When it comes to choosing a dog breed it is important that you choose it for the right reasosn...and not as a fashion accessory you will tire of - it's a big committment and when the Paris Hilton's of the world show the depth of their personal pet care is as about as deep as their concern for the starving children on Africa we should all remember one thing : You chose your pet - your pet didn't choose you...so look after it!

One of the main things to consider when selecting a dog breed, to ensure a long-lasting, happy relationship is the ability to match your requirements and expections with your new puppy's own personailty and needs.

Do You Have Children

Please bear in mind that a new puppy will require the same levels of committment, and sometimes even more time than would be reasonably expected in raising children. Therefore having both children and a new dog in your home will require constant observation of both to prevent any accidents/incidents from occurring. Keeping a close eye on both will ensure that no personal injuries happen to either and prevent spiteful behavior like biting, kicking and generally rough play.

If you do have children in the home then the majority of breeders and a lot of trainers would not recommend you get a toy breed, for the simple reason that it may get stepped on or dropped by your children. That said, if you have made up your mind that a toy breed is the one for you then make sure that you chose one which has an easy-going and gentle disposition.

How Protective Is The Breed

For the majority of us, having a dog that will bark when you have a visitor to your door gives us a great sense of security. It's like having your very own living, breathing and moving home alarm system. A bark from any type of dog, be it toy or larger breed will have a similar affect in deturing unwanted visitors. Therefore the likes of a Dachshunds and most other toy breed make excellent watchdogs. The good old terrier type are also very good for doing this sort of job.

If you are thinking about getting a larger breed, one which has that physical presence to protect you then you should be looking at one of the working or herding breed categories. These dogs are highly skilled and very trainable and make great visual deterents to any would-be burgulars.

How Much Time Do You Honestly Have

Naturally social in nature dogs make great pets and provide their owners with sometimes very needed companionship. Because of their social nature please do not get one if you are planning on keeping it locked out in your backyard all day long on its own. This is extremely important when looking at puppies as they require large amounts of interaction, socialization and supervision to ensure they get the best start in life and give them the required grounding to develope into a pleasure to have in society rather than a social menace and in extreme cases very dangerous to us all.

On average a dog will spend around 8 hours every day, five days a week, at home on its own. You will find that smaller breeds such as terriers are much more able to cope this this type of situation than the larger breeds. Terriers are very good at finding ways to keep themselves amused if they have enough room to move and wander around.