American Indian Dog

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American Indian Dog
originally uploaded by Bisig Portraits

American Indian Dog - breed information

There are so many dog breeds that make great pets and the American Indian Dog is no exception. As with every dog breed, it is important to understand their breed characteristics and ensure the dog breed you choose is suitable for your family/ household.

The American Indian Dog is often often confused with the Native American Indian Dog. It's easy to see why but they are different dog breeds. Choosing a Dog Breed hasn't featured the latter yet but we're planning it.

Appearance

Physical attributes of the American Indian Dog:

• Height: 18 to 21 inches
  
• Weight: 25 to 45 lb
  
• Muscular, energetic
  
• Short hair, excellent hygiene - one if the hypoallergenic dog breeds
• Variety of colours including mixed. Possible white markings

Characteristics

Traditionally, the American Indian Dog was a working dog. They're highly intelligent and love 'doing things'. Whether it's helping out at home, playing or being a guard dog for your home, American Indian Dogs are at their best when they're surrounded by their pack and are better suited to households with older children, rather than younger.

• Highly intelligent and instinctive
• Protective of pack (family)
• Great companions
• Great temperament but can be wary of strangers
• Needs a firm but fair pack leader (owner)
• Very loyal
• Requires a good walk everyday

History

The American Indian Dog has a long and rich history. Click here for a comprehensive and clear overview of the origins of this fascinating dog breed.

American Indian Dogs as pets

The American Indian Dog makes an excellent pet in the right household. Ensure you have a lot of outdoor space for your dog to run in. That could be your own garden or a public space. Families with older children are better than younger ones. If you're prepared to spend time with your American Indian Dog and keep him or her entertained and mentally stimulated, they will reward you with excellent companionship and a highly intelligent, loving and loyal nature.

Poodle Mix Breeds

There has been an explosion in the popularity of Poodle Mixed Breeds, or Hybrid Dogs. A Hybrid Dog is a mix of two pure breeds.

Poodles may be so popular because of their good nature and hypoallergenic properties (they are non-shedding).

Choosing a dog breed is tough, because there are so many of them! Why not choose a Hybrid Dog?

There are many Poodle Mix Dogs. Here at ChoosingADogBreed we have compiled a list of some of our favourites (not necessarily the best dog breeds!):

• St Berdoodle (St Bernard / Standard Poodle)
• Giant Schnoodle (Giant Schnauzer / Standard Poodle)
• Bossi-Poo (Boston Terrier / Poodle)
• Pootalian (Italian Greyhound / Poodle)
• Westiepoo, pictured above (West Highland Terrier / Poodle)
• Whoodle (Soft Coated Wheaton Terrier / Poodle)
• Weimardoodle (Weimaraner / Poodle)
• Sheepadoodle (Old English Sheepdog / Standard Poodle)
• Shih-Poo (Shih-Tzu / Poodle)
• Pekapoo (Pekingese / Poodle)
• Labradoodle (Labrador / Poodle)

Poodle Hybrid Dogs can make excellent pets. Poodles are wonderful pure breeds and when bred with another friendly breed, the possibilities seem endless!

Siberian Huskies

Siberian Huskies are instantly recognisable pulling a sled across a vast expanse of snow. They come from the snowy regions of Siberia; bred as working sled dogs.

There are other sled dogs breeds recognised by the Kennel Club; the Alaskan Malamute, the Eskimo dog, and the Samoyed.

As working dogs living in low temperatures where food was not always in abundance, Siberian Huskies lived in packs, with humans. They were bred to carry heavy loads quickly, get on well with people, including children and be quite self sufficient so as not to eat all their owners’ food.

The characteristic of Siberian Huskies has not changed much from this outdoor, pack led lifestyle. Therefore Siberian Huskies are popular as pets.

