Choosing the Perfect Dog

You will use the Internet and reference books to learn as much as you can about three dog breeds. You will create a PowerPoint Presentation that describes each breed, shows pictures of each breed and compares the breeds with one another.  

So what do you have to look for?    First of all, the size is important.  You will choose a small dog, a medium sized dog and a big dog.

What do you want to be able to do with your dog?  You may have a special idea about what you want to be able to do with your dog.  Some dogs are better suited for certain tasks than others are.

Here is a list of activities that dogs have been trained to do:

hunt birds                              herd sheep or cattle                      be a companion                learn tricks                             hunt rodents                                 sniff for drugs                     pull cart                                  compete in obedience/agility      guard 
pull a dog sled                        therapy dog                                   search & rescue 
guide the blind                      identify diseases by smell             catch criminals             compete in dog shows    

As you do your research you will discover which breeds have most often been used for these tasks.  Even if you won’t want your dog to herd sheep you might learn that a dog that was originally developed to herd sheep will have just the attitude that you want for the tasks you have in mind.

Here are some of the other traits to take into account as you do your search for information.  What kind of hair does this breed have?  How much care will the coat need?  Will it need to be groomed by a professional groomer?  Is it good with children?  Is it friendly with other dogs?  Is it easy to train?  Does it need lots of exercise or is it a "couch potato?"