Going to Dog Shows
The best way to find out about the idiosyncrasies of various breeds and to really get a good look at them is to go to dog shows. You'll find representatives of just about all the AKC breeds at a dog show, and best of all you'll find their breeders, the people who understand them best.
You may think a Beagle will suit everyone in your family fine. He'll be small enough for the kids, solid enough to be played with, active enough to go on family outings, and not so big he'll take over your small house. When you go to the dog show intent on meeting some local breeders and finding out if they have puppies available, you may see the Beagles in the ring and decide that something about them doesn't appeal to you at all. They always have their noses to the ground; they bark at other dogs too often; they seem aloof. And just as you feel your heart sink, your daughter tugs your sleeve and says, “Look, what's that?” and you fall in love with a West Highland White Terrier.
Seeing is believing, and being able to talk to breeders is invaluable. Breeders are used to dealing with people in the same situation as you. Also, they want to ensure that the dogs they breed go to the right homes for them. A Husky breeder would not recommend that one of his pups go to a home in which the primary caretaker was wheelchair-bound. That wouldn't be fair to the person, and it wouldn't be fair to the dog.
How do you find local dog shows to attend? You can call the American Kennel Club and ask for show information. The AKC's customer service number is (919) 233-9767. You can also find show information on the AKC's Web site, www.akc.org.
