I raise Pomeranians, not Poodles, Corgis, Alaskan Malamutes, Samoyeds or Bulldogs, because I tried almost all of those breeds and gave most of them up. My home is a narrow city townhouse, Vietnam is hot year-round, and there are only so many hours in a day for dog care. In the end, only the Pom lasted.

Here’s the full story, failures included. If you’re planning to bring a dog home, reading to the end should make it easier to see which breed fits your household.

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How did I start out with Bulldogs?

My first breed was the Bulldog, back in 2014, when I was just starting to learn about dogs. Anyone who raised Bulldogs in Vietnam around 2014–2015 will remember how expensive an English Bulldog was then, and a puppy with papers was even priced in US dollars. A single litter could be as small as 5 puppies or as large as about 10. With numbers like that, who wouldn’t be tempted?

I’ve loved dogs since I was a kid. Business was going well at the time and I had some spare cash, so I started with my first Bulldog, Ken, and then Cyndi. Then I went all in and spent a large sum on a registered Bulldog pair from a well-known kennel. On the rooftop of my internet café, I added stainless steel kennels, cameras and air conditioning. That setup alone cost nearly 40 million Vietnamese dong.

Middle-aged white and brown Bulldog with its front paws on a metal fence, looking toward the camera

Why did I give up on Bulldogs?

In the end, I had to sell Ken, Cyndi and Gold (the registered female) for only half of what I paid. The stainless steel kennels went for scrap.

Henry died in an accident. I had asked a staff member to take him for a walk, and afterward they tied his leash to something high up. Henry ran in circles until the leash twisted and strangled him. Arranging his burial was one of the worst experiences of my life.

Bulldogs are sweet and friendly. The trouble is the daily care:

They eat a lot. One Bulldog finishes a large bag of kibble in about 1 week, while the same bag lasts my pack of more than 25 Pomeranians, adults and puppies, almost 1.5 months.
They poop a lot. A single bowel movement can be bigger than a person’s, and the stool is almost always soft.
They urinate often, drool, smell and get dirty fast.

Picture a small space in the middle of a big city. Every day you clean up waste, fight the odor and feed several dogs weighing 30–40 kg (66–88 lb) each. It’s a horror story.

Person holding a calm white Bulldog in their arms indoors

The Alaskan Malamute is smart but needs space a townhouse doesn’t have

An Alaskan Malamute needs room to run, and that’s why I stopped raising the breed. In litter size and market price, it was much like the Bulldog back then. The dogs themselves are smart and friendly. Kept in a hot, cramped space with no room to run, though, they get very irritable. I said goodbye to the breed after mine nearly bit an employee at the internet café.

By then I could see the problem all large breeds share. They need space and eat a lot. Their waste comes in awful amounts, and it smells. Caring for a big dog also costs several times more than caring for a small one: drying an Alaskan Malamute with a professional dryer after a bath took close to an hour, while even a very thick-coated Pom takes only about 15 minutes.

Do you have plenty of space? If you can also handle the waste and the food bills and cover the cost of care, go ahead and follow your passion for an Alaskan Malamute, a Bulldog or a German Shepherd.

Why didn’t I choose Poodles either?

Poodles were too hyper for me, and they barked constantly without letting up, so I gave up that breed too. I once bred a Poodle female who was a little over 1 month pregnant. That day I let her out to play. When I put her back in her kennel, she bounced around inside it so hard that she miscarried.

How did Thailand lead me to Pomeranians?

In Thailand, the Pomeranian is the most popular breed. The Chihuahua comes second, and every other breed trails behind those two. I learned this on a trip to see how Thai breeders run their dog market, at a time when I still couldn’t let go of dogs.

Thailand’s climate, living spaces and people are a lot like Vietnam’s, yet their dog market is 3–4 decades ahead of ours. That’s how I found the Pomeranian.

Small Pomeranian puppy in a travel crate on a pallet in a cargo warehouse

I imported my first Pomeranians from Thailand myself. At first they came by air cargo, and later I carried them back on flights by hand. I’ve now been raising and selling the breed for more than 6 years.

Brown Pomeranian standing on a winners' podium at an international dog show with a pink stage backdrop

What makes raising a Pomeranian hard?

The first challenge: if you’re new to the breed and buying a puppy, it’s very hard to tell whether a Pom will turn out well. So far I’ve only talked about other breeds. The Pomeranian has its own strengths and limitations too.

Two small golden Pomeranians standing on an event stage surrounded by trophies

In my view, about 80% of a Pomeranian’s traits come from genetics and the other 20% from care. As puppies, Poms all look alike. It takes experience to tell a purebred Pomeranian from a Spitz mix or a Japanese Chin mix.