There are many good points about Siberian Huskies as pets:

• Very friendly nature (with people and other dogs)
• Sociable
• Non aggressive (but will rise to the challenge of another dog!)
• Hypoallergenic dog for some people who are allergic to dogs
• Smaller appetite and not fussy eaters

Whenever you are choosing a dog breed, it is important to understand the challenges of a particular breed. However they will only present as really difficult challenges if the dog breed is not totally suitable to your lifestyle. The Siberian Husky is no exception. Some points to consider if you are thinking of choosing a Siberian Husky:

• They will not guard your property, or be too upset if they have a new owner
• They have an independent streak that makes them near impossible to train for obedience training or work
• Needs company of people or other dogs
• Can be destructive if left alone too long (see previous point)
• Require a large well enclosed outdoor space

Siberian Huskies are wonderful, lively, friendly dogs. They make fantastic pets for a unit with other dogs in an environment where they can run around outside. If that sounds like a lifestyle that would fit in with yours, maybe a Siberian Husky is the best dog breed for you!

Hypoallergenic Dog Breeds

Hypoallergenic Dogs are hailed as being the answers to the prayers of the dog allergy sufferer. It is very sad to think that some people don’t enjoy the company of dogs because they are allergic to them.

There are dog breeds that are called hypoallergenic because they tend not to aggravate an allergic reaction. This is because they shed little or no hair, or have no hair at all (less common).

As an addition to the earlier post of dog breeds for allergy sufferers, this post contains a list of dogs that may be suitable for allergy sufferers. All the dogs on the list have different personalities and requirements, this is only the start of choosing a dog breed.

No dog can be guaranteed to be hypoallergenic, it is vital to spend time with the actual dog before taking it home to make sure it is suitable for you.

Hypoallergenic Dogs:

• Afghan Hound
• Basenji
• Bedlington Terrier
• Bichon (all types)
• Bichon Frisé
• Bolognese (dog)
• Cairn terrier
• Coton de Tulear
• German Shorthaired Pointer
• Greyhound
• Havanese
• Irish Water Spaniel
• Italian Greyhound
• Kerry Blue Terrier
• Lowchen
• Lhasa Apso
• Maltese
• Poodles (all sizes)
• Poodle hybrids
• Portuguese Water Dog
• Schnauzer (all sizes)
• Shih Tzu
• Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier
• Yorkshire Terrier
• Whippet
• Native American Indian Dog
• Border Terrier
• American Hairless Terrier
• Chinese Crested (hairless)
• Mexican Hairless Dog (Xoloitzcuintli)
• Peruvian Hairless Dog

Dogs for Allergy Sufferers- Hypoallergenic Dog Breeds, Hairless Dog Breeds…

You may have an allergy but you love dogs. Did you think you could only enjoy them from afar? You can choose a dog breed that will not immediately set you off sneezing or itching!

If you do have asthma or suffer allergies it is important to seek medical advice before thinking about getting a dog! Once you have chosen a dog it is a good idea to spend some time with it first to make sure you don’t suffer a bad reaction.

Some dog breeds are considered to be hypoallergenic and they can be the best dog breeds for allergy sufferers. These dogs lose so little hair that they can be tolerated by people who might sneeze within metres of other dogs.

These aren’t just rare dog breeds that can be tolerated by allergy sufferers. The Bichon Frisé, Cairn Terrier, Greyhound, Fox Terrier, Poodle (and Miniature Poodle) and Whippet are ok for some people who are intolerant of furry animals, but this is not the case for all allergy sufferers. If you think any dander in the air might set off a reaction in you or a loved one, don’t despair! You may not have heard of hairless dog breeds but really, they do exist. Check out the American Hairless Terrier, Mexican Hairless Dog and the Chinese Crested Dog. These are rare dog breeds; harder to find but there are breeders and enthusiasts for all dog breeds.

There is so much to know about dog breeds and which is the perfect one for you. These aren’t special dog breed secrets… so don’t give up if you thought you could never have a dog!

Part Two - Choosing A Hypoallergenic Dog Breed