Dog Breeds and Owners: Understanding Breed Characteristics and Owners

This report examines the relationship between dog breeds and their ideal owners, considering factors such as lifestyle, living space, activity levels, and owner experience. It categorizes dogs based on their utility, including toy breeds, terriers, hounds, working dogs, pastoral dogs, and gundogs, providing examples of each. The report highlights the top dog breeds in the UK, based on registration statistics, and analyzes the characteristics of popular breeds like Labrador Retrievers, French Bulldogs, and Cocker Spaniels. Furthermore, it provides detailed profiles of specific breeds such as Labradors, Border Terriers, Jack Russells, Cockapoos, Border Collies, and Retired Greyhounds, matching them with suitable owners like retired couples, active families, and individual working ladies. The report offers practical advice for potential dog owners, emphasizing the importance of understanding a dog's needs and ensuring a good match to promote a harmonious relationship. This report provides a comprehensive overview of dog breeds and owner compatibility.

Dog breeds and Owners

Dogs are considered as social beings, best friends, and ideal companions for humans as they are
an epitome of positivity, loyalty, selflessness, happiness, and love. These are known to have
evolved from a sub class of Canis Lupas or wolf and occur in variety of breeds and sizes, which
are one of the main factors to be considered by the people who are willing to adopt or take them
in their family. There are many things to be considered before bringing a dog at home such as
people’s lifestyle, training skills, and commitment level; pet friendly house; and availability of
treats, toys, and outfits for pets. At times, those who are inexperienced in petting dog or are first
timers, choose the dog breeds that are not suitable for their family which causes many problems
such as shortage of space, inability to handle dogs, improper training leading to naughty
characters among pets, and more (Dogtime, 2019).
There are number of reasons that make owners to choose particular breeds of dogs. People with
small homes, flats, or apartments prefer toy dogs which are small in size and hence, suitable to
reside in their place. The toy breeds require high grooming, regular exercise, and active living.
Some of the renowned examples of toy dogs include Pug, Chihuahua, Cavalier King Charles
spaniel, Yorkshire terrier, Chinese crested, and Pomeranian. Another reason of selecting a dog
for a family is their utility or purpose. A wide range of dog breeds of various sizes and shapes
comes under this utility category such as Shar-Pei, Bulldog, Lhasa Apso, Shih Tzu, Miniature
Schnauzer, Standard Poodle, and German Spitz. People who own fields and farms usually prefer
terriers having natural tendency to dig and kill as they were originally bred to hunt bugs. They
need high level of exercising and playing which makes them highly active, audacious, resilient,
and bright. Some of the well-known terrier breeds include Staffordshire bull terrier, Border
terrier, West Highland white terrier, Bull terrier, and Jack Russell terrier. Similarly, there are
hunting dogs that may assist in tracking or chasing prey called as hounds. These are quite

independent in their working and other activities in addition to being relatively harder to handle.
Some of the examples of the hounds are Whippet, Beagle, Dachshund, Rhodesian ridgeback, and
Basset hound (American Kennel Club, 2019).
The dogs which are bred for a specific work or job come under the category of working dogs.
They are large sized, sharp, and protective, therefore require large dwelling place and a lot of
exercising. These can become great family dogs if thoroughly trained and socialized. Some of
the famous working dogs are Boxer, Dogue de Bordeaux, Siberian husky, Rottweiler, and
Doberman. Another important category is pastoral group of dogs which are very active and
attentive of their surrounding spaces. Also, these are protective for their family and comfortable
working with farm animals. They are strong, healthy, playful, and require ample amount of
training and exercising. The popular examples of pastoral breeds are German shepherd dog,
Border collie, Shetland sheepdog, Rough collie, and Smooth collie. The gundog category dogs
are one of the favorite family pets owing to their very responsive attitude as well as friendly and
warm hearted nature. They are also very bright and active dogs, such as Labrador retriever,
Cocker spaniel, English springer spaniel, Golden retriever, and Weimaraner. Besides, there are
many crossbreeds that are also known as mongrels which don’t fall in any specific category but
are a great companion for humans (American Kennel Club, 2019).
Around nine million dogs are estimated to live in the European country United Kingdom (UK).
The Kennel Club, one of the top organizations in this country meant for protection and
betterment of dogs, published a report based on registration statistics in 2018, regarding the top
ten most popular dog breeds in UK. The first rank was grabbed by the Labrador retriever owing
to its extra friendly and affectionate behavior with family and kids. On the second position stood
French bulldog, which are friendly and faithful lap dogs with warm nature and pleasant

