Getting to Know Your Fur Kid

How well do you know your dog’s breed?

As a dog trainer one of the first things I ask my clients is: “Why did you chose your particular dog?”

The answers are fairly simular and rarely shocking most answers involve ranges of size, cuteness or ability to live with a family.

The reason why we ask this is because every breed of dog has been bred for a specific purpose, and knowing what those purposes are will make your life so much easier. Each breed has pros and cons and different needs, not just exercise and grooming but handling and training requirements as well. Knowing how and why your dog’s breed came to be is an extremely important step to understanding your dog’s unique quirks and being able to manage them accordingly.

Not sure where to start?

Whilst the internet is a great starting point, remember to fact check the sources and take everything you read with a grain of salt, remember that everyone has an angle and if it sounds too good to be true it probably is. I find it better to ask people who work with your chosen breed of dog as they are often less sentimental. Another great place to learn about your chosen breed is breed specific rescues. This is another great place to look for honest information as these people have often seen the very best and most importantly the very worst of your chosen breed. Dog parks are also a great place to glean information, but try to find people who have older dogs, well behaved dogs, as opposed to first time breed or dog owners.

Things to Remember:

Not every dog within the breed will be the same. Just because you may know people, or have owned a particular dog in the past, getting the same colour, gender and breed won’t guarantee the same personality type.

Where you get your pup from has a huge impact on certain personality traits, so make sure that if you buy a dog from a working home that you research “working” type dogs within that breed, as opposed to just the standard "house pet" breed summary.

There is no such thing as a "companion" dog. I was shocked when I started looking into "companion breeds" which is a term I hear a lot from clients, (especially one's with poodles or "oodle" breeds) and I was shocked to find that many "working breed" dogs were now considered "companion" breeds.

All dogs large and small were bred for a purpose. So take a closer look at your furry friend. You might be even find that your cute little “lap dog” could be a working dog in disguise.