Britain is a nation of dog lovers. According to Statista, the most popular pet for people to look after in the UK is a dog, with 26% of the population having a dog at home. Many of us grew up with dogs and cannot imagine a family home without one. Welcoming a dog into your home is an exciting time, but for some of us it may be the first time. If you’re considering introducing a dog into your life, we thought it might be helpful to highlight the best dog breeds that are particularly good for first timers and (in Part 2) give a checklist of essentials for your new furry friend.
There are certain breeds that are simply easier to handle if you are a first time dog owner. This is determined on a range of factors. Temperament, ease of training, what they are like around children, how much exercise they require, how difficult it is to groom them, and how they cope with being left at home alone for short periods of time all need careful consideration. The following list details the breeds that we think do especially well in all of these categories:
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel – a friendly little dog that is adorable to look at too. This breed is particularly good around children, but does need company as he doesn’t like to be left alone for long.
Golden Retriever – a very gentle dog breed that is intelligent and fun to be around. These dogs have a lot of energy so will need a good amount of exercise to keep them out of trouble.
Toy Poodle – one of the most intelligent of dog breeds, the toy poodle is extremely easy to train. It’s a great dog for people with allergies as the coat has minimal shedding.
Labrador Retriever – the largest dog on our list, the labrador retriever could become your instant best friend. The labrador retriever does need plenty of exercise and plenty to entertain him, but is a very loyal and kind companion.
Papillon – this cute little dog loves time with his owner. This is an energetic and intelligent dog breed that is easy to train and loves to be trained.
Shih Tzu – a playful breed that loves to be in a family setting as they were bred to be companions. They are good natured, but also quite energetic so need exercise and things of interest to entertain them.
Greyhound – these dogs love exercise, but once they’ve had what they need they are actually very calm. They are lovable dogs to have around, are easily trained and love hanging out with the family.
Your home environment, your typical daily schedule and a lot of other factors also need to be taken into consideration when deciding what breed is right for you. When my family was considering a dog, we enjoyed taking some online quizzes that matched us up with the best breed of dog for our circumstances. The Kennel Club and Dogtime are among many available online. We found these particularly helpful and we ended up with a dog that is just right for our family. Good luck in finding the perfect breed for your family too!
