Think about your lifestyle, your family and your plans for the future.

What type of dog will fit in?   Consider the following:

Size
Start by considering what size of dog would fit into your lifestyle, your house, garden and your car. Can you afford to feed a large dog? 
Consider also the strength and power of the dog and your ability to control it.

Coat and Grooming
Some long-haired breeds need a thorough grooming at least once a day. Many short-haired breeds only need a quick brush once or twice a week. Some breeds shed hair constantly over carpets and furniture (more housework). Curly-coated dogs such as poodles do not lose any hair and may be good for allergy sufferers; but they do require regular clipping. Some breeds need their coat professionally stripped at regular intervals

Activity
All dogs need daily, free-running exercise, but do you want an active ‘endurance’ dog that will run in the countryside for hours, such as a labrador or border collie; or do you want a greyhound that will be happy with a few short fast runs in the local park?

Intelligence and Trainability
All pedigree breeds were originally created for a specific purpose. Many working types, such as the gundog and collie breeds have high intelligence. Generally these can be trained to a higher standard; but with high intelligence, there often comes a low boredom threshold. Dogs such as border collies need not only physical exercise, but also constant mental stimulation, or they can develop behaviour problems.

Other breeds, created for purposes that did not require the dog to think for itself, require less mental stimulation, but can be harder to train. Some of these breeds can be rather stubborn and strong willed.

If you find a breed attractive, research its background and original purpose to make sure it will be compatible with your lifestyle.

Temperament
Some breeds, such as labradors, are well known for their even temperament. Others can be more agressive, either to humans or other dogs. Collies tend to be ‘one person’ dogs and can be highly strung, particularly if they don’t get enough mental stimulation. Some terrier breeds originally used for catching vermin can be snappy. Guarding breeds can be aggressive, particularly to strangers.

Children and Pets
Some breeds are better than others with young children and other pets. Some have a tendency to chase cats. Again, you need to carefully research the suitability any breeds you may be considering.

What activities are you going to do with the dog? 
Agility, Field Trials & Gundog work, Flyball, Heelwork to Music, Competition Obedience, Working Trials, long walks in the country, and many more activities all suit some breeds better than others. If you want to exhibit at dogs shows, you will need to select a pedigree puppy that closely conforms to the Breed Standard.

When you have considered the above points write down the attributes of your ideal dog and then make shortlist of suitable breeds. 

The Kennel Club’s website gives details of all pedigree breeds.

Another useful information source is an American website Dogluvers that lets you sort dog breeds by type, size etc.

Pedigree Petfoods have a website that asks a number of questions and then suggests suitable breeds, although the choices of breed seem to be rather limited.

Dogs Today magazine has a ‘Furry Dogmother’ section on its website with lots of breed information and breed advisers you can telephone for advice.

Ask your vet about any known health problems with your short-listed breeds and what health checks should have been done on the parents. Also checkout the health schemes information available from the Kennel Club website

Get the name of the secretary of any breed clubs from the Kennel Club website. They are listed below the breed standard for each breed. Telephone them for advice on the breed. Most are more than willing to help.

Better still, visit the Kennel Club’s Discover Dogs event which is held at Earls Court every November and as part of Crufts in the NEC, Birmingham every March. These events give you the opportunity to look at the dogs, compare over 160 different breeds, and speak to knowledgeable owners.