11,828 answers about dogs
From a puppy’s first feeding schedule to a senior dog’s comfort care, dog owners ask it all — this page gathers the dog library of KinsLe Answers in one place. Browse by topic below, from feeding and training to health, grooming, safety and travel. Every answer is original, written by KinsLe, and tied to a real KinsLe feature.
2,117 answers in Choosing & Adopting — page 31 of 89
Not in the coat department. A Yorkshire Terrier's fine, silky hair grows continuously like human hair, so a Yorkie kept in a long coat needs daily brushing and regular baths, while most pet owners choose a short clip that still means grooming appointments every few weeks. Shedding is minimal, which tempts people, but…
They sit in the middle. A Cavalier's silky coat needs brushing several times a week to keep the feathering on the ears, legs and tail free of tangles, and the breed sheds steadily, but exercise demands are modest — a couple of gentle walks and indoor play suit most adults. The bigger upkeep is emotional and medical:…
No — Bulldogs trade exercise demands for health-and-skin upkeep, and the swap is not in your favour. An English Bulldog needs only gentle daily walks, but the facial wrinkles need cleaning and drying every day to stay comfortable, the short coat sheds more than most people expect, and the flat face means constant care…
Only the coat is. A Doberman's short, sleek fur needs little more than a weekly wipe-down and sheds modestly, but the dog attached to it is one of the most demanding companions you can choose: intensely loyal, almost permanently at your side, and in need of long daily exercise plus serious mental work to stay settled.…
No — a Rottweiler asks a lot of an owner, just not in the grooming salon. The short double coat needs only a weekly brush, but this is a large, powerful working breed that needs serious daily exercise, structured training, and thorough socialisation to grow into a calm, reliable adult, and the coat sheds heavily in…
Not especially — Pembroke Welsh Corgis pack more upkeep into a small frame than most people expect. Their thick double coat sheds constantly and erupts twice a year, so weekly brushing is the minimum and daily brushing is reality in shedding season. As a herding breed they need a solid hour of exercise and mental work…
For exercise, yes; for grooming, emphatically no. A Shih Tzu needs only moderate daily activity, but the breed's long, dense coat is a standing appointment: daily brushing to prevent matting if kept long, or regular professional clips every few weeks if kept short, and routine eye and ear care adds to a grooming load…
Closer than most breeds: Chihuahuas eat little, need modest exercise — much of it can happen indoors — and a smooth coat asks for almost nothing, though the long-coated variety needs regular brushing. The upkeep that catches owners out is dental: small, crowded jaws make tooth care a genuine weekly job, and the…
In coat terms, yes — the short coat needs little beyond a weekly brush and the odd bath — but in every other respect a Great Dane is a supersized commitment. Food, beds, leads, cars and vet care all scale with a dog that can weigh as much as a person, and drool is a household feature. Their shorter lifespan also means…
Partly — a Boxer's short coat is genuinely low-effort, needing an occasional bath and a quick brush, but almost everything else about the breed asks for more. Boxers are high-energy clowns well into middle age and need daily vigorous exercise and company, and their short muzzle means heat needs managing carefully in…
No — Australian Shepherds sit firmly at the high-maintenance end of the scale. They are intelligent, athletic herding dogs that typically need one to two hours of exercise and mental work a day, and an under-occupied Aussie can become anxious, vocal or destructive, while their thick double coat sheds year-round and…
No — the Border Collie is close to the opposite of a low-maintenance dog. The coat is the least of it: a thick double coat that sheds steadily and heavily twice a year, needing weekly brushing. The real upkeep is time: this is a breed developed to work sheep all day, and a pet Border Collie still needs one to two…
West Highland White Terriers generally do well in multi-dog households — they are sturdy, playful little dogs that were bred to hunt in company rather than alone. Most Westies enjoy a canine companion, and their size makes pairings with small-to-medium dogs easy to manage. The terrier fine print is prey drive and…
A Belgian Malinois can share a home with other dogs, but treat it as an advanced project rather than a default. Malinois are intense, fast and easily aroused, and their play style — chasing, grabbing, relentless wrestling — overwhelms many ordinary pet dogs. Same-sex pairings, especially two females, carry a real risk…
An Australian Cattle Dog can live in a multi-dog household, but this is one of the breeds where the honest answer is that it depends on the dog and the management. Cattle dogs bond intensely, think independently and were bred to push much larger animals around, so some try to organise their housemates too — herding,…
Yes — Irish Setters are among the breeds that usually flourish with canine company, because they were bred as gundogs to work and live alongside other dogs. Their sociable, clownish temperament means a well-matched housemate often gets a willing playmate rather than a rival. The one caveat is energy: a young setter's…
Yes — Brittanys are among the more reliably dog-friendly breeds you can add to a household: sweet-natured, eager dogs bred to hunt in company, they typically enjoy a housemate for play and companionship. The mismatches are a domineering dog, since Brittanys are soft and can be cowed rather than corrected by a bully,…
Yes, in most active homes: German Shorthaired Pointers are friendly, eager dogs bred to hunt in the field around other dogs, and they typically enjoy a housemate's company and play readily. The challenge is intensity, not temperament, because this is a high-drive, high-energy breed whose relentless invitations to…
Yes — Vizslas are one of the strongest candidates for a multi-dog home: gentle, affectionate dogs bred to work in close partnership, they typically adore canine company, and a housemate often takes the edge off the breed's famous clinginess. The match to avoid is a rough or snappy dog, because Vizslas are emotionally…
Usually yes: Weimaraners are social, playful dogs who generally enjoy other dogs' company and often do better with a housemate than alone, since the breed is famously prone to fretting without company of some kind. The qualifications are physical and emotional, because a Weimaraner plays hard — leaning, charging and…
Yes, generally: Dalmatians are sociable, outgoing dogs with a long history of living and working alongside other animals, and most enjoy a housemate, particularly one who can match their considerable energy. The mismatches to avoid are a frail or timid dog, who will be overwhelmed by a Dalmatian's boisterous, physical…
Often cautiously, and many Chow Chows are happiest as the only dog: this is an aloof, territorial breed that bonds deeply with its own family, has little interest in making friends, and will not usually back down if a housemate pushes an argument. The arrangements with the best record are opposite-sex pairings raised…
Generally, no — the Akita is the breed most experienced owners and rescues steer towards one-dog homes, being powerful, loyal and famously intolerant of unfamiliar dogs, with same-sex aggression well documented even between dogs raised together. A minority of very experienced households keep an Akita successfully with…
Sometimes — but a Shiba Inu is one of the more selective housemates you can choose: dog-tolerant rather than dog-loving, sometimes firmly same-sex intolerant, and known for guarding food, toys and favourite resting spots. Pairings with the best record involve an opposite-sex, easygoing dog, separate feeding as a…
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