appearance. The Cocker Spaniel, which comes in two strains, working and show, occupied third
position in the list. The show strain of this dog has a thick fur coat and longer ears, hence, require
more care and grooming. The working strains are overactive and usually employed in the
hunting areas. The Pug breed dogs were ranked fourth in the list due to their small size (suitable
for all kinds of homes) and delightful nature (friendly to all people). The fifth ranked was
grabbed by English Springer Spaniels having appealing looks because of their special markings
and long ears. They are hyperactive beings and their energy needs to be controlled by giving a
right direction. Also, they are available in two strains, that is, show and working (Eydal and
Skírnisson, 2016).
The medium sized dogs, Bulldogs were the sixth rank holder of the list. They are considered to
be brave, calm, and affectionate to humans. The Golden retriever dogs stood seventh in the list
because of their beautiful look and a kind personality. They are large sized powerful beings with
athletic physique and fluffy coat thus, require high maintenance and plenty of physical exercises.
On the eighth position stood German shepherd dogs which are large to moderate sized species
and an all-rounder as a family pet, well-trained police dog, and guarding dog. These dogs require
proper training and high levels of physical exercises according to their role. Also, they are well-
built, tough, alert, active, bold, and intelligent. The ninth rank was occupied by the small smooth
haired range of Dachshunds. These dogs require less maintenance but should be handled with
care. For instance, they should be kept slim to avoid health issues. The tenth rank was held by
the miniature Schnauzer, a small and pleasant looking dog with friendly temperament, smartness,
activeness, and alertness (Helton, 2010).

Following is a list of particular breeds of dogs and suitable owners for them with reasons:
Labrador: This breed consists of very accomplished and adaptable dogs that are always keen to
make their owners happy and are very friendly with families as well as children. They are also
ideal companions for blind, deaf, and older people living alone. Moreover, people with moving
disabilities are helped by these dogs through switching lights on or off, closing or opening doors,
bringing things, and sometimes moving wheelchairs. These fun loving and affectionate dogs are
very compatible with other humans and pets apart from their owners. Labradors are easily
trainable owing to their high intelligence and obedient nature. Some of them are specially trained
to be utilized as therapy dogs to treat certain disorders such as autism. Therapy dogs own
superior acquiescence skills and advanced behavior. Owing to their endurance and great energy,
they can also work as service and SAR (search and rescue) dogs if trained to find noxious
substances such as prohibited plants and foods, hazardous explosives, and others. The basic
requirements of Labradors are exercise, living space, and high attention requirements.
Altogether, considering the abovementioned factors we may conclude that all kind of families
whether with children or old aged person and disabled people, having spacious homes are able to
adopt Labradors (HQ, 2019).
Border terrier: The dogs belonging to this breed are small, alert, and very energetic around
their surroundings. The family adopting them should be active, capable of giving them a lot of
exercise, and should not leave them for long time periods. Border terrier breed was formerly
raised to help in hunting and chasing foxes from their underground places, thus, it has an inbuilt
digging and hunting characteristic. The dog requires a safely fenced lawn and regular company

otherwise there are chances of becoming boisterous, causing damage, and escaping by digging
ground, crossing fences, open doors/gates, and other means. To avoid all these troubles, Border
terrier should be provided with regular exercises and fun activities. Those families who own kids
above 6-7 years of age, are capable of keeping the dog indoors, and can provide the dog with
regular activities and supervision, are the ones ideal for adopting Border terrier (Petfinder, 2019).
Jack Russell: This is a type of small dog meant for hunting as well as living indoors. It is
suitable for experienced owners, requires plenty of exercises or games, and not appropriate for
families with young children. Some of the suitable owners for Jack Russell include owners of
farms and horses, people having active interests in dog sports, trainers of animals for movies and
television programs, and others. This dog owns bold personality, string chasing instincts, endless
energy, convenient size, and amusing tricks. Training the breed requires huge tolerance level and
a lot of hard work. Moreover, Jack Russell dogs are very active ones and have chewing, digging,
and barking habits. They are capable of getting along with people but aggressive to other animals
such as dogs and cats (Morell, 2016).
Cockapoo: This dog is a crossbreed of Poodle and the Cocker Spaniel. It is a little sized dog
having love and affection for all the people (kids, aged, young) and other pets. Thus, families
with young, adults, or infants can easily adopt this breed. Cockapoo dogs are always happy, easy
to please, friendly, and bright dog. In addition, they spread positivity and happiness among
people and surroundings. Also, a dog of this breed requires average grooming, standard
exercises, and regular company (petMD, 2019).

