Top 10 Dog Breeds Suited For Indians!

Indian subcontinent poses a harsh climate and varied habitats, especially for the dogs as pets.

If you are a dog lover and want to bring a furry woofi one home, you must be aware of the requirements and other intricate details of the particular breed you wish to bring in.

Moreover, with increasingly hectic lifestyle and space constraints that Indians face today, there are many other aspects that must be known about the dog before you adopt the pet. Only if you can provide for him the nourishment, shelter, healthcare and love he needs, you should decide to make a dog an integral part of your life.

We are here to help you find the right dog breed best suited to your needs, liking and the lifestyle you sport. Here are the top 10 dog breeds suited for Indians.

1. Rottweiler

With a Powerful, muscular and stout built and a no-nonsense temperament, Rottweilers are regarded as one of the best guard Dogs in India. They can grow up to weigh 40-60 Kgs (88-132 Lbs) with a height of 24-27 inches at the withers and are incredibly good looking with a Tan Black coat that’s also quite easy to maintain.

Incredibly friendly to family and friends and highly suspicious of strangers, they seem to have an uncanny ability to sense bad intentions and keep such people away from you.

2. Dachshund

The Dachshund, meaning “badger dog” in German, is a lively breed with a friendly personality and keen sense of smell. Known for their long and low bodies, they are eager hunters that excel in both above- and below-ground work. The Dachshund has an average height of 15 inches, which is below average compared to all other dog breeds. Therefore, the Dachshund is ideal for Indian owners who live in smaller homes (e.g. a city apartment). Dachshund, are also travel friendly and do not require as much food as bigger dogs. They weigh around 6.5-11.5 kgs with a life expectancy of 12-15 years and come in a variety of colours like black/tan, red, brown and chocolate. The breed is an average shedder.

3. Saint Bernard

A ‘Gentle Giant’ , a Saint Bernard contrasts its powerful muscular stature with its gentle and dignified personality, friendliness and an amazing tolerance for children. They are slow moving, patient, obedient, extremely loyal, eager and willing to please. A full grown Saint Bernard stands somewhere between 25-30 inches at the withers and can weight a healthy 60-90 Kgs ( 132 -198 Lbs). Given their size, it’s very important to train them from an early age, when they are still of a manageable size and they are indeed quite easy to train. Given their lineage and genetics, Saint Bernards are amazing watch Dogs (frankly, who would ever want to confront a Dog this size) with incredible sense of smell and seem to have an amazing sense of impending dangers and therefore have been used for rescues worldwide.

4. Pomeranian

The ubiquitous Pomeranian, also is lovingly called Pom or Pom Pom, are a toy breed of the Spitz classification and a direct descendants of the German Spitz type. Pomeranians are small dogs weighing 1.9–3.5 kilograms (4.2–7.7 lb) and standing 5 to 11 inches high at the withers They are compact but sturdy dogs with an abundant textured coat with a highly plumed tail set high and flat The top coat forms a ruff of fur on the neck, which Poms are well known for, and they also have a fringe of feathery hair on the hindquarters. Poms are excellent apartment dwellers with little exercise needs and provide for amazing company and fun to children and adults alike. They are also excellent watch dogs but not so much of guard dogs.

5. Doberman Pinscher

Dobermans are popularly called the ‘Cadillacs of the dog world’  & ‘Dogs with a human brain’ and for good reason. Weighing a healthy 35-40 Kgs ( 80-90 lbs) on a slender frame, which is almost 30-34 inches tall they are capable of amazing speed, agility and endurance and are considered the second best guard dogs in the world.  Their fierce looks and penetrating gaze is enough to ward off most intruders and their extreme loyalty and protective instincts are coveted around the world. Dobermans are very intelligent and therefore easy to train and over generations of breeding, their aggressiveness has been drastically reduced making them exceptionally good family dogs for Indian families.

