First Time Owner Dog Breeds
As you start to research the best dog for your lifestyle, you'll find many misconceptions with each and every dog breed: True, Huskies are fluffy and adorable; however, it's also true that they need to run 30+ miles a day just to be somewhat calmed down. Yes, German Shepherds will protect you and your family; however, they're often riddled with anxiety or aggression. Heelers are seriously the cutest when they’re puppies; however, they will herd anything and everything in their domain: kids, cars, you name it!
What I don't see people paying attention to while wanting their first dog is...what are the dogs bred for? What is their BREED is MEANT TO DO. If you think working dogs are the cutest and you watch TikTok's or YouTube videos of them performing the cutest tricks, prepare yourself for torn up couches, trim, doors, windows, or anything they can be "productive" with. They need to have a job, preferably the job they were bred to do in the first place.
PLEASE, take the time to research whatever breed you are wanting, including common health problems and behavior issues!!
We see too many dogs being dumped into shelters because the original owner didn't do their research and the dog did not fit in with the family's lifestyle.
I have listed below my top 5 favorite, first-time owner dog breeds. I will talk about their history, demeanor, health issues and more.
Golden Retriever
Golden Retrievers, one of the most popular breeds for a reason, are within the retriever breed category. This signals one major behavior: they want to find things and bring them to their owner. This intelligent breed is super affectionate, caring, people pleasing, funny, and absolutely adorable! While they're young, they require quite a bit of exercise and training to keep their brains stimulated and out of trouble. Exercising should be roughly 2-3 hours per day, whether it's running, playing outside, hikes or doggie daycare. They also need 1-2 hours of brain enrichment or mental stimulation; this can be done during training or exercising!
Goldens are quite easy to train and you don't see very many needing behavior modification (which would need to be done by professionals).
Their size is medium/large, an average of 60 lbs. They have a wide range of coats; from short/medium to longer lengths, as well as straight or wavy textures. They have a very thick undercoat which makes them more-so waterproof. Weekly brushing and a groom every 4-6 weeks will help maintain that golden, perfect looking coat!
In the Veterinary field, Goldens are known for having hip and knee issues, skin problems, and cancer. Their lifespan only averages about 8 years (due to improper breeding, inbreeding & over breeding), which is the downside to owning one. Knowing their genetics, keeping them on orthopedic supplements and feeding high quality foods may help extend their life!
Labrador Retriever
Another very popular breed, Labs are also in the retriever category. While a little more energetic than Golden Retrievers, they're very similar; people pleasing, affectionate, and smart, with great personalities (I am a firm believer that Yellow and Chocolate Labs differ with personalities).
Exercise and training are a must, more so than what Goldens require. Add at least an extra hour of exercise and brain stimulation from what's required with Golden Retrievers. They can also be a little too smart for their own good, so we see quite a few of them needing behavior modification if they aren't trained correctly. This breed is great for outdoorsy and active families, they love nature, exploring and the obvious: hunting!
Their sizes can range a little bit, but overall they're a medium size from 45-80 lbs. Their coat is typically short-medium along with an undercoat and they shed quite a bit! However, they’re pretty easy to keep clean, and weekly brushing and monthly deshedding baths should do the trick to help keep your house and clothes hair free!
Health-wise, we see a lot with hip and knee problems, GI sensitivities and cancer. Their lifespan averages around 10-12 years, so you might get more time with them! Again, it's important to have them on orthopedic supplements, high quality foods and knowing their genetics.
Pitbull Terriers
I am so happy that everyone's waking up and realizing this breed is NOT aggressive. Their body types are perfect for fighting scenarios, so the bad guys (black market) breed them into aggression and train them to be that way, which is just devastating. Anywho, this breed is my 2nd favorite!
As puppies, they can be quite a handful, needing lots of exercise, training and attention. Once they're out of the adolescent age, they calm down quite a bit and we hear of owners having a hard time getting them off the couch! This breed is naturally weary against unknown people, perfect for families! But they have a keen sense of knowing if people are good or bad. Training them can be easy once you figure out what they want in return (they're stubborn, lol). Behavior modification is only needed for those bred into fighting circles; in these cases, they are very successful becoming a loving, affectionate and loyal couch potato afterwards.
Their size is a smaller medium, usually around 45 lbs, but can be heavier if they have stockier genetics. Their fur coat is typically short and they aren’t too, too bad of shedders.
We see some skin and coat problems with Pitbulls as well as GI sensitivities. Unfortunately cancer also makes it on the list, which goes for most dog breeds.
Shih Tzu
Oh so cute!! Shih-Tzu puppies are easier to train when it comes to the smaller dog breeds, and they're athletic, too! They fit in well with busy families with children, although if raised without children, they can become stand-offish as adults. It's best to desensitize them while they're puppies; messing with their feet, mouths and ears, getting them used to different people touching them, and learning to socialize with other dogs. They can definitely exhibit "small dog syndrome", a term pet professionals use for very egotistic driven pets. For example, the Shih Tzu I had growing up must have believed he was a giant, and would aggressively challenge any huge dog that came near our yard! They require some basic training and exercise as puppies and young adults, but nothing compared to the breeds listed above; about 1 hour of exercise and 30 minutes of stimulation should do the trick to keep them from getting into trouble.
