Choosing the right dog breed for you, your family and lifestyle is the most important decision you can make before bringing the dog home. Get this choice wrong and you end up with one of two results. Either you end up saddled with a dog that is wrong for you and your family, a dog that is basically unwanted and unloved. A dog that is a chore to look after. Or you end up taking the dog to a shelter for re-adoption or worse yet abandoning it. Neither option is good for the dog.

You also need to be aware that the cute little puppy you bought home will not stay a puppy for long. Before too long he or she will be a part of the family that you will have to care for over the next ten years or longer.

To make this new addition a valued and loved part of the family requires a lot of hard work over the first few months, especially in house training. So you have to be certain that you really want a dog before taking on the commitment.

With over 200 breeds of dog in the world how do you decide which is the right breed for you?

There are a few basic questions you have to ask yourself to narrow the choice down.

How much space do you have in your home? Obviously a large dog in a small apartment is a mismatch, a recipe for disaster. Toy dogs, such as terriers are a better choice for this situation.

Do you have children and how old are they? A large dog puppy such as a Great Dane or Saint Bernard could easily bowl a small child over. On the other hand, toy dogs can be very fragile and easily injured by a small child playing with it. To be on the safe side you have to give priority to whats right for your children.

Exercise is another important point. The exercise needs of dogs are proportional to their size. Large dogs need lots of room to exercise and work off their excess energy. They either need a large yard to run about in or to be taken on long walks, often twice a day.

Small dogs on the other hand need far less exercise. This makes them a better choice for an apartment or for someone who wants a dog they can cuddle and give lots of affection.

Grooming is another question to look at. Long haired dogs obviously shed more hair than short haired dogs and so need a lot more grooming, anything up to an hour or so a day. Make sure you have the time to do this before choosing a long haired dog.

Asking yourself these questions will help to boil down the choice of the right dog breed for you to a short list. After that its really down to your particular preference. Try to visualise what you see as your perfect dog and find the best fit in your short list.

Once youve sorted out the breed then its time to decide whether you want a puppy or an older dog. Try to find a reputable breeder for puppies. For older dogs consider finding a Dog Rescue center for the breed.

There are pros and cons for either option. With a puppy you never totally know just what its temperament is going to be until it grows up. A puppy is a blank slate and its up to you to mould it into the dog you want.

An older dog from a shelter or Dog Rescue has already formed its character so you get a better idea of how well it will fit in with your family. It has probably also had the rudiments of being house trained and basic command training. But these dogs may have also suffered from abuse or neglect from their previous owners so may come with a mental or physical baggage of neurosis or ailments. These will need to be treated over time.

So now you have chosen the right dog the hard work begins making that dog a part of your family!