We’ve compiled a list of questions to help you choose the right dog breed for your lifestyle. And we’ve reviewed a heap of dog breed matcher tools and rated the best dog breed selector quiz, so you can find your perfect match.
There are literally hundreds of dog breeds to choose from
Great. you’ve thought about it, discussed it with your friends and family and the final decision has been made – you want a dog in your life.
Well, that was the easy bit! Now you’ve got a far more complicated decision to make – which dog breed is the perfect match for you?
There are 346 breeds recognised by the Federation Cynologique Internationale – which is French for World Canine Organisation. And there are many more that aren’t officially recognised like ‘designer dogs’ such as the Cockapoo (a cross between a cocker spaniel and a poodle)!
So, with such a huge variety of breeds out there, how do you narrow down the choice?
Or maybe you have a specific breed of dog in mind already. But have you thought about how the needs of that particular breed match with your lifestyle?
To help you make the decision there are a few key questions to ask and there are some great breed selector dog quiz tools to make it easier. There are lots of them out there and they are very good at asking you all sorts of questions you might never have thought of.
The last thing you want to do is to fall for a furry friend that isn’t compatible with you, your family or your environment.
How to choose the right dog breed
Most breed selector tools look at these key questions to find the best match…
Size and Space
The first one should be very obvious, but a lot of people still get this completely wrong. They fall in love with a very cute puppy and before you know it, it’s grown into a rather large dog!
You have to be realistic and honest with yourself, where and how you live does relate to the size and type of dog you can have. So, if you live in a small flat, a house with a garden or in the country surrounded by fields, remember it’s not about you. It’s what’s best for your new best friend, so choose a size that fits your home.
Energy and Exercise
Are you after a cuddly type that doesn’t need too much exercise? Or are you an outdoor person who loves going for walks in the park or a local beach? Maybe you’d like the dog to run with you? Then a sporty dog is the way to go.
Or are you more of a home-body and want a smaller, cuddly dog that doesn’t need as much exercise?
Children and Temperament
Maybe you have children or are planning to have some in the future. Then you need a more family-friendly breed with a gentle nature. Some dogs are naturally patient and are often better placed with young children who are still learning how to interact with animals.
Others have a more protective temperament or are instinctively hunters or workers. Understanding the breed will help you better understand your individual dog.
Grooming and Shedding
How much grooming are you willing to do? What about shedding? Are you happy to have a sticky roller by the door so that you can remove the dog hair from your clothes every day as you head out to work? Or would you prefer to have less shedding and a trip to the dog groomers for a regular trim? Perhaps you need a low-allergenic breed?
Intelligence and Obedience
Some dog breeds are more willful than others. And more intelligent breeds may need more stimulation to keep them out of mischief. Consider how much time you have to train and teach your new friend and what your expectations are in terms of their behaviour.
Top Dog Breed Selector Quiz Tools
With those key things in mind, we have pulled together a list of useful tools and reviewed them. This should make it easier for you to find the perfect breed, size and personality to match you, or your family.
Remember, cuteness is not the only factor! Here’s some tips to find your perfect match
- Agree and prioritise the most important criteria before you start
- Be honest when answering the questions
- Not all tools have every breed, so try a few different ones and see if you get the same result
- Have everyone in the family complete the quiz and see which breed they match with – you might be surprised at the difference!
Bow Wow Meow’s Breed Selector Tool
Furbubba team gave it: 7 paws out of 10
The Bow Wow Meow website gives you options to review particular types of dogs (eg. active vs small & cute). You need to provide your email address to do the quiz as you will receive a personalised pdf with your top 10 breeds. The quiz asks 18 questions about your lifestyle, health, environment and expectations of the relationship. We like that you can start by choosing your favourite breeds and then see how your answers compare. They also include some ‘designer breeds’. Results show a compatibility % ranking and provide details on the breed including photos and videos.
Purina Dog Breed Selector
Furbubba team gave it: 6 paws out of 10
The Purina selector starts with 186 different breeds and narrows it down over 10 questions. It works well because you can instantly see the impact that your choices are having on the results – allowing you to adjust and learn about each breed as you go. You can also choose multiple answers We also like the way it suggests similar breeds. But it is frustrating that it doesn’t remember your criteria as you go back after learning more about a specific breed.
Pedigree Breed Match Quiz
Furbubba team gave it: 4 paws out 10
The Pedigree quiz is a series of 17 fun Lifestyle questions that returns the top breed results matching your answers. It provides a detailed description of each breed. However it does not explain why these are your top matches and has little ability to do much beyond the initial results.
IAMS Breed Selector Tool
Furbubba team gave it: 8 paws out of 10
The IAMS tool is really easy to use, with 14 visual questions and a priority order at the end, so you can adjust what’s most important to you. It provides useful tips that help explain why they are asking that question and we like the way the results are explained with a breakdown of what your match is based on. You can also easily change your answers allowing you to play with the criteria until you see a particular breed. The details about each breed are clear and the visual ranking of other potential matches is great.
Animal Planet Breed Selector
Furbubba team gave it: 6 paws out of 10
Animal Planet has 10 quick questions that will narrow down breeds for you. The results are returned with a % ranking and you can click through to see the statistics of how they matched you. Each breed has details on their care & health requirements, behavioural traits and breed history. The tool also recommends related breeds and gives you an A-Z list of breeds so you can search by name of breed if preferred.
Perfect Dog App
Furbubba team gave it: 9 paws out of 10
The Perfect Dog Apple iOS App is a great tool that has an extremely comprehensive guide on over 500 breeds. The matching feature allows you to search based on 10 lifestyle criteria. And you can easily adjust the criteria. There is a free version to get you started and to unlock all the breeds, the full Pro version will only cost a few dollars. Here is a video review to give you a better idea.
Perfect Puppy App
Furbubba team gave it: 2 paws out of 10
Unfortunately, the Perfect Puppy Apple iOS App doesn’t offer much more than a grouping of dog breeds. It is a free app, and there is a lot of advertising.
Wolfram Dog Breeds Reference App
Furbubba team gave it: 3 paws out of 10
Whilst Wolfram Apple iOS App contains some interesting data, it is complicated and doesn’t provide a very user-friendly approach. You can compare specific breeds and it will provide the size, lifespan and history. But you might want to check-out the online version if you want to see the data for first.
Dog Breed Identifier Apps
Another approach is to choose a Dog Breed Identifier app, simply take a picture of a dog, or select a picture from your photo library or online. These tools will then identify the breed using artificial intelligence to photo-match and then provide detailed information about the breed.
It’s still early days for this image recognition technology – so don’t expect too much! In fact we haven’t seen any worth recommending at this stage.
So there you have it. Some questions to ask yourself and the best dog breed selector quiz to use so that you can find the perfect dog breed to match your lifestyle.
Let us know how you chose your furbubba and if there are any other dog breed matcher tools you’d like us to review.