The right dog for you. Pedigree are not necessarily more loving, clever or naughty than other dogs, and each breeds appearance is a matter of test. Working dog rend to be more demanding of their owners, companion dog tend to be more laid back and cross-breed tend to be generally thought of as being hardy. What ever you get a non-pedigree or pedigree dog, the cost of neutering, vaccinating, feeding and caring for him will be the same.
Pedigree dos breeds are categorized into named groups to differentiate their particular uses, that is, what they were originally bred to do.
| GROUP | CHARACTERISTICS |
| Herding dogs | Responsive to training: very active by nature; extremely sensitive and prone to stereotypic behavior if their intelligence and energy is not correctly handled; very loyal; need lots of exercise and mental stimulation. Breeds of the Herding Group often implement a shared technique called nipping to be able to control larger, more difficult herds or packs of animals. The Herding Group contains 20 Dog Breeds in total: Anatolian Shepherd, Appenzeller Mountain Dog, Australian Cattle Dog, Austrian Kelpie, Australian Shepherd, Bearded Collie, Beauceron, Belgian Leakenois, Belgian Malinois, Belgian Sheepdog, Belgian Shepherd, Belgian Tervuren, Belgamasco Shepherd, Border Collie, Bouvier des Flandres, Briard, Canaan Dog, Collie, Dutch Shepherd, English Shepherd, Entlebucher Sennenhund, German Shepherd, King Shepherd, Komondor, Kuvasz, Laekenois, Maremma Sheepdog, McNab, Mudi, Norwegian Buhund, Old English Sheepdog, Polish Lowland Sheepdog, Polish Owczarek Nizziny, Polish Tatra Sheepdog, puli, Pyrenean Shepherd, Schipperke, Sheltie, Shetland Sheepdog, Shiloh Shepherd, Swedish Vallhund, Welsh Corgi-Pombroke, Welsh Corgi-Cardigan.
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| Hounds | Affectionate and friendly, but highly independent and therefore more difficult to train dogs of other groups.Those of the Sight Hound allow them to accurately hunt game while running at top speeds. The nose of the Scent Hound represents it is most key attribute. Spitz Hounds are most easily identifiable by their pricked ears, a tail which curls up and over their back, and a ruff seen around their neck. A total of 23 breeds belong to the Hound Group: Afgan Hound, Basenji, Basset Hound, Beagle, Black and Tan coonhound, Bloodhound, Borzoi, Dachshund, English Foxhound, Greyhound, Harrier, Ibizan Hound, Irish Wolfhound, Norwegian Elkhound, Otterhound, Saluki, Scottish Deerhound, Whippet.
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| Gundogs (sporting) | Popular as companions, as their inbred instinct is to work on an individual basis with their owners;  tend to be good-natured, tolerant, keen to please and quick to learn. These Breeds are widely known for being both mentally and physically on-point. Many were originally developed for use as bird dogs. Strong points include a high level of intelligence and an inherent natural love for running and swimming. Sporting Breeds generally make excellent hunting companions, and require a high level of exercise. A total of 26 Breeds belong to the Sporting Group: American Water Spaniel, Brittany, Chesapeake Bay Retriver, Clumber Spaniel, Cocker Spaniel, Curly-Coated Spaniel, Curly-Coated Retriver, English Cocker Spaniel, English Pointer, English Setter, English Springer Spaniel, Field Spaniel, Flat-Coated Retriver, German Shorthaired Pointer, German Wirheired Pointer, Golden Retriver, Golden Setter, Irish Setter, Irish Water, Spanel, Labrador Ritriver, Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrever, Spinone Italiano, Sussex Spaniol, Vizsla, Weimaraner, welsh Springer, Spaniel, Wirehaired Pointer Griffon.
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| Terriers | Lively, curious and tenacious with strong and determined personalities; often bossy, Members of the Terrier Group are known for their tenacious, yet sometimes head-strong, nature. They have an expressive facial structure and unique appearance that has provided this Group with a great deal of perceived personality, quite vocal; may be suspicious of strangers and not always tolerant to  children. Dog Breeds of the Terrier Group have historically been bred to hunt vermin and other small animals on farms and rural estates. The Terrier Group contains 27 Breeds in total: Airedale Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Australian Terrier, Bedlington Terrier, Border Terrier,Bull Terrier, Carin Terrier, Dandie Dinmount Terrier, Glen of Imal Terrier, irish Terrier, Jack Russel Terrier, Kerry Blue Terrier, Lakeland Terrier, Manchester Terrier, Miniature Schnauzer, Norfolk Terrier, Norwich Terrier, Rat Terrier, Scottish Terrier, Sealyham Terrer, Skye Terrier, smooth Fox Terrier, Welsh Terrier, West Highland White Terrier, Wire Fox Terrier.
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| Guard and working breeds | Temperament will be influenced by their breeding, upbringing and early environment-socialization; tend to be strong willed and can become too big for their boots if not handled appropriately. Dog  Breeds of the Working Group were originally bred to assist their human-counterparts in performing labor-intensive tasks. They generally own a large, physically robust stature, with strong points including a high level of intelligence that has historically allowed them to specialize in guarding, sled-pulling, or helping to transport materials or other goods. This typically includes search-and-rescue dogs. This Group contains 25 Dog Breeds in total: Akite, Alaskan Malamute, Anatolian Shepherd Dog, Bernese Mountain Dog, Black Russian Terrier, Boxer, Bullmastiff, Canis Panther, Doberman Pincher, Dogue de Bordeaux, German Pincher, Giant Schnauzer, Great Dane, Great Pyrenees, Greater Swiss Mountain Dog, Komondor, Kuvasz Mastiff, Newfoundland, Portuguese Water Dog, Rottweiler, Saint Bernard, Samoyed, Siberien Husky, Standard Schnauzer, Tibetan Mastiff.
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| Toy breeds | Small in size and generally friendly and affectionate can be brave watchdog. These Breeds often  represent smaller versions of their larger-Breed counterparts. Toy Breeds are popularly kept as pets or companion animals in apartments or homes with small or non-existent yards. A total of 21 Breeds belong to this Group: Affenpinscher, Bolognese, Bolonka, Brussel Griffon, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Chihuahua, Chinese Crested, English Toy Spaniel, Havanese, Italian Greyhound, Japanese Chin, Maltese, Manchester Terrier, Miniature Pincher, Papilon, Pekingese, Pomeranian, Poodle, Pug, Shih Tzu, Silky Terrier, Yorkshire Terrier. |
Before making an impulse purchase, do your homework and read up about canine breeds to ensure that you choose the most suitable type possible for your lifestyle. Spend some time, also, learning about canine psychology, as undestanding what makes dogs tick results in a much more stress free and enjoyable relationship between dog and owner.