6. Pugs

From being a relatively rare breed in India, Pugs have gone on to become a hot favourite of Indian Dog Lovers, thanks to the immensely successful Vodafone campaign that brought the breed to limelight. With their adorable wrinkly faces and bulgy eyes, friendliness and loyalty coupled with a small frame that can weigh anywhere between 6-8 Kgs (13-17 Lbs) and measuring up to 15 inches tall, Pugs make ideal pets for people who live in apartments or families with children. They also do well with little exercise and are incredibly low maintenance.

7. German Shepherd

German Shepherds ( also called Alsatians and Alsatian wolf dogs) are probably the most omnipresent dogs in India. You will find them everywhere for a few very unique traits of theirs. They are excellent Guard Dogs and a great asset to the police and military for their strong loyalty to their master, curiosity and a general distrust towards strangers. An adult GSD can grow as tall as 25 inches weighing between 34-43 Kgs (75- 95 Lbs) and would live up to 12 years. They were bred to be herding dogs for cattle and therefore are quite agile and strong and not recommended for people who will have trouble handling an energetic large dog. If well trained and well socialized, are generally considered very safe companions and are great with children if, of course, raised together.

8. Golden Retriever

The Golden Retriever is a beautiful, sturdy, well-proportioned dog with a feathered, medium-length, cream to golden-colour coat. The outer coat is water-repellent and the undercoat is dense. The head is broad, with a tapering, but wide, powerful muzzle. It has a scissors bite and a clear frontal stop. The nose is black and the kindly eyes are brown with dark rims. The ears are medium-sized and pendant. Its neck and thighs are muscular and the chest is broad. The tail is long, but never curled and it can grow up to be 24 inches tall weighing a healthy 32-36 Kgs (80 lbs) and at an average, live up to 12 years of age. Golden Retrievers are bird dogs at heart, so they love a good game of fetch or a swim. If exercise is provided daily, golden retrievers can adapt to any type of home, even if it is a city apartment. Very Intelligent and easy to train, Golden Retrievers can also serve as a service dog for the visually challenged and the hearing impaired. They are also employed around the world for hunting, detection and search & rescue operations. They are one of the most popular family dogs. They are incredibly friendly and tolerant with children, very energetic and require 1-2 hours of exercise a day to stay healthy.

9. Labrador Retriever

Labrador Retrievers or ‘Labs’ as they are popularly called, are sturdy, solidly built and family friendly dogs and are incredibly popular with Indians for their endearing nature, ease of training and that adorable puppy look they carry well in to their adulthood. A lab puppy will grow in to a full adult within 12 months of birth growing as tall as 32 inches (thus classified as medium-sized dogs) and weigh between 25-34 Kgs ( 55-75 Lbs) and may continue to add weight till 2 years of age. Labs are great family dogs who are protective about their family but welcoming to strangers. Labs requires a good 40-50 minutes of exercise everyday to prevent obesity and therefore serve as great companions for a family with kids.

10. Indian Pariah or The Stray Dog

The term Indian pariah dog, also called pie dog or primitive dog, originally referred to the wild dogs of India, but has come to refer in common parlance to any population of wild or feral dogs who live near human settlements worldwide. These were the very first domestic dogs and man’s earliest animal companions. They  are  medium sized dogs of square to slightly rectangular build and short coat. Adult Dogs: Height: 20 – 25 inches high at the withers ; Weight: 20 – 30 kilograms . Adult Bitches: Height: 18 – 23 inches at the withers; Weight: 15 – 25 kilograms. These dogs  known by various names as Deshi Kukur,  Deshi Kutra, Deshi Kutta, Deshi Kutro etc. are very hardy dogs. They are very social ,highly alert, intelligent, easily trainable and capable of independent thinking. . They make excellent watch dogs and are very territorial and defensive of their pack/family. They need good socializing as pups and do well with families and children.

Here, it is a very important point to note that if breed dog owners allow their pets to breed with stray dogs, there is a large variety of mix breeds that one can get, to gift to friends.

Also, if you have the ability to show love and compassion, the dogs are created equal and they are the most loyal friend a human can get.

Therefore, choose a dog which is probably a homeless puppy who needs love and shelter, and who is way easy to maintain, than an expensive dog who would eat half of your salary and all of your time.