3 Popular dog breeds for families

When you are planning to get a dog for your family, nothing beats having everyone pitch in when choosing which particular breed to get. For sure, your children and even your spouse would have a lot of suggestions, and these might be in terms of size and temperament. Choosing one particular dog breed just might become daunting on your part. Thus, it would be better to do some research on the popular family dog breeds that you just might want to get. Here are some of the popular breeds.

The Golden Retriever

This breed makes an excellent choice because this dog is very sociable and enjoys outdoor activities. If you are considering getting a Golden Retriever, then you should know this interesting fact about the breed. Back in the day, the Golden Retriever was actually trained to retrieve birds whenever hunters would go on expeditions. However, it did not take too long for the hunters to observe that the breed was more of a family companion rather than a hunting companion. Thus, it soon became one of the popular family dog breeds. One major downside of the Golden Retriever, however, is its fur. Its fur has to have serious maintenance to keep it healthy so this would require brushing daily. Much fur would also be shed, which is not too good for families who have asthmatic members.

The West Highland Terrier

More popularly known as the Westie, this small terrier is very playful. Because of its playful nature, dog owners would have to be ready to do some exercises with the dog, just to keep it active and happy. Westies are very loyal to their owners and they also make great watchdogs. However, because of its small size, younger children could somehow mistreat it quite a bit. Thus, it would be better to get this small dog if the children in the house are a bit older already. Much like the Golden Retriever, the Westie also needs to be groomed so that his coat is maintained free from tangles.

The Cairn Terrier

This is still a little dog, much like its cousin, the Westie. The Cairn Terrier likes to be with a lot of people and needs a lot of exercise to stay happy as well. You have a lot of choices when it comes to colour with the Cairn Terrier because this breed comes in the following colours: cream, red, grey, sandy, wheaten, and even in combinations of these colours.

These are just some of the popular dog breeds you should consider. For more information on the other breeds, do not hesitate to contact your local vet. Vets are the most qualified people who can share valuable information about all dog breeds in the market.

Joseph M. Sabol is a world class Doberman breeder. Please go to http://petvitamins4u.com or to http://theroadhousedobes.com for further information

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joseph_M_Sabol

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Check Your Dogs Weight

Today we came across a very useful tool on the internet for your dog, it basically tells you what the ideal weight should be for your dog.

All you have to do is type in a few details about your dog, age, breed, etc and once you’ve entered your pets information in, it will then calculate the ideal weight your dog should be.

Unfortunately there are dog owners who feed their animals too much, the amount of time we see overweight dogs is getting quite frightening. Some dog owners think they are being kind to their pets by giving them the same food what us humans would eat on a day to day basis, but in reality they are hurting their dog. If a dog doesn’t eat a well balanced diet it can cause all sorts of health problems.

If you have time, do take a look at this website advising you on the correct weight for your pet – go to Pets Get Slim.

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Stray Dogs … Maybe Not?

During a recent trip to Portugal I was amazed to see so many dogs out and about on the streets and beaches by themselves without a care in the world.

Whilst sitting on the beach at Praia Da Luz  several dogs in a pack would run past you off on another adventure! It was hard to determine which dogs where actual strays and which dogs have owners because some of the dogs did have collars and id discs on.

I stood watching a group of dogs on the beach playing as usual in the afternoon and the next thing I noticed was one of the dogs emptying its bowels on the beach (yuck I thought to myself). I was even more amazed when a woman strolled up alongside me, saw what the dog had done, she shouted its name, put a lead on the dog then casually walked away as if it didn’t matter that her dog had just messed over a beach where people walked. I felt rather angry at what I had just witnessed, however this seemed to be the normal thing that was done at this particular location of the beach.

Despite seeing many stray dogs around Praia Da Luz they looked remarkably fit and healthy. Maybe the dogs that didn’t wear a collar were getting their food from tourists who came and went, but then again maybe they do have owners who let their dog out in the morning and open the door when their dog returns by itself. It all seemed like a rather relaxed approach to keeping dogs I must admit.

So a word of warning, if you do go to the beach and see stray dogs roaming around, just be careful where you sit!

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