They are a small breed, weighing in around 10-15 lbs. Their coat is very long, wavy and takes some maintenance, this cost should be considered before purchasing your pup; a full grooming will be necessary every 4-8 weeks for the full span of their life.
We do however see a lot of skin issues, heart disease, GI sensitivities, eye problems and ear infections with Shih Tzus. It's best to have them on a high quality food, keep their facial hair shorter, and clean their ears regularly. I will say most of them end up on a GI sensitive diet by age 4 or 5, if not earlier. We have been seeing more heart problems, as owners have been deceived into the Grain-Free diet fad that soared through the world back in 2010. Do NOT feed this diet as it leads to DCM and other heart related issues.
Mixed Breed
This is the most common "breed". And my very favorite! If you have no idea what your dog is bred with, you can always do a DNA test to find out! However, if you do have a good idea before adopting the dog - do your research on every breed they could be, then let the guessing game begin; what characteristics will they exhibit?!
My story…..
Oliver, or Ollie, is a mixed breed; Black Lab with some Great Pyrenees is our best professional guess. As a puppy he was too smart for his own good. I take that back...he is just overall too smart for his own good! He is very independent and protective of his yard and his mama! Training him was difficult, as he viewed the tricks not worthy of the treats most of the time. I had to switch up treats every week or even throughout the day to keep him entertained. He needed about 4 hours of physical and mental stimulation every single day and still had plenty of energy until he was about 2 years old. He is now perfectly content with laying around most of the day, but as soon as an outsider or squirrel even looks at our house or backyard you bet, he's poofed up, ready to defend his home and loved ones (I've apologized to the mail lady countless times). Ollie still needs about 1-2 hours of mental stimulation or exercise most days. Luckily during the winter, he's happy being on the couch, tearing up some toys or hanging outside in the blistering cold…. don’t report me, he BEGS me to go outside!!
In appearance he looks just like a Labrador Retriever. However, his size is gigantic, at a whopping 120 pounds (his ideal weight), about the size of a Great Dane. On his hind legs, he looks my 6'4" husband directly in the eyes. His coat looks just like a Lab's would, but the undercoat is white, fluffy and wants to curl a slight bit. He was my first dog, besides our family or farm dogs, and I wouldn't recommend this mix for anyone who doesn't have direct ties to a Veterinary Professional. I've done countless hours of research and speaking with Behaviorists to get him (and myself) to where we are today, and still have to work with minor behavior modifications here and there, as he's very independent and loves to test boundaries (even the ones we CLEARLY set years ago).
Breeds I do not recommend as a first time dog owner
Poodles & Doodles: high anxiety, high energy and way smarter than most people, just kidding….haha. Can have aggression problems if they aren't trained and socialized well and don't do well with kids, sorry guys! Oh, they do shed btw!
Dalmations: Very aggressive if not trained properly and need exercised on the regular. Cruella Deville used them as guard dogs and attack dogs for a reason.... Rewatch the movie!
German Shepherds & Mallinois: riddled with anxiety and separation issues. Can be aggressive if not trained correctly, hard to train correctly as they're super smart.
Heelers, Collies, any herding breed: Their energy is out the roof. They can run 20+ miles through any weather: snow, rain, blistering heat... then take a 30-minute nap and they're doing zoomies all throughout your house. They love to herd anything remotely herd-able: kids, cars, birds, people, tractors. Did I mention that they instinctively bite ankles or tires while doing so? Bison, legit BUFFALO are scared of these 30-pound creatures, while the dogs themselves aren't scared of anything, any size. I'm sure they wouldn't think twice messing with the most aggressive mammal known to man - Hippos.
Rottweilers: Very protective and seem to be ideal for families with kids, however they are known to pick one single person in the household and protect them and only them, even from their own family members.
Huskies or Akitas: These dogs have been specifically bred for hundreds of years to pull sleds for over 60 miles a day, each and every day. That's that. They're protective and stubborn, too. And they WILL tear through walls and get out of any cage known to man. High security prison or bomb shelter? Easy-peasy for these escape artists!!
I do want to add that these dog breeds which I do not recommend for first time dog owners, are some of my favorite breeds as well!! I LOVE german shepherds, I just naturally instantly have a strong connection with them, as well as the other breeds listed above!! So don’t get me wrong, they are good pups- just do your research so you aren’t shocked by certain behaviors or training blocks.
Resources for Owners
There are a multitude of resources which you can learn all about specific dog breeds and even most breed mixes, from the internet to books.
The website, linked below, has been great when looking into mixed breeds, they discuss the most common and dominant traits passed from each specific breed in the mixture and have almost any mix imaginable! The downside to their website is you either need to search the breeds and find the correlating article, or go through hundreds of articles to find each one.
https://www.loveyourdog.com/breeds/
And if you aren't sure which breeds your pup is mixed with, this at home DNA test is perfect! You also can see if there's any health concerns for later in life, as they test for genetic markers which can indicate certain disease processes.
