When choosing a dog to rescue or adopt, one of the options you may have available to you is a long or short haired breed. This option may at first sound like a mere aesthetic choice, but can actually have ramifications beyond simply how your dog looks, and should therefore be considered carefully before your choice is made.

Short haired breeds are the commonly understood average; animals who gain a winter coat during the colder months, which is then shed during spring to accommodate the heat during the summer months. This leads to a shaggier, thicker look during winter, before the shedding of hair in spring. This is a common grumble with pet owners, who have to regularly vacuum or sweep in order to control the amount of hair that is shed during this time, and can be a burden on people with allergies as the hair and dust particles can collect and wreak havoc on those that are sensitive to their environment. Repeated grooming is required to maintain control over the moulting, and a good brush in the morning can alleviate too much shedding throughout the day.

Long haired breeds, whilst they shed a lot less, have their own problems that need to be addressed. Longer haired breeds do not shed as much during the summer months, and whilst this means less cleaning for you it does mean that the dog maintains a shaggy coat, which can lead to overheating when the sun is out in force. You will need to be careful and ensure your dog stays thoroughly hydrated, and be sure to keep your dog in the shade when you aren't moving about. Long haired breeds often have a rough undercoat during the winter months and a smooth overcoat which will stay with them all year round - regular grooming during spring and early summer will help the rougher undercoat to come loose and will help avoid any shedding in your home. This regular grooming is necessary to help be rid of any shed skin and to loosen any caught dirt in the hair, as left unattended these can cause skin issues that can provide serious discomfort to your pet, and if left unkempt the collection of dust and dirt can be just as irritating to those with allergies as moulted hair.

Caring for a long haired dog will require that little bit more patience with grooming, and grooming both long and short haired dogs will require effort on your behalf to get the dog used to such an intimate relationship - grooming can be quite uncomfortable at times, so make sure you are rewarding your pet for good behaviour whilst grooming them to reinforce the correct behaviours. If you prefer the look of the longer haired dog, and have no problems with the more hands on care approach then by all means adopt a longer haired dog. Otherwise, a shorter haired dog will be perfect for you, and despite the difference in look, both types will love you equally.