There are several breed specifics to keep in mind:

  1. How is this breed with children?
  2. What is the energy level of the breed?
  3. How large is the breed?
  4. Is the breed a working or non-working standard?
  5. How much grooming is involved?
  6. Anything else important to your family?

There are many tests on the internet that you can take to determine which breed is right for you and your family. You may need to take few tests in order to answer all the questions above. Example tests that you can take that I have found helpful are:

When you narrow down your selection to a couple of breeds, research the breeds by speaking with breed guardians, breeders, rescues, and dog trainers. It also might be worth talking to a veterinarian about the common health problems they see in a breed.

Here are some things to keep in mind:

  • The health of a breed or an individual can have a big impact on choosing a puppy, as this impacts the pocketbook as well as the activities that you can engage in with your dog.
  • A breed that is known as being stubborn and hard to train might not be suitable for a sporting family.
  • Similarly, a family with several cats and small animals may not want to bring a dog with high prey drive into their home.

A dog breed may read well to you on paper, but it can be beneficial to get some one-on-one time with some dogs of the breeds that you are interested in. Ask yourself:

  • Do you have friends that have a dog with the breed you want that you can spend some time with?
  • Are there local shelters and rescues that you can visit and interact with their dogs?

You may find that volunteering at a shelter or job shadowing professionals in the dog world is a great way to learn more about dog breeds and dogs in general. An additional benefit of volunteering a small amount of time is that you won’t be committing to a lifetime with a dog breed that does not suit you or your family.

While researching different breeds, you’ll find that you’re refining your understanding of dog (and not breed) characteristics and this will help you identify what is most important to you. You may find that the best dog for you and your family isn’t a breed standard, but a mix-breed instead!

I encourage families to think beyond the breed and get to know a dog or puppy as a whole — Individual personalities matter. Personality traits can be bred into dogs, so the breeder has a lot of control over the type of puppies that are bred. If you go through a breeder, there are personality tests that they conduct in order to properly place puppies in suitable homes.