How to choose a dog breed.

Before Rock and I became doggie parents for the first time we did a lot of research. We wanted to make sure that we were prepared for the commitment. We went to Yahoo! and did the dog breed recommender. The dog breed recommender was really great for us because it made us think about which qualities in a dog were most important for us. It's also fun to do if you already have a dog to see if yours comes up in the top 10. The top three breeds were these:


1. Belgian Malinois

2. Bernese Mountain Dog

3. Great Pyrnees





Now that I've gotten to know all of these dogs at the dog park I realize that the Belgian Malinois is a lot like Wolfgang (giant schnauzer) and a perfect fit for us. The Berner and Pyrnees are very slow moving dogs, almost lethargic - very unlike the malinois and schnauzer but still really cool dogs. Which leads me to my second point.

Before buying a dog understand which traits you favor by getting to know a lot breeds. The best way is by going to a dog park. Observe the dog's behavior make a list of your favorite breeds and find the common trait. For me, I tend to favor dominant dogs with a lot of energy (doberman pinschers, giant and standard schnauzers, german shepards). I didn't know this before I went to the dog park and when I first did the dog breed recommender on Yahoo!. Now when I take the test I get different results. Schnauzers are at the top of the list.