Types of dog

There are countless breeds of dogs and they come in all shapes and sizes. Not to mention some interesting cross bred dogs and lovely mongrels. The popularity of individual dog breeds waxes and wanes, but the table below shows broadly the traditionally most popular dogs to be kept in Britain.

With all of this choice choosing a dog that is right for you can be very difficult and the type of dog, or dogs, that you choose depends on a number of factors. These include personal taste, which dogs you like best, the size of your home and garden, how much time you have to spend exercising and training the dog and whether you are going to put the dog to use as a working dog.

Can dogs get on with other animals and each other?

Dogs are naturally a social "pack" animal and most will get on very well with other dogs. They will, of course, establish a hierarchy within a pair or group where each dog knows its place and providing this is observed there will be harmony. Obviously if you plan to keep a male and female dog together one or both should be neutered unless you plan to breed from your dogs.

Our dogs Molly and Sam get on very well together. Indeed, they get totally sad and miserable if one is taken without the other and will generally just cry and whine until the other comes back!

It wasn't always like this though. When Sam first met Molly, Sam was almost 2 years old and had been our only dog for all of this time. We brought Molly home as an eight week old pup and Sam's first reaction was to try to attack her! We held her back and don't think that she would really have harmed her but it was pretty scary nonetheless.

Sam soon began to relax and realise that this little cute pup was no threat to her and they were even able to sleep in the same room from the very first night. Although, they didn't always get it right as to which basket was their's as you can see in the picture! Since then they have been great company for each other and play companions, which helps keep them amused and interested when we are busy.

We find that as Labradors and Border Collies are quite different in personality and character, Sam and Molly complement each other very well. Sam will stay around with you whatever you are doing, although usually at a distance whilst stalking a ball or stick. Molly on the other hand will be right by your side wanting stroking and affection, but does wander off frequently and lay in one of her favourite spots, usually on the trampoline.

Why not visit our Dogs Discussion Forum where you can post your comments or questions about dogs.

In relation to our other animals such as the chickens, sheep and pigs the dogs have been fine and shown no attempts to be aggressive towards them. In fact, Molly actually is a bit apprehensive about the sheep as they have given her a gentle head butt once or twice.

With smaller animals you do have to be careful with most dogs though, as we did have a tragic accident with a rabbit and Molly which we will tell you more about in the rabbit section.

Looking after your dogs

Getting dogs is a fairly big responsibility and requires considerable investments in both time and money. To be fair to the dog and yourself it is important to set aside some quality time to bond with your dog and do some basic dog training.

It is important that you are consistent with your dog and firm but fair and that the dog regards you as its master. Dogs live in a hierarchical society and if they know their place and what the boundaries are they will respect them, be more obedient and this helps the dog to have a happy, calm and confident personality.

As well as the time commitment there are important dog health measures to be taken, such as vaccination and the question of whether to have your dog spayed or castrated. Obviously you should consult with your vet early on in your pup's life and get good advice regarding all of these areas.

Vet fees can mount up for these general health and maintenance issues with your dogs. It is strongly advisable therefore to take a good pet insurance policy to be prepared in the event of accidents or illnesses with your dog.

Other expenses to bare in mind include food, bedding and equipment. For further advice and dog information see our dog articles and information section or check out some of the links.

Puppies

Puppies are one of the most irresistible animals in the world and there is almost no such thing as an ugly pup, even if some adult dogs could be regarded as less than handsome!

Almost everyone who meets pups naturally wants to have them and take them home. However, it is important to be responsible and be sure that you have the time, facilities and finances to cope as the puppy grows up.

Appealing as puppies are, dog breeding is a very specialised area of activity and is not something that should be entered into casually. It is usually best left to professional dog breeders.

There is also the fact to consider that in society generally there are still a large number of unwanted dogs. For people looking to get dogs, first trying the animal rescue centres is often the best approach, rather than breeding new dogs.

That being said, here at Animal Lovers Web we have experience in animal breeding but not so far specifically with dogs. Molly is a pedigree Labrador from a long line of championship show dogs. We are considering, with the correct training and supervision and the help of a local dog breeder, having at least one litter of pups from Molly.

If, and when, we do breed from Molly, we will cover the whole experience and post all of the advice and information that we learn in the process here at Animal Lovers Web.com.

Go to our dogs articles pages to learn more about dogs.