Dog Breeds For Everyone

The dog breeds and the dogs within the breeds are about as different as the people who own them. Adopting a dog involves knowing something about the breed of the dog. Even if you adopt a mixed breed, it still has different breeds in it’s background and those breeds will influence how the dog acts. Choosing a breed of dog to suit your needs may seem like a daunting task but we’ll give you as much information as we can.

We are working on the profiles of all AKC registered breeds in the USA which are listed below in order of popularity. There's 159 when you include the 3 different Poodles. There's work to be done!

In addition, we are working on groups by category that will help you narrow the field. That is, if you have children, are a senior citizen, or live in an apartment, for example, there will be suggestions of breeds best suited for those situations.

We have found that, in general, mixed breeds tend to be healthier and live longer than purebreds with fewer trips to the vets office. The AKC wouldn't want to admit that, I'm sure. Just an observation, but it has also been documented in books and magazines more than once over the years.

The AKC has divided the breeds up into groups, depending on the nature of the individual dog. Some dogs were bred for hunting, others are better lap dogs.

Above: Georgie, the Golden, resting in the grass near Sussex, England
after her humans took her for a long walk on the beach and grassy hills.

This page has links to a considerable amount of breed information.

Below, you'll find a variety of categories for which individual dog breeds are listed with links to their profiles to give you breed info pointing to a specific purpose for each dog.

Example: If you are a senior citizen, you only want breed information for dogs suited for seniors and, that’s what you’ll find.

We have delved deep into the AKC breed information sources as well as our own experiences to give you the best “picture” possible of each dog. However...

... Keep in mind, dogs, like people, are different. The CROSS SECTION of a given breed may be that that breed gets along well with other dogs, for instance, but you might happen to get one that doesn't like other dogs. Are we wrong? Not really. Again, dogs are different. Nine out of ten in the breed might love other dogs and you got the one that doesn't.

Breed information is based on the “average” for each trait. Such as “Staffordshire Bull Terriers are affectionate, loving family dogs.” Okay, so a gang of kids get hold of some and turn them into aggressive fighting dogs and pretty soon everyone is saying, “those Pit Bulls are all nasty, horrible dog- and-people-eating monsters.”

The point is clear. Dogs are what HUMANS make them to be.

• Senior Citizens 65 and up
  More and more seniors today are getting into waking and even jogging for health and there are dog breeds that are happy to go along
  
  

• Families With Kids
  Children should grow up with a dog but not all dogs are tolerant of the antics of young kids. Here’s some that are.
  
  

• Personal And Family Protection
  Sometimes dogs are selected for their guarding abilities for property or family. Here’s a group that fills the order.
  
  

• Dog Breeds For Apartment LivingActually, nearly ALL AKC dogs can live in an apartment so we’ll give you a list of those that can NOT.
  
  

• Dogs For Active Families (outdoors)
  Some families enjoy hiking, camping, fishing, hunting and other travel or /outdoor excursions. Not all dogs like that. Here are some that love to be “on the go.”
  
  

• Dogs For Working Families (Hardly ever home)
  You can leave some dogs alone all day and many you can not. Try leaving a Weimaraner alone all day!!
  
  

• Folks Wanting A Lap Dog
  Obviously this will be as group of the better lap dogs assembled by the AKC.
  
  

• Dogs For People With Allergies
  Dog Breeds that shed the least