You've decided that it's time to bring a dog into your life for the very first time and you have your heart set on a purebred dog. But you're not sure what type of dog best suits your lifestyle and training experience. So you do what many first time dog owners do: you search online for an interactive web-site that promises to find the breed that is perfectly suited for you. But... When you Google the phrase "Dog Breed Selector Quiz," it returns 16,700 results. And that's pretty daunting. How do you know which one to choose? Will it really give you the name of the breed of your dreams, just by answering a few questions?
Recently, I tested eight of these online quizzes to see what breeds they would recommend for me, given that I have years of experience working with dogs of all types, including those typically listed as "stubborn," "dominant," or "hard-to-train" and lead a fairly active life that allows plenty of exercise, training time, and attention for my dogs. Some of the quizzes were great, some were terrible, but the funny thing is that even the quizzes I liked didn't provide consistent breeds for me to consider.
My first try was DOG CHANNEL. The results included a rather large number of dog breeds as possibilities. For the inexperienced dog enthusiast, trying to sort through all of them could be confusing. All but one of the suggestions were breeds I would consider. Given my answers to the questions, they all made sense. There is an option to compare up to 4 breeds, side-by-side, which could be quite helpful.
Then I tried the DOG BREED INFO CENTER's quiz, which I really do not recommend. They omitted THE most important questions when choosing a breed: intelligence/trainability. Instead, they ask if the quiz taker is “able to control a dominating dog.” When I answered “yes,” to that questions, I was given a list of 4 dogs. When I answered that I wasn't sure if I could control a dominating dog, my list dropped to zero breeds.
I was surprised to find a quiz on the GOOD HOUSEKEEPING web-site. The questions are pretty well-thought out, but my answers resulted in a single breed... which I don't care for on a lot of levels.
SELECT SMART's quiz was my next stop. This is another quiz I wouldn't recommend. The top recommendation was to get a mixed breed dog, whose heritage contains multiple breeds on my recommended list. Despite stating a preference for very large dogs (90-105 pounds), 12 out of their top 25 recommended breeds were under 60 pounds. I also specified a desire for low maintenance grooming; 13 out of the 25 require frequent trimming or hand-stripping to maintain their coats in decent condition. There are a total of 4 breeds in their top 25 that I might consider, but none that truly fit my criteria.
DOGGIE DEALER's quiz was definitely more on-target than some of the others I tried, but there was no mention of intelligence/trainability. Provided with a list of 10 breeds, I would consider, perhaps, 5 of them.
CODE FROM JAMES's quiz provided a great mix of questions. Out of 11 recommended breeds, 6 of them made sense, given my responses.
PURINA's breed selector was a HUGE disappointment. According to their quiz, there is no dog breed that is right for me... even when I retook the quiz, leaving a lot of the questions wide open by responding “not sure.”
Finally I took the ANIMAL PLANET quiz. It consists of 10 well-designed questions, which resulted in 4 dog breeds that made sense, given my answers.
If you really want to do research online, my recommendation would be to use one of these quizzes (Dog, Channel, Code from James, or Animal Planet) as a starting point.
When you find a breed or breeds that interests you, check out The Encyclopedia of Dog Breeds by D. Caroline Coile, PhD to learn more about them, which may help you to narrow down your choices.
Next, I would visit the American Kennel Club's Index of National Breed Clubs to find the web-sites for the breeds' parent clubs. These sites usually offer a wealth of information on temperament and medical issues, as well as conformation.
That should help you get even closer to the dog you really want. Your next step should be to talk with people who own or breed these dogs. Attending dog shows, Agility, Obedience, or Rally Trials, or even striking up a conversation with an owner of a dog that interests you at the dog park will usually result in a plethora of good, blunt information. Ask about housebreaking, basic obedience training, grooming, medical bills, and any other question pertinent to your life.
It is important to be brutally honest with the person. Now is not the time to sugar coat things. If you're a couch potato, living with 3 children under the age of six, five cats, a ferret and you don't want to (or don't have time to) do much training or grooming, say so. Don't worry what the other person thinks about your lifestyle; she is only listening for the information that will help her decide whether her breed of choice is suitable for you.
If you're still unsure at this point, contact your local dog trainer, obedience club, dog sitter or dog walker. These people have usually seen it all: the good, the bad, and the ugly. And they are usually willing to advise you on making a final choice.
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