Dog owners, like their dogs, come in all shapes and sizes and have many different ways of caring for their four legged friends! Take our fun and informative quiz to help to establish what type of dog owner you are- and then check out our assessment at the end to see how you scored, and if there are any changes you might think of making to further benefit your favourite canine’s lifestyle.

Simply pick the answer that most suits you, and at the end, tally up your score to establish if you chose mostly ‘A,’ mostly ‘B,’ mostly ‘C’ or mostly ‘D.’

1. Your dog needs a bath and some grooming. Do you :

A. Dogs don’t need to be bathed or groomed- they should be left in their natural state.
B. Give them a thorough bath and trim, check their claws and ears, dry them off and brush them out.
C. Take them to a professional dog groomer and pay for all of the added extras.
D. My dog has a utilitarian clip at all times to keep their coat in good condition and low maintenance.

2. You need to take your dog out in the car. Where does your dog sit ?

A. Wherever they want to, so that they can move around freely and get their head out of the window.
B. Restrained with a doggy harness or in a suitably secured crate.
C. On your lap of course, so that you can be close to them!
D. In the back seat.

3. Where does your dog sleep?

A. Wherever he falls asleep!
B. In his own crate or designated bed.
C. In your own bed or that of your children, depending on your dog’s preference.
D. In a kennel or secure outbuilding.

4. What provision do you make for your dog when you go on holiday?

A. Book the first kennel that can take them.
B. Arrange a kennel after a lot of research and questioning, or hire a live-in pet sitter for the duration.
C. My dog goes everywhere with me- even on holiday.
D. I don’t go on holiday- animals don’t look after themselves!

5. Flea treatments and worming- how do you deal with it?

A. I buy wormers and flea tablets from the supermarket .
B. My dog is religiously flea treated and wormed regularly using the products my vet recommends.
C. I buy the most expensive flea and worming products on the market and have a groomer or my vet apply them.
D. If my dog shows signs of fleas or worms, I get them treated right away but I don’t see the need to use them otherwise.

6. Vaccinations and veterinary treatments- when and how?

A. If my dog is ill and doesn’t get better on his own, I take him to the vet.
B. My dog is vaccinated and has boosters annually, and sees the vet anytime in between if they need to.
C. I take my dog to the vet every couple of months pre-emptively, and he is of course always vaccinated.
D. I don’t take my dog to the vet unless he is sick, but if a problem arises I don’t waste any time in getting him there.

7. How do you walk your dog?

A. When I go out, my dog comes with me, but I don’t make any special efforts to walk him.
B. My dog is taken on a good long walk once or twice a day and has lots of opportunity to run freely and exercise.
C. I take my dog everywhere with me, and even have colour coordinated collars and leads, and maybe a dog carrier too!
D. My dog leads a very active lifestyle and is outdoors most of the day.

8. What does your dog eat?

A. I get a premixed food from the supermarket that is basic and reasonably cheap but complete.
B. I feed a good quality diet as recommended by my vet.
C. My dog has all of his meals prepared especially for him.
D. A bit of everything: a basic pre-packaged food and some scraps and bones.

9. How is your dog trained?

A. He obeys all of the basic commands, mostly!
B. I trained him from the get go and view training as an ongoing task.
C. I don’t really need to use many training commands- my dog is more like my child.
D. My dog is very well trained and highly obedient.

Now tot up your scores! Which letter did you find the most matches with?

Mostly A’s : While you obviously enjoy your dog’s company and your dog is generally healthy and has all of his basic needs are taken care of, you might want to think about taking a little more time to look at pre-emptive care such as vaccinations, examining what you feed to him and you interaction with him. Some of the choices that you make now can have a big impact further down the line, such as his health as he ages and his activity levels.

Mostly B’s : You’re clearly a very responsible dog owner, and make a big effort to ensure that your dog has all of his needs taken care of and that you are doing everything that you can to ensure he remains healthy, well trained and active throughout the course of his life. Congratulations!

Mostly C’s : You clearly love your dog very much, and want to make sure that you provide only the best for him, regardless of the cost. But be wary of over-humanising your dog and in doing so, failing to take care of some of his most basic needs, such as the need to be treated as a dog, not a child, and that he is adequately well trained and obedient.

Mostly D’s : You probably have a fairly utilitarian view of your canine companion, and perhaps they are much cherished and valued as a working dog as well as a pet. Your dog seems to be getting everything that he needs, and there is nothing at all wrong with viewing you dog in a workmanlike way and not over-sentimentalising the process or viewing their needs in a human way rather than a canine way. There is some scope to look at pre-emptively looking after your dog’s future needs, however, by learning about preventative treatments such as worming and vaccinations rather than waiting for a problem to arise, at which point it might be too late.