7 Best Suitable Dog Breeds for Indian Climate

India is a tropical country with hot weather most of the year round, and a short duration of monsoons and winters in most parts of the country. It ‘sunny, most of the year round and summer months are quite harsh with unbearable heat and humidity. Keeping the climatic conditions in mind, the dog breeds best suited for Indian climate would be the breeds with less body hair.

Some of the breeds recommended, are:

1. Labrador– Labrador has a soft, silky undercoat that keeps it warm and dry in cold weather and an outer coat that is hard that helps in repelling water. The coat needs to be brushed and groomed to maintain its shine. It can grow up to 32 inches tall and can weigh between 25-34 kgs. It can be found in black, dark brown, light brown, golden, beige and cream color. It loves to eat and has a strong tendency to put on weight; therefore it requires plenty of exercise. It’s a very friendly, playful, loving, caring and sensitive dog. The reason why most people prefer to keep it as a pet is that it’s child friendly.

2. The Pug– They are one of the endangered dog breeds and relatively rare in India, but still a favorite with a lot of dog lovers. They are tiny in size, up to 15 inches in height and weight around 6/8 kilograms. They have wrinkly faces and bulging dark eyes. They have a tendency to put on weight so their diet needs to be monitored. Hot and humid weather can give them heatstroke as they have a short muzzle. So care should be taken to keep them cool during summers. They are ideal to keep in small apartments with lesser space.

3. Dachshund– Dachshund has three varieties- the Shorthaired, the wire-haired and the long-haired. And it has two sizes- standard and miniature. It has a short and long stretched body shape with an average height of 15 inches and weight around 6.5-11.5 kgs. It’s found in red, black, brown, chocolate and tan colors and lives up to 12-15 years. It requires very less exercise and less food, but has a tendency to put on weight. It’s a funny, playful, intelligent, active and affectionate dog. It is ideal for smaller homes because of its tiny size.

4. Pomeranian– Pomeranian dogs are a toy breed of the Spitz classification and the direct descendants of the German Spitz type. Their abundant textured coat requires regular brushing and grooming. During shedding season they shed a lot of hair. They are small dogs about 1.9 to 3.5 kgs and 5 to 11 inches in height. They don’t require much exercise because they are active by nature. Very playful and enthusiastic, especially in the company of children. Because of their active nature, they are very good watch dogs. They are low maintenance dogs.

5. German Shepherd– Also called Alsatians; these dogs make very fine guard dogs with their impressive personality and their unflinching loyalty towards their owner. They are one of the most elegant and good looking dogs, about 25 inches tall and weight around 34-43 kgs. Their lifespan is around 12 years. They are very strong and agile dogs and require a lot of energy to be handled with. Their hair coat is small to average and requires regular grooming. They can be trained very well. Most of them are friendly but some of them can be aggressive and ferocious too.

6. Doberman– They have a slender and sleek body shape and weigh around 35-40 kgs. They grow up to almost 30-34 inches tall. Their fierce looks and active behavior are intimidating to outsiders. They are very intelligent and easy to train. They have a huge stamina and can run very fast; are agile and strong and are extremely loyal to their owners. They are low maintenance dogs as far as their grooming is concerned. Once a week of brushing is enough to keep them clean and well groomed.

7. Dalmatian– Dalmatians are very popular dogs with kids because of the unique spots all over their body. They are very playful, affectionate and easy to keep dogs. They are very active and require plenty of exercise. Their base color is white with black or brown round spots all over the body. They are born white and the spots develop after 3-4 weeks. Their feet are small and round and they can run very fast. They grow up to 24 inches in height and weigh around 28 kgs. Their life span is around 13 years.

Apart from these breeds there are few more breeds which can be kept as pets such as- Beagle, Great Dane, Boxer, Indian Pariah, Golden Retriever, Caravan Hound, etc. Keeping dogs as a pet is a serious business and our tropical climate makes it difficult. Care should be taken to look after your dog as you would look after yourself in this climate. Regular exercise, good balanced diet and vet checkups are a must if you want a happy healthy dog at home.