What Kind of Small Dog is Best for Your Family?

Many parents are in search of the small family friendly dog. This can vary depending on your surroundings and living circumstances. Take for example the Yorkies, they are wonderful small dogs. If you visit the AKC website you can take a survey that will help match you up to your ideal pet. If you are going to buy a dog you may think about going through a local breeder rather thatn a pet store. Even the local ASPCA would be a good place to start your search.

One website that you may want to visit is www.petfinder.org. Make sure if you are adopting an older dog that you find out the history of the dog to make sure they do not have any hidden health or temperament issues. Sometimes older dogs are often housebroken and they are fostered with families so they’ve become very accustomed to being with people as apposed to being in cages which would make the adjustment more difficult. For example there are several rescue agencies that will evaluate the dogs for safety with children, in addition to checking for other hidden problems.

Take time to research the costs that is involved with each different breed. Some breeds will need more grooming and care than others. If you have children you will want to take their age into consideration when looking at dogs. For example Yorkies are not very good around very small children, and they are very fragile dogs, so they may not be able to handle the rough child.
Other things to take into account are barking habits. Terriers and Sheltie’s tend to be barkers, as do hounds, and some need more exercise than others.

Dashounds on the other hand are small, and great with kids and can be really great in letting you know when someone is at the door. There are also different breeds that have various hair types such as long hair, short hair and wired hair. Also ask yourself some of the following questions before you purchase your dog. Would you rather have a dog that doesn’t shed but needs to be groomed? Or would you prefer a dog that will shed everywhere but you do not have to get it groomed every month? With small dogs you will not always have two choices, dogs that need to be groomed or dogs that shed.

Another thing that you will want to think about is how hard will it be to train the dog. Most people want an easy going breed that will just sit an their lap. One breed that I would recommend against getting if you want a calm quiet dog is the Pomeranian. All they seem to want to do is run all the time and bark loudly. Barking habits are very important especially if you’re in an apartment. If you choose to get an active dog you will want to make sure that you have plenty of space for the dog to run and play.