Choosing a dog to be a family pet is a difficult decision to make. Not only do you have to pick the right dog but you are responsible for your pet for it's whole life. Your new best friend will make a significant impact on your life. Pick the right dog and it will enrich your life. Go for the wrong breed and you and your dog may well be extremely miserable indeed.

Unfortunately, many folks thinking about a dog and which breed to choose make size or the way the look their number one priority, yet,however there is much more in finding the right dog for you family than meets the eye. Picking a dog breed whose natural manner and requirements fit into your life is your first stop.

Your fist step in attaining your is to go for the best breed category. This way you will be considering dog breeds whose natural characteristics should make them more successful for your family.

Fortunately for you, originations all over the world have adopted a system of assigning different dog breeds in broad categories by the type of job they were bred for. A great place to start your research is your national canine organization. The one to examine are: American Kennel Club, UK Kennel Club and Canadian Kennel Club.

Usually the following categories to separate the different dog breeds:

Hunting Dogs (Gundogs)
Working Dogs
Utility Dogs
Terriers
Toy Dogs
Hounds

Lets take a look at these categories in depth.

Hounds were bred for their keen sense of smell and sight. Again they were used (and still are) for hunting. Dogs in this group make great pets but must have lots of exercise if you are to make them happy in your family. Well known breeds include: Daschunds, Basset Hounds, Irish Wolfhounds, Deerhounds, Beagles, Whippets and Greyhounds. You may have noticed there great variation in stature in this group.

Hunting dogs were bred originally for searching for and recovering game. Typically they are easily trainable, loyal and companionable animals. They make fantastic pets and have a idealall-round temperament which makes for easy integration into homes with children. They do often need lots of exercise and crave attention which if not given often leads to behavior difficulties. The hunting dog group can be segmented into four sub-groups: Spaniels, Hunt/Point/Retrieve, Retrievers, and Setters.

Toy dogs are the tiny companions and lap animals of the canine catagories. Althoug each dog was used for a certain use, they are placed into this group for their size. Typically, toy dogs are amicable and faithful, and need lots of care. They are intelligent and are easily over indulged as their masters can be poor on obedience due to their diminutive size. In this group are: Chihuahuas, Pugs, Papillions, Yorkshire Terriers and Poodles.

In the beginning, all terriers were used in order to hunt unwanted rodents like . They are usually small dogs, as they needed to be lower to the ground to seize the vermin and other pests that they hunted. These dogs are often brave, and intensely resolute. They are ancient forms of breeds, as far - if not further - than the Middle Ages. Today terriers are thought of as handsome dogs, butthey are better suited tomore expert dog masters because of their more aggressive temperament. Some of the terriers include: Airedale, Boston, Welsh, Border, Wire Fox, Cairn, Jack Russell, Staffordshire, Scottish, Lakeland and West Highland White and Miniature Schnauzer.

Utility dogs are a group of many many different kinds of breeds put in the same catagory because of their non sporting beginnings. They have generally been bred for a specific purpose, but, these functions are greatly varied. Here you will find breeds like: Dalmations, English Bulldogs, American Bulldogs, French Bulldogs, Shih Tzus and Poodles. Breeds in this group are often the oldest breeds recorded.

Working dogs have been designed for rescuing, guarding and searching. Example breeds in this group include: Great Danes, Collies, Rottweillers, Mastiffs, Corgis, German Shepherds, Dobermanns, Old English Sheepdogs, Newfoundlands and Boxers. Often called the "champions" of the dog world, being bred to succeed at their particular job.

Having shown you more information about the different groups of dog breed and their virtues you should be able to choose a group and dog suited to you and your family.