Thursday, January 15, 2009

Medium Sized Dog Breeds Rated For Your Family - Grooming, Shedders - Which is Best?

By Terry K Russell

When selecting a dog for yourself or your family, you have to take into consideration many factors. Does your home accommodate the size dog you wish to bring home? Do you have the time to give to that dog? Will the dog fit into your family? Can you afford to feed and maintain the dog properly? Medium breed dogs are popular around the world. Breeders around the world have incorporated large breed dogs with medium sized breeds to come up with some very wonderful pets and unique looking dogs.

The top ten medium breed dogs on the American Kennel Club list are:

  1. Siberian Husky
  2. Poodle
  3. Border Collie
  4. Brittany Spaniel
  5. Australian Shepherd
  6. American Eskimo
  7. French Bulldog
  8. Airedale Terrier
  9. Australian Cattle Dog
  10. Sheepdog

Medium sized dogs are wonderful companions, great pets, and easier to maintain compared to the large and giant breed dogs. While looking over the list of medium sized dogs on the American Kennel Clubs' site I did notice a large amount of the dogs on the list require extensive grooming or brushing. Not all the dogs require a ton of grooming, but a large amount of the dogs that compiled the list do require regular brushing or visits to the groomer in order to be properly maintained. This should be taken into consideration when selecting a breed that follows into any category.

Medium sized dogs are well kept in small yards; some can be kept in apartments or townhomes without issues. Daily walking is recommended due to some of the breeds being very energetic and needing that 'play time' to keep them from becoming bored and destructive while inside your home.

As with any dog, medium sized dogs will require your attention and regular veterinarian visits to keep them healthy and happy. As stated above, dogs like the Poodle, Sheepdog, and Husky are going to require grooming. Poodles will need to be clipped, shaved and sculptured regularly. Sheepdogs have a massive amount of hair... if you are looking for a non-shedding dog; a sheepdog is not your best choice for your next pet. Husky dogs also seem to be shedders. They will require regular attention with a brush and matting comb.

In the medium sized category there are so many wonderful breeds to pick and choose from. The decision needs to be based around what you or your family is wanting in a dog.

Allergies or sensitivity to pet hair and dander needs to be addressed first when selecting a medium sized breed of dog. Then consider the amount of space your dog is going to need at full adult size. Food costs will be less then a large or giant breed dog, however it is still much more then a small or toy breed dog. Lastly, if your medium sized dog weighs over 50lbs the veterinarians usually charge more for any surgical procedure.

Educate yourself on all the wonderful breeds that fit into the medium sized category, there are many to choose from, however some can be eliminated quickly by allergy suffers or a family that doesn't want to commit to grooming requirements.

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