How to Pick the Right Dog Breed for Your Family:

A Guide to Making the Right Decision

Are you considering adding a new canine to your family? With 193 breeds recognized by the AKC, you might be feeling overwhelmed and unsure of where to start. We don’t blame you! To help you make the right decision, we’ve put together a series of tips and tricks to help you find your perfect match.

First, we know you are excited about your decision, and that alone can lead to stress and anxiety surrounding making the perfect choice. And a good owner likely will feel a bit anxious; a little life will soon depend on you for everything…and that’s a big step.

Here’s what you might want to consider before getting started.

Know your needs.

The biggest part of the process begins before you make your purchase or adoption: consider your needs and lifestyle prior to selecting a breed. Consider this online dating for dogs. You need to identify your “personal profile” before you go selecting any pet at all. What is your daily schedule like? How many people are in your household? Who will primarily care for the new dog? What is your housing situation? Do you have adequate space? Do you want an energetic breed or a quiet companion? These types of questions will help you assess your own unique needs so that you can better select the right pet.

Have a family meeting.

If there are multiple members of your family, sit down and discuss everyone’s needs and expectations. If you have young children, now is the chance to weigh the responsibilities of adding a new family member. Help them understand ahead of time what the changes to your current family life will look like by adding a pet. Then, give everyone an opportunity to talk about breeds they each like and the rationale behind their suggestion. You never know—you might all agree on the same breed without even knowing it ahead of time! Down the road, you can also get suggestions for introducing your new pup to the family by checking out this article.

Take a quiz.

There is a myriad of tests and online quizzes available to suggest breeds that might be right for you. (We’d suggest taking a few as they are all offered by different platforms with different motives and outcomes!) You could also ask children and any other key members of the family to participate and take a few tests as well. This is a great way to challenge yourself as to what questions you should be considering before making your final decision.

Do your due diligence.

Once you’ve taken a few online tests and have discussed in-depth what you are looking for, do your due diligence. Take your top three to five favorite breeds and research them. This is the best way to identify which one is the best fit with your family’s personality traits. (At Americana Cane Corso, we offer a lot of different bits of research on our blog that you may find useful, particularly if you are considering a Cane Corso!)

Make the decision.

By now, you probably have a pretty good idea what kind of dog you want to add to your family. How exciting is that?! Now you can begin taking the necessary steps forward to make it all happen. Start checking your local pet stores, and make sure you are completely set up at home for the new addition and prepared to provide your new canine companion with an easy transition.

If you or someone you know is looking to add a Cane Corso to the family, contact America’s #1 breeder at [email protected] for more details.  Visit us on the web at Americana Cane Corso, where you will find the most up to date information on our in-demand Cane Corso puppies!