Best Dog for Single Women

It’s true that we tend to think of a dog as the perfect family pet, but single women shouldn’t write off the idea of having a dog. There’s no reason that single women can’t experience the benefits of having a dog in their life just as much as a family, if not more!

That said, taking on the responsibility of a dog as a single woman is a big decision. It will require you to think carefully about your living situation, your lifestyle and even your personality, so you can find the right dog to compliment your single lifestyle.

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How Having a Dog Benefits Single Women

It’s widely known that dogs are good for us. According to Time Magazine, dogs improve our health and happiness. They keep us healthy and active, support our mental health, teach us responsibility, and even encourage us to be more social.

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Single women can benefit from having a canine companion, maybe even more than families do!

The benefits of having a dog may be even more impactful for single women than for families. Even if you love your single lifestyle, the companionship and unconditional love that your dog provides can help to combat loneliness and isolation.

Your dog helps keep you fit and healthy, since you’ll need to make sure that your beloved dog gets their daily walk. Caring for a dog provides you with a sense of responsibility and purpose, and improves your self esteem.

Having a dog can even be good for your social life! Whether you’re looking to explore a new city, or just expand your social circle, a dog can make it easier to meet new people and make conversation. According to the New York Times, dogs make their owners appear “more approachable, happier and more empathetic”, which may even help you land a date!

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Having a dog can help single women be more social – and maybe even land you a date!

Dogs make a great buffer and conversation starter, so choosing locations and events where dogs are the focus can make it easier to connect with other dog lovers, especially if you’re if not that comfortable meeting new people.

There are countless benefits to having a dog as a single woman, but doing it alone does come with some challenges. It’s important to be prepared and plan ahead for how you’ll handle these challenges.

The Challenges of Being a Single Dog-Parent

Dogs are a big responsibility, even when you have a whole family to share the load. As a single woman, all of the responsibility will rest on your shoulders. Being a single dog-parent can be incredibly rewarding, but it does come with some challenges.

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Being a single woman with a dog can be a big commitment that deserves some careful thought, but it can be incredibly rewarding. 

Commitment: You must be 100% committed to your dog. As a single woman, you’ll be responsible for all of their day-to-day needs. With any luck you’ll have friends and family eager to help out, and dog sitters are always an option, but you’ll be the one making all the decisions and coordinating all of their appointments, services and babysitting.

Time: As a single woman with a dog, you’ll be the only one taking care of your dog’s feedings, bathroom breaks and walks. Even the most low-maintenance dogs require a lot of time, and your schedule will have to revolve around your dog. If you work long hours, live far from the office, or travel a lot for work, you may need to hire a dog sitter to check in on your dog when you can’t. If you don’t live close to a suitable place for walks, you’ll need to travel with them to a park or trails regularly. All of these things add time to an already busy schedule.

Budget: Dogs are expensive – often more expensive than we think! As a single woman on one income, you’ll need to be doubly sure that you can afford both the day-to-day costs of having a dog, and any emergency expenses that may arise. If you have to hire a dog sitter frequently, that can significantly add to your costs.

Space: Single women typically have smaller homes than most families, and sharing a small space with a dog can be a challenge. Not only does your dog need enough space inside to be comfortable, but you’ll need to evaluate your outside spaces as well. If you don’t have a yard or suitable area to walk nearby, you’ll need to scope out nearby parks or trails for walks.

Lifestyle: You should think about how your dog will fit into your lifestyle before adding a dog to your life. Will you have to make time for your dog, or will you be able to include them in your current social activities? Will you be able to travel with your dog? Can you work at home with your dog occasionally, or maybe even bring them to work?

People: Adding a dog to your life is a long-term commitment. With any luck, you will have your dog for a long time. New people will enter your life, whether that’s new friends, roommates or romantic partners, and you’ll want your dog to be able to handle these changes. Think about how your dog will fit into your life as it is now, and how you imagine it will be in 5-10 years, and keep that in the back of your mind as you consider adding a dog to your life.

Characteristics of the Best Dog Breeds for Single Women

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Even large breeds can be ideal for a single woman, as long as you are committed to providing the care and training that they need.  

Any breed of dog can be a great companion for a single woman, as long as you are 100% committed to providing the care that your dog needs. That said, there are some characteristics that make the challenges of single dog-parenting a little easier on single women looking to add a dog to their life:

Size: You want to make sure that your dog is an appropriate size for you and your lifestyle. Larger dogs generally require more space, exercise and training, especially if you’re planning to be social with your dog. Small and medium-sized dogs can be easier to live with in small spaces or urban settings, and can be less intimidating and easier to control around people, but may not have the stamina that larger dogs have. It’s worth paying attention to gender, too – in some breeds the males get much bigger than the females do.

Maintenance: Choosing a breed that is known for minimal shedding and drooling, or a breed with simple grooming needs can save you time and money as a single woman with a dog. With a busy work and social life, the last thing you want to do is spend hours every week cleaning up after your dog, or spend all of your hard-earned money on grooming.

Energy: The energy level of your dog will be particularly important. As a single woman doing it all yourself, choosing a low-energy breed will make it easier for you to leave your dog alone for work or social activities, as well as make them easier to control in public.

Personality Matters

As a single woman with a dog, you have the freedom to choose a dog whose personality compliments yours.

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Finding the ideal dog for you as a single woman means thinking about your lifestyle, living situation and personality.

If you’re more of a social butterfly, choose a smaller breed that is friendly and trainable so that you can include your dog in your activities. Low-energy and snuggly breeds are ideal for introverts who prefer quiet nights in. If you’re athletic or outdoorsy, you’ll want a breed with stamina and obedience.

