What Kind of Dog Should You Get?

​ It depends – but the right dog fits your family, and your family fits the dog too. When my kids were little, we took an online test. The first time nothing fit, so we tried again.

Test #1  If you want an easy test, try this link from The American Kennel Club. https://www.akc.org/dog-breed-selector/
Scroll down and start the quiz. Five answers and you’ll find your match. Mine – a Boston Terrier.

Don’t stop! The AKC suggested four more dogs, and they compared all five based on – Personality, AKC Popularity, Group, Size, Life Expectancy, Characteristics, Trainability, Coat Length, Grooming, Shedding, Activity level, and Barking.

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Shedding is key. If I could have a dog, I’d learn more about the Boston Terrier and the Lagotto Romagnolo.

​A huge consideration – how much does that doggy cost? I’ve never heard of a Lagotto. My guess is that it’s expensive, and hard to find.  Boston Terriers are more  common so they’re  cheaper, and easier to find.

Test #2
Didn’t find your dog yet? Me neither, but my husband is not a dog-lover like me. If I can’t have one, it’s fun to look.
Here’s another quiz. It has a few more questions, 18, but they’re about things like why you want a dog, how much time you can give to doggy devotion, and temperament, yours and the dog’s!

​Here’s the link: https://www.selectadogbreed.com/

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                   Here are my results, by percentage!
1. Boston Terrier 86%                    2. Shitzu Maltese 86% *
3. Brussels Griffon 83%                4. Japanese Spitz 83%
5. Shih Tzu 81%                                  6. Cairn Terrier 79%

That Boston Terrier again! No other dog reappeared. This quiz gives out percentages.  I didn’t get a single A, but the Boston Terrier and I are a solid B, and the Cairn Terrier is a C+. Every other dog is in between.

This site also sent me an email with 4 more suggestions, all in the C range–
1. Shih-Poo 78%  *                            2. Lhasa Apso 75%
3. Moodle 74% *                                4. Yorkie-Poo 74% *
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I added five asterisks. They’re all ‘hybrid’ dogs. It’s easy to tell what a Shitzu Maltese, but a Shih-Poo? It’s half Shih Tzu and Poodle. A Moodle – Maltese and Poodle, and a Yorkie-Poo – Yorkshire Terrier and Poodle.

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                                  They also gave me a Results Analysis:  
1.  We understand that the reason you want a dog is for companionship at home. 
2.  You prefer your dog's size to be small and prefer a dog that doesn't shed much. 
3. Your property is a free­standing house with a garden. (I have a small yard.)
4.  With regards to children you answered that you sometimes have young kids visiting but you aren't planning on having your own (I have one grandchild now.)
5.  The main carer for the dog will be an adult between 60 and 80 years old who is physically fit and healthy. 
​6.  You will be able to exercise your dog 20 minutes a day.
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I looked more at the Brussels Griffon and Cairn Terrier. If I had to pick, the Cairn is in the lead, but I’ll keep looking, just for fun. I wonder if any of these dogs will reappear tomorrow's quiz.

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Test #3
Here’s my favorite from yesterday, the Cairn Terrier. He reminds me of Toto from the Wizard of Oz, but, can he stand up to twelve questions from Purina? Here’s the link:
https://www.purina.co.uk/dogs/dog-breeds/breed-selector

​OH, MY GOODNESS! The Cairn Terrier wasn’t even on the list! Two new dogs are listed as Almost Excellent Matches, but they never came up before. I wanted to find out why so I clicked on the green arrow after Almost Excellent. It gave me a list of traits for each dog I clicked on. Now I can compare to see which dog fits me best.

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The Pug and French Bulldog fit my life, but they don’t call my heart. For now, I’ll still keep them on my list.
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The next set of dogs, starting with the Affenpinscher, are pretty good matches for me. I like its looks, but it barks and likes active walks. Maybe I could find the sleepy head in the litter. 

​None of these dogs made me click that arrow. I’m not a fan of Chihuahuas. Papillons look like they need too much brushing, and a Pointer is too big. They’re hunting dogs, and this grandma doesn’t hunt, except at the mall.

Well, the Lowchen looks like major brushing. I’m not into hunting with a big old Deerhound, and I’m still not loving that Boston Terrier, not when a Pug is cuter and fits me better!

The last two pretty good matches are the Greyhound and Whippet. They were actually in the mix back when we looked for our family dog. One of my kids wanted the Whippet because of the old Devo song – Whip it Good, but no one else did. The Boston Terrier came closer, but it was never a contest. We all loved our Border Terrier.


We found our breed, Border Terrier, on a Purina test 20 years ago. I couldn’t believe they hadn’t come up so I looked for them.  We were a mismatch! I looked at those red x’s, and then I remembered my family.

Back then I had kids in K, 3rd, and 5th grade. Leia didn’t take to them right away, but she did within a week. They kept her busy, especially during the puppy years. Leia was a barker, but we managed.

The biggest problem was grooming. It just didn’t get done. She did some shedding, but not tons. Thank goodness for our cleaning lady who kept the hair under control.

Yesterday the Cairn Terrier was my top dog so I looked them up on Purina. There aren’t as many red x’s as my Border Terrier, but the barking and long walks worry me. My three kids are adults, but maybe, I could find a sleepy one, or an older dog that doesn’t bark a lot.

Test #4
This was yesterday’s top dog, and it’s a good fit. A Pug doesn’t bark much. It doesn’t need long walks, but can it survive one last quiz with only ten questions? Here’s the link:
www.animalplanet.com/breed-selector/dog-breeds.html     

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Animal Planet picked the Australian Terrier. It has never been top dog before so I checked Purina. We’re not an ideal match, as I suspected.

Animal Planet picked six Terriers and a Schnauzer. I love all those faces, but terriers are yappy active dogs. I double-checked on Purina, and none of them were ideal. I had a feeling.

My conclusions:
1. Purina had the most accurate testing. If you’re looking for a purebred dog, it’s the place to go. If you want to find puppies, use the AKC link.
 2. If you want to look at hybrid dogs like Doodles, go to the Selectadogbreed.com.
3. When I started this post, I expected to match up to a terrier, a schnauzer, or a doodle. I never thought my match would be a pug, but if my husband said yes to a dog, I’d look at one. I think we move through life at the same speed.