So, you’ve decided you want a dog…how exciting! It’s really important to choose a dog based on the breed type’s typical behaviours and lifestyle needs and try to match them to what you can offer a dog.
There are the toy breeds which are small breeds of dog that make great companions. Often they don’t need a large amount of exercise. Terriers were originally bred to hunt vermin. They can be quite a tenacious breed type with lots of energy.
The herding breeds are bred to work long hours herding livestock so they need lots of mental and physical exercise.
Scenthounds love sniffing and are built for endurance rather than speed. They need a home that will give them an outlet for their motivation to sniff things out. If they don’t get enough mental and
physical stimulation, they will find their own!
Sighthounds were bred to hunt by sight. They can often run very fast to catch prey but can be very relaxed and calm in the home. Generally, they need the opportunity to run once a day and can relax the rest of the day.
Gundogs are a popular breed choice for many homes as they are highly sociable. They need to be exercised 2-3 times a day and they need an outlet for their hunting needs. This doesn’t mean you
need to go shooting but they need toys to play with and play retrieve games. Often these dogs like to carry things in their mouth and parade what they have got.
Guard dogs will often look intimidating and might bark at anything different to the normal but can be gentle giants. Depending on the breed you choose, they might have high energy or low energy
needs.
Have a look on the Kennel Club website for listed breeds, their exercise requirements and other useful information: https://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/services/public/breed/Default.aspx
