Dog Breed Compatibility

Dog breeds that are compatible with your lifestyle can be qualified by taking a number of factors into consideration. Where you live, ages of family members, existing household pets, allergies, time, exercise habits, ability to train, willingness to groom, budget and the type of temperament preferred are all factors that will help you to determine which dog breeds may best suit you. The Iams Company website has a comprehensive breed guide.

  1. Time

    • The amount of time you can spend with your dog should be a consideration.

      The most important aspect when choosing a breed of dog is to gauge the amount of time that you will have to spend with your pet. A person with a lot of available time may have limitless choices regarding a dog breed. For those owners, other factors will come into play when determining compatibility.
      An individual who is home only in the evening may prefer to find a breed more accepting of time spent alone. In addition to breed compatibility, people with little time should consider an older dog in lieu of a puppy. A few breeds to consider if you have limited time are Pekingese, French bulldogs, basset hounds, rough collies, Irish wolfhounds, mastiffs or mixed breeds with similar laid back temperaments.

    Family

    • Some breeds of dogs tolerate small children better than others.

      Families with children need to consider family friendly breeds that will be both tolerant and respectful of children. While dogs and small children should always have adult supervision, some breeds are better suited for the job of family pet than others.
      Small family friendly breeds include pugs, havenese and Cavalier King Charles spaniels. Of the medium sized breeds, beagles, basset hounds and border terriers are good choices. Rough collies, golden retrievers, great Danes and samoyeds are wonderful selections for those who prefer a larger family companion.

    Residence

    • Some of the toy breeds are best suited for apartment living.

      Where you live should to be a major consideration when choosing a compatible dog breed. Some dogs do well in apartments and others need to be provided with large outdoor fenced spaces for daily exercise. Chihuahuas, Boston terriers, pugs, Chinese cresteds, miniature poodles and bulldogs make excellent apartment companions.
      While owners with properly fenced yards can choose almost any breed, they may wish to steer clear of toy breeds. Medium or large breeds may be better suited for sizable properties. Blood hounds, Rhodesian ridgebacks, Labrador retrievers, English setters and English springer spaniels are a small sampling of breeds well suited for large, fenced properties.

    Care

    • Grooming, training, veterinary care and temperament are considerations for compatibility.

      Some breeds are simply more high maintenance than others. The high maintenance factor may be based on grooming, training, temperament or veterinary needs. For this list it may be easier to offer guidance on a few breeds to steer away from unless you are an experienced dog owner.
      Bedlington terriers, Irish terriers, Portuguese water dogs, toy poodles, Pomeranians, poodles and Old English sheepdogs are a few of the breeds that require extensive and frequent grooming. Breeds with health considerations are Chinese shar-pei, cocker spaniels, bulldogs, boxers, Doberman pinschers, Labrador retrievers and Pekingese.
      Chow chows, bull terriers, miniature pinschers, German pinschers, black Russian terriers and Chesapeake Bay retrievers fall under the list of breeds with challenging temperaments. Border collies, Jack Russell or Parsons Russell terriers, rat terriers and Australian cattle dogs should be considered only for exceedingly active owners who are capable of offering their dog a variety of activities, exercise and training experiences.

    Hypoallergenic Breeds

    • Poodles of all sizes have long been the choice of owners with allergies.

      Keeping in mind that most allergies to dogs are actually allergies to the dander on the dog's skin and not to the dog's coat, some breeds have hypoallergenic qualities based on the way their coat grows. Poodles, Chinese cresteds, Irish water spaniels, Portuguese water dogs and Kerry blue terriers are among the American Kennel Club choices for dog breeds that are compatible with allergy sufferers.

    Further Considerations

    • When considering any breed of dog, you will learn the most about the breed by talking to reputable breeders. You can find lists of reputable breeders on the American Kennel Club website search page.