A breed review is only useful if the person reading it can decide whether the dog would suit their home. This page lists what to cover, so that your review of a breed, or the one you are reading, helps rather than just praises.
It is written for owners, not as veterinary advice. For anything about a particular dog’s health, talk to your vet.
The RSPCA lists what to weigh up before choosing a breed: space, garden, time, grooming and health. Use those as the skeleton of your review and add what you saw in your own dog.
Say how long you have owned the breed, how many dogs you have owned, and whether your dog came from a breeder or a rescue. Readers can then judge how far your experience applies to them.
Origin And Purpose
Start with what the breed was bred to do. A dog bred to herd, hunt or guard often shows those habits at home, and that shapes how much exercise and training it needs. Name the country of origin and the original job, and keep it short.
Be careful with stories you cannot back up. If a claim about the breed’s history comes from a breed club or a book, say which.
Size
Give a weight in kilograms and a height at the shoulder in centimetres, and say whether they are the breed standard or your own dog. Add the size of your home, because “a small dog” can mean very different things to different readers.
Say what the size meant in daily life: lifting the dog into the car, space on the sofa, lead handling, cost of food. Those details are what readers remember.
Exercise And Energy
The American Kennel Club says the amount of exercise “varies from dog to dog and is dependent on age, health, and breed”, and that “High-energy breeds require a lot more exercise than lower-energy breeds”. It also warns: “It is not a good idea to buy an active dog breed unless you already lead an active lifestyle”.
So give your own numbers: minutes walked a day, what the dog did, and how it behaved on a quiet day. Say how your lifestyle compares, because a calm dog and a busy owner are a different match from a calm dog and a retired one.
Grooming And Care
The RSPCA notes that “Long-haired puppies may need lots more time to groom”. State how often you brush, how long it takes, and the cost of a groomer if you use one. Our page on grooming by breed can help readers compare coat types.
Do not write that a breed “does not shed” unless you have lived with one. Report what you saw, including the hair on the floor.
Training And Temperament
The RSPCA says “while different breeds may be more likely to show certain types of behaviour, the way your puppy behaves as an adult will depend a great deal on their life experiences”. Describe how you trained your dog and when you started, so readers do not credit the breed with what was your work.
Be honest about difficulties such as barking, pulling or separation, and what helped. A review that says everything was easy is not believed.
Health
Stick to what a vet told you about your own dog. The RSPCA says “every breed of dog that is well studied is prone to a range of diseases” and advises you to “select breeders who can offer proof of tests”. You can say which tests the breeder showed you.
Avoid writing that a whole breed has, or is free of, a condition. If a vet confirmed a problem in your dog, say what it was and that you cannot tell from one dog how common it is.
Before You Post
Check that your review covers origin, size in kilograms and centimetres, exercise, grooming, training and health, and that every claim is yours or has a named source. Then read it once as someone who has never owned the breed.
