How to select a family friendly dog breed
How to select a family friendly dog breed
Bringing a dog home could be one of the most rewarding decisions you’ll ever make. The dog for all its life would be devoted towards you completely, if you show just a little love and affection, your dog would return the favor multiplied a thousand times over. Dogs have been man’s best friend for tens of thousands of years. Scientists and archeologists have even found evidence of dogs being the very first animals which were domesticated by humans more than 30,000 years ago. Since then, humans have bred many dogs so they’re exceptional at certain things as a result of which there are around 350 different dog breeds in the world. Discussing about all of them would mean we’d have to publish a novel instead of a blogpost so here we’re primarily focusing on the characteristic traits of the friendliest dog breeds which would be ideal as a family pet.
Before we begin, we realize that each individual animal has its own unique personality. Aggressive guard dog breeds like the pit bull have an atrocious reputation as family pets but there are countless individual pit bulls who’d be more well-behaved than the so-called “friendly” breeds like the Labrador retriever or the golden retriever. Similarly, we could find multiple examples of badly behaved retrievers with a mean streak which could put the ferocious mastiffs to shame. What we’re trying to say is, each individual dog can be transformed into the best version of itself with proper dog training, care, and affection. However, not everyone can devote a substantial amount of time to their dogs, especially to dog training in India. Therefore, it is essential for people who don’t have much time to train their dog to adopt a breed that has a natural proclivity to being friendly rather than being assertive and aggressive. There’s clear consensus among dog trainers and vets that breeds like Rottweiler, Akita, Pit-bull terrier, boxer, mastiff and other similar dog breeds classified as guard dogs are generally quite aggressive and extremely territorial which would make them a very bad choice in family environment especially when there are little children around. On the other hand, breeds like retrievers, poodles, huskies, pugs and other similar dog breeds are very playful in nature, they don’t have the natural tendency to be on guard and extremely territorial all the time. The guard dogs as their name suggests are extremely good when it comes to protecting your house and your loved ones (the people your dog considers a part of its pack/family) but this aggressive disposition comes with its own baggage. They can be quite aggressive to strangers, they can be quite stubborn etc. On the flip-side, the more playful dogs are virtually useless when it comes to protection but they’re fun and safe to be around. We’d be looking at the characteristics of the latter in this case. So, without further ado, let’s begin:
INTELLIGENCE OF YOUR DOG: If your family has little children then it’s of utmost importance that your dog is intelligent enough and knows what he is supposed to do and what is forbidden because even if your dog is playing a little roughly with an infant (even with noble intentions) the outcome could be catastrophic. With proper dog training you could boost the intelligence quotient of your dog especially if you start training your dog early. Some dog breeds like German shepherds and other herding dogs in particular are extremely intelligent and highly trainable.
TOLERANCE TOWARDS CHILDREN: Building up on point 1 another vital aspect of a family friendly dog is its ability to tolerate little children. We all know how kids can be sometimes, they might smother the dog, poke it and other stuff but the dog shouldn’t retaliate and bite the children for bothering it.
LOYALTY TOWARDS THE PACK: Your dog should embody the famous saying “dog is man’s best friend” completely. Virtually all dog breeds would have this attribute, some a little more than others but it wouldn’t be that different.
HAVING A PEOPLE FIRST/PEOPLE PLEASING ATTITUDE: The dogs who constantly wants to please and make others around it happy are ideal house pets. Some breeds like golden retrievers are especially adept at this as they’re exceptional guide dogs as well as family dogs.
IS NOT SPOOKED EASILY: It is vitally important that your dog doesn’t get spooked easily when you’re trying to groom it, apply medicine. It is also important that your dog is capable of being in the right state of mind that is it doesn’t get any separation anxiety which could lead to aggression.
The tips we mentioned above should become second nature for you as you’d have to do them with virtually every dog, you’d ever own irrespective of whether it’s a foreign breed or one of the dog breeds in India. Doing these things is essential because it’d lets your dog know who’s the leader/alpha of the pack. We’d like to leave you with a quote by world-renowned dog trainer Cesar Milan, “for a dog its pack is its family and its family its pack”. We wish your pack the best of luck.
By, admin- October 28, 2022
- Dog Breeds
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