Perhaps you’ve come across a breed selector quiz that asks “Which breed suits you best?” on a dog site which proceeds to ask you several questions. By answering carefully, the results should match you up with dog breeds that are suitable for you and your family.
Some sites are much more helpful than others are, but such questions can be a starting point for choosing your next furry friend. You might even discover breeds you had never heard of or hadn’t seriously considered before.
We’re looking for a small dog that does not require much grooming or exercise. We are semi-retired and have a fenced yard. Considering our mellow lifestyle and limited budget, we filled out five different questionnaires and came up with vastly different results. You can almost predict from the types of questions whether you’re going to turn up with practical suggestions.
Five sites, with their questions and general results follow.
The most helpful to us was DogChannel.com. It asked 13 questions and offered us 26 “matches.” It offers a well-organized chart of traits so you can compare four dogs at once, with pictures.
Each question gives “tips” as to the meaning behind it: For “size” in #1, the tip is “Consider how a pint-sized pup or a giant dog will fit into your home, family, lifestyle-and your budget.” For #9 about “smartness,” the tip asks, “Would you mind if your new puppy was able to outsmart you?
1. What size dog are you looking for?
2. How much time will you be able to devote to your dog’s grooming?
3. How much energy can you handle from your new pup?
4. Which temperament would you prefer in your dog?
5. Do you have children?
6. Do you have other pets?
7. Do you have houseguests frequently?
8. How tolerant of barking are you?
9. How smart is your ideal dog?
10. How important is trainability to you?
11. How much time do you have to exercise your dog?
12. Are you allergic to dogs?
13. How much room does your home have for a new dog?
The results included Basenji, Cairn Terrier, English Toy Spaniel, Italian Greyhound, Schipperke, and West Highland White Terrier, which are possibilities for us since they are small, friendly, relatively easy to train, and don’t require lots of exercise.
The chart was so well done, I grouped four dogs at a time and printed out all 26 results for quick comparison when we are doggy shopping. For “energy level,” the results ranged from “Decaf” to “coffee/tea,” to “Cappucino” to “Double Expresso.” “Vocalization” responses ranged from “not a yapper” to “something to say” to “loudmouth.”
Another helpful site was the Animal Planet Guides. This asked 10 pertinent questions and offered 56 results, which were ranked by percentage points as to how well the breed matched our profile.
1. Size of dog wanted
2. Energy level
3. Exercise requirements
4. Playfulness
5. Affection level
6. Friendliness towards other pets
7. Ease of training
8. Protection ability
9. Grooming requirements
10. Cold and heat tolerance
These results included Australian Terriers, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, Dandie Dinmonts, Miniature Schnauzers, and Norwich terriers, which are other possibilities for us.
Although the Breeder Retriever site includes all breeds recognized by the AKC, our results emphasized retrievers and hounds to the point of excluding “companion dogs” as choices. They recommended Clumber Spaniel, Spinone Italiano, Sussex Spaniel, Scottish Deerhound, Pharaoh Hound, Whippet, and Greyhound, none of which we feel we have the space for or can afford to buy or feed. What we learned from this site was that we actually wanted a large dog’s temperament in a small dog’s body. Check out their questionnaire at the Breeder Retriever site. The first-page results list their top 20 recommendations.
Another site, the Dog Breed Info search, begins with a choice between purebreds or hybrids. When I chose purebreds, I got 17 results, including Cairn Terrier, Havanese, mini Schnauzer, Toy Poodle and Yorkshire Terrier. When I asked for a “hybrid,” I got “Designer dogs,” which are crossbreeds of, usually, two popular breeds. The questions are as expected, but the results are not. Our answers gave us 68 results, beginning with Bich-poo (Bichon/Poodle), Cavapoo (Cavalier/poodle), Cavachon, Chonzer (Bichon/Schnauzer), Copica (Cockapoo/Corgi), Doxie-chon (dachshund/bichon) and Foodle (toy fox terrier/poodle). Poodle mixes have become very popular for the non-shedding, good-for-people-with-allergies pups that are often produced from cross breeding.
The suggested breeds show a picture of the mix. Not all are half and half; some are one to four, etc., as multi-generational breeding takes the dog further away from the original expectation. You can see an example of a hybrid dog, with links to breeders all over the country that produce the wanted pups, many offering to fly the dog to you upon purchase. The breed selector questions are 12 of the usual and expected type. Check this site “for dog breed information and breeder listings.”
The final site we visited was at Purina.com. This offers profiles of 117 pure breeds, and you can compare up to four choices at a time. As you answer the questions, some breeds are eliminated until you reach your final question. This asks nine questions about you and seven about the kind of dog you want.
About you and your family:
1. How much do you want to spend (ranging from affordable to very expensive)
2. What’s your weekly dog food budget? (ranging from affordable to very expensive)
3. How often will your dog be around kids?
4. Do you or any member of your family suffer from allergies?
5. Is there an outside area for your dog?
6. How much daily exercise can you give your dog?
7. How much time will your dog be alone each day?
8. How often are you willing to groom your dog?
9. How many other pets will your dog be living with?
About the dog you want:
1. What size dog do you prefer?
2. How much shedding could you tolerate?
3. How vocal a dog do you prefer?
4. How active a dog do you prefer?
5. What sort of coat would you prefer?
6. Are you looking for a dog for personal protection?
7. Are you looking for a guard dog?
The problem with this questionnaire, which seemed rather promising, was that, from the 117 breeds I started with, as soon as I marked “affordable” to Question #1, I was offered seven. With “moderate,” I was offered 88. From that, when I marked “allergies in family,” it took me down to three. By the time I finished the questionnaire, I had no choices to compare.
Dog-breed-selector questionnaires can give you some good matches and narrow down your search quickly. Choose one of the above sites as a starting point and research your final choices carefully.
Sources:
Animal Planet Guides at http://animal.discovery.com/breedselector/dogselector.do.
Breeder Retriever at Http://www.breederretriever.com/breedselector.php.
Dog Breed Info at www.dogbreedinfo.com/search.htm.
DogChannel at Http://www.dogchannel.com/dog-community/dog-breed-selector-questionnaire.aspx.
Purina at www.purina.com/dog/breed-selector/default.aspx.
