Choosing a Breed

From their coats and tails down to their exercise requirements and behaviors, cat and dog breeds all have very different personalities, and finding the one that fits your lifestyle can be a challenge. Typically for full-blooded breeds a google search and paging through websites dedicated to the breeds should give you a pretty good idea of what to expect (emphasis on the pretty), but with mutts and mixed-breeds from shelters and adoption agencies, it can be tough to know what will happen as your puppy or kitten matures. And that's only the beginning. Choosing an age is a whole different story that I'll touch on in the questions below.

However, the first step on this journey is to really analyze you, your household, and your lifestyle to see how and where a pet would fit into your life. For instance:

• What kind of housing situation are you in? Do you have a back yard or a pet-friendly environment? (i.e. nothing you wouldn't mind being chewed or scratched laying around, space to play, and landlord agreement)
• Do you have the resources available to feed your pet the right amount and type of food? To take them to the vet?
• Do you have the time to commit to feeding, walking, grooming and caring for your chosen pet?
• Do you have the patience to train and deal with behaviors like teething and potty training if you have a young pet (see training tips and tricks if you have questions)?
• Will you be able to commit to the above for the entire lifespan of your pet? If not, do you have a backup caregiver (besides shelters and adoption agencies!!)?
• What kind of companionship are you looking for? An "up in your face, excited to see you" energy or a more subtle, lovingly independent type of pet?
• What are you willing and not willing to do for you furry family member?

Those are just a few starter questions to get your brain on the right track, and below I've included some handy questionnaires if you're trying to come up with an appropriate dog or cat breed for your lifestyle.

Like I said above, google is a great resource to gather information, but ask the agency/breeder/person you got the dog/cat from about behaviors and tendencies or about the breed in general if you have questions that aren't able to be easily answered. Your vet should know, too!

http://www.dog-obedience-training-review.com/choosing-a-dog-breed.html
http://www.eukanuba.com/en-US/dog-breed-selector.jspx?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Eukanuba+-+NB+-+Dog+-+Breed+General+-+Exact&utm_term=choosing%20a%20dog%20breed&utm_content=sRDvCbr10_choosing%20a%20dog%20breed_e_11083543563
http://www.iams.com/pet-health/dog-breeds?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=NB-Dog-TopKeywords-BMM&utm_term=%2Bdog%20%2Bbreeds&utm_content=sQniXB9dL_%2Bdog%20%2Bbreeds_b_11355026927
http://animal.discovery.com/breed-selector/dog-breeds.html

http://www.iams.com/pet-health/cat-breeds?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=NB-Cat-Top+Keywords-Exact&utm_term=choosing%20a%20cat%20breed&utm_content=sRGEzgaTr_choosing%20a%20cat%20breed_e_13605029927
http://animal.discovery.com/breedselector/catselectorindex.do
http://www.purina.com/cat/breed-selector/default.aspx
http://selectsmart.com/CAT/