Border collie: The dogs of this breed are medium sized, enthusiastic, very intelligent, highly
alert, and loyal friends to humans. They usually require a work or goal to be achieved, need less
grooming, and require high level of exercise, proper training, and a lot of play. Moreover, Border
collies look forward to their owner’s affection, attention, love, and admiration. These dogs are
suitable for families with older children, other dogs, and active young people (Silverstein,
Silverstein and McLoughlin, 1986).
Retired Greyhound: Greyhounds are considered as one of the fastest dog breeds or animal
globally. This fact makes them suitable for many different dog sports such as dog race, lure
coursing, and others. Retired greyhounds are well trained, quite sensitive and loving to people of
all age groups. These are very calm and peaceful dogs, show minimal shedding, and contains
negligible or no body odor. They don’t require a lot of exercise and maintenance. Therefore,
retired greyhounds are a great pet for all kinds of individuals and families (Dogtime, 2019).
Following is a list owners and perfect dogs for them:
Retired couple: Some of the best dogs for retired couples going on regular walks are Bichon
Frise, French bulldog, Greyhound, Pembroke Welsh Corgi, Pomeranian, and West Highland
White Terrier. Some of the qualities of these breeds include small or medium size, requirement
of low maintenance, need for less or no exercise but regular walks, and joyful or cheerful nature.
All of them are easy to handle and make a great companion which is very advantageous for aged
people who aren’t young enough to run, play, or remain active with them all the time but nourish
them with love and care. The friendliness and cheerfulness of these dogs are capable of
producing positivity along with providing support and happiness to aged people.

Active family: Some of the best dogs for an active family of two adults and two teenagers who
enjoy bike rides and camping include Doberman pinscher, Australian Shepherd, German
shorthaired pointer, Vizsla, Australian Cattle Dog, Weimaraner, and Portuguese water dog. Most
of these are hunting dogs, very enthusiastic, adventurous, and strong enough for enjoying long
hours of playing and running related activities. Active families are capable of providing regular
exercising sessions, activities, and required adventurous experiences to these dogs.
Individual lady: An individual and full time working lady in her fifties looking for a dog as
company in evenings and weekends will look for dogs that are suitable for staying home alone
and require low maintenance. Some of the dog breeds fulfilling this condition include Basset
hound, Pug, Boston terrier, Miniature Schnauzer, Bullmastiff, Peekapoo, Lhasa Apso, Chow
Chow, and Akita Inu. These are very intelligent, easy going, independent, loyal, and affectionate
to their owners. Moreover, their adaptive nature and flexibility of behavior according to the
owner make them ideal for living with working individuals. The lady owning one of these can go
for work leaving them home alone with optimum food, toys, and water for spending the day.
Young family: Some of the most suitable dogs for a young family with three children under the
age of six years are Beagle, Bulldog, Bull terrier, Collie, Irish setter, Poodle, Labrador, Golden
Retriever, Pit Bull Terrier, German shepherd, and Havanese. All of these breed are highly
affectionate, intelligent, trainable, calm, gentle, loving, playful, active, smart, faithful, sensitive,
and folks favorites. They are very friendly with children of all ages as they love playing and
running with them inside or outside the home. Moreover, these dogs protect the kids from any
harming element and capable of tolerating their mischievous behavior (Cesar's Way, 2019).

Couple: The dog breeds suitable for a young couple in their twenties (who refer to their new
puppy as their baby) are Labrador retriever, Golden retriever, Dachshund, Yorkshire Terriers,
Miniature Poodle, Boston terrier, Boxer, and others. These dogs are a great opportunity for
young couple to get ready for their upcoming baby in future. The abovementioned breeds are
active, playful, intelligent, pleasant, and cheerful. Petting these dogs also strengthens the bond
between couple.
Man in seventies: Some of the most suitable dogs for a man working part-time in his seventies
include Labrador, Lhasa Apso, Maltese, Greyhound, French Bulldog, and Pembroke Welsh
Corgi. They can provide companionship, love, joy, encouragement, and act as a great morale
booster for the aged man. The old man should go for a trained dog and nurture it with love,
shelter in his home, and appropriate food.
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