This can work the opposite way, too! For example, choosing a breed that requires socialization may force you to get out to the dog park, which could help an introvert meet new people and get more comfortable with small talk.

A dog is a great conversation starter and buffer, and can make it much easier to strike up conversations with strangers – all great advantages when looking for a date! Even if you’re not in the market for a romantic relationship, a dog can be a great way to meet new people and get to know a new city or expand your social circle.

Consider Adoption

Adoption saves lives, and is a rewarding way to add a canine companion to your single-gal lifestyle. 

Another thing to consider is whether to get a puppy or an older dog. Puppies are by far the most popular choice for families, but adopting an older dog can have many benefits, especially for single women.

Not only are you saving a life by adopting, but older dogs usually come fixed and houstrained, and don’t require any where near as much care and attention as a puppy does. You’ll still need to invest time in training them and maybe even undoing some bad habits, but an older dog can allow single women to skip some of the most expensive and time-consuming parts of having a dog.

An older dog may also fit more easily into your single lifestyle, rather than having to change your lifestyle to accommodate a puppy.

The 11 Best Dog Breeds for Single Women

Although any breed can make a great dog for a single woman as long as you’re committed to giving your dog what they need, there are some breeds that are ideally suited for single women:

#1: German Shepherd

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Pros: Security, Stamina

Cons: Large size, Significant exercise requirements

German Shepherds are popular for their trainability, stamina and watchdog skills. They are very loyal and can be protective of their owners, and make great companions for active, outdoorsy single women, but they require lots of regular exercise and good training.

#2: Golden Retrievers

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Pros: Social, stamina

Cons: Large size, Significant exercise requirements

Golden Retrievers are one of the most popular dog breeds because of their friendliness and stamina. Single women in particular like them because they are great social dogs, and can keep up with an active lifestyle.

#3: Dalmatian

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Pros: Social, Stamina

Cons: Large size, Significant exercise requirements

Not only are they striking, but Dalmations make a great dog for an active, social single woman. Dalmations love humans, but they can get quite large, which means good training is essential for socializing with them. They have great stamina, but they do require lots of space and exercise.

#4: Boxer

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Pros: Medium size, Watchdog abilities

Cons: Training requirements, Exercise requirements

Boxers are a popular breed for singles and urban dweller due to their smaller size and watchdog abilities. They are extremely intelligent, which is why good training is so important, especially if you’re planning to socialize together. They also require frequent exercise to avoid problem behaviours.

#5: Bulldog

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Pros: Smaller size, Minimal exercise requirements

Cons: Stamina

Bulldogs make great apartment dogs for single women. Their smaller size means they require minimal exercise, but they do require lots of one-on-one play time. They also don’t have the stamina of larger breeds, but can be great companions for an urban lifestyle.

#6: Australian Shepherd

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Pros: Medium size, Stamina

Cons: Significant exercise requirements

Australian Shepherds are a great companion for an active single woman. These dogs are on the smaller side and have great stamina for the most demanding hikes, but they are quite energetic and require lots of exercise and training to keep obedience skills sharp.

#7: Greyhound

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Pros: Medium size, Stamina

Cons: Can be hard to train

Greyhounds just might be the ideal dog for single women – while they have the incredible stamina to keep up on the most demanding hike, they are actually pretty lazy and are content to lay on the couch all day while you’re at work. They can be quite stubborn and hard to train, so you’ll need to invest time in their training.

#8: Pug

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Pros: Small size, Social, Minimal exercise requirements

Cons: Stamina

If your lifestyle isn’t ideal for a larger dog, there are many smaller breeds that make great companions for single women. Pugs make great apartment dogs, and require minimal exercise which makes them easy to walk in the busiest neighbourhood. They don’t have the stamina of larger dogs, though.

#9: Labradoodle

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Pros: Stamina, Sociability, Hypoallergenic

Cons: Significant exercise requirements

Labradoodles are great dogs for single women. They are hypoallergenic and don’t shed much, making them low maintenance. They have great stamina, but that means they require lots of regular exercise.

#10: Toy Breed

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Pros: Small Size, Portability

Cons: Trainability, Sociability

Toy breeds of all kinds, including Dachshunds, Chihuahuas and Miniature Schnauzers, can make great dogs for busy, single women who live a more urban lifestyle. Small breeds can be taken many places that larger dogs can’t go, and they have significantly less exercise requirements. However, they require lots of training and one-on-one play time to keep socialized and obedient.

#11. Mixed-Breed!

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Pros: Save a life,Lower cost, Skip puppy phase

Cons: Unknowns

The truth is, any breed can make a good companion for a single woman, as long as you choose a dog whose size and personality suits your lifestyle and living situation. Adopting a mixed-breed dog is a great way to save a life and add a canine companion to your life without supporting puppy mills. There are some unknowns when it comes to adopting a mixed breed, but that’s true of any dog, and the rewards more than make up for the risks.

The Best Dog Breeds for Single Women

The best dog for you as a single woman depends on your lifestyle, living situation and personality.

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Some careful thought and planning is required when making the decision to get a dog as a single woman. Having a dog provides many benefits to their owners, and that’s especially true for single women – dogs improve our physical and mental health, encourage us to be social, and improve our self esteem.

That said, being a single dog-parent has its challenges, and you’ll need to plan ahead for how you’ll deal with these challenges. Dogs come with a huge time commitment and are expensive, which is harder to manage as a single woman.

While any breed can make a good companion for a single woman, there are certain characteristics to look for. Choose a dog that is low-maintenance and good with people, an appropriate size for your space and lifestyle, and most importantly, that matches your personality.

A little planning ahead can ensure a lifetime of love and companionship for you and your dog.

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