There’s no denying that puppies are absolutely adorable. They nuzzle into your neck, give warm kisses, gaze at you with soft, trusting eyes, and have sweet puppy breath. For many people, these benefits are well worth all the trouble that a puppy can cause.
When deciding to get a puppy or adult dog, it’s wise to consider that puppies are trouble in a cute little package. Puppies are definitely great at trouble . They chew shoes, soil carpets, ruin furniture, cry all night, bite toes, pull down drapes, chase the cat, bark at nothing, refuse to go outside to pee until 3:00 am, and generally disrupt everyone and everything around them.
Many people want to get a puppy because they can train and socialize it exactly the way they want. This is actually a pretty good reason to get a puppy, as long as you’re willing and able to undertake the huge responsibility of training and socializing, and aware of the uncertainties that come with getting a puppy.
One of the biggest potential disadvantages of getting a puppy is that you don’t know exactly what you’ll get. It can be difficult to determine a puppy’s personality and adult size when deciding if you should get a puppy or an adult dog.
With mixed breeds, it can be especially difficult to determine a puppy’s adult size and temperament. Even with purebred puppies, you may end up with an adult dog that is very different than what is normal for the breed.
Why get an Adult Dog?
When deciding if you should get a puppy or grown dog, consider that adult dogs are often socialized, house and obedience trained, and many are even spayed or neutered. Unlike a puppy, you know an adult dog’s size and temperament, with no surprises. You can feel good about adopting an adult dog and possibly saving it from being put to sleep at a shelter.
But Puppies are Cuter!
When deciding whether to get a puppy or adult dog, many people won’t consider an adult dog because they feel puppies are much cuter. While puppies are unquestionably cute, they’re also much better at soiling the carpets, chewing on shoes, and getting into trouble than an older dog. Adorable puppies quickly grow into adult dogs. The little puppy stage really only lasts a few months, and then you’ll have an adolescent dog anyway. And keep in mind that all ugly, ill-tempered, misbehaved, aggressive adult dogs started out as adorable little puppies.
Are you trying to decide if you should adopt a puppy or an adult dog?
Adopting a dog from a local humane society is a great choice, whether you decide to adopt a puppy or an adult dog. Humane societies are chock full of great dogs, including adorable puppies and lovable grown dogs.
Five Myths about Adopting an Adult Dog
Myth 1: An adult dog won’t bond with me
This myth is just wrong, wrong, and wrong. An adult dog may take a little while to adjust, but it will bond with you. It will just need time, patience, and love, and you’ll have a new best friend in no time at all.
Myth 2: An adult dog will have bad habits
While some adult dogs may have bad habits, it will likely take less time to retrain an adult dog than to completely train a puppy! When deciding to adopt a puppy or adult dog, consider that adults may have already been trained out of many of their bad habits.
Myth 3: An adult dog will have health problems
While dogs do tend to develop some health problems with age, these often won’t develop until your dog is a senior. A younger dog or adolescent should be perfectly healthy. If you want to avoid getting a dog with these issues, consider a young adult or adolescent dog. No matter the age of the dog you get, you should always have a veterinarian check her out!
Myth 4: An adult dog will not live as long
All dogs will eventually pass on within about 10 years for large dogs and 14 years for small dogs. It’s a sad fact of life that you will eventually lose your pup. If losing your dog early still really bothers you, consider getting a younger adult or adolescent dog. These dogs will still have plenty of years left to enjoy with you!
Myth 5: An adult dog will be less energetic
This is a bad thing? Dogs, especially puppies, tend to have way too much energy for most people anyway. You can also put an adult dog on a weight loss program to add spring to its step and years to its life.
In all, whether you adopt a puppy or adult dog, adopting can be a great option. You could get your perfect dog, and help save a dog’s life.
I live alone on 3 acres in a semi-rural area of Ohio. While I had cats, people told me I needed a dog. We had dogs when I was s kid and I remembered too well the pee-soaked newspapers and chewed shoes. Still, once past the puppy stage and obedience school, they all grew to be great family companions. So my friend and I went to the shelter to find a young dog but not a puppy.
Problem was all the adult dogs were over 9 years old and had major health problems and vet bills for their adoptions. But there were two adorable puppies 10 weeks old brother and sister and it took all my discipline to walk away. O. The way out I saw the girl puppy being adopted. I asked why the weren’t taking her brother, too and they had their reasons. I thought about him all alone in the cage and caved in and adopted him. He was like no puppy I’d had any experience with. At ten weeks he already knew all the basic commands and was house trained. The county jail is next to the shelter and inmates are recruited as dog walkers. Either Franklin was a prodigy or more likely, a dog-whisperer prisoner took a special interest in him.
I work at home, though and Franklin couldn’t get my undivided attention enough so I asked the vet what would be a good breed to grow up with him. He recommended a lab. So 6 month old Franklin got a baby sister, Eleanor and for the most part, he instructed her in acceptable behavior.
Five years later I went to the shelter to donate blankets and walked through the dog area. In the corner of a large cage was a dog with a damaged ear and a couple if scars on her face. I looked at her card – 6 years old brought in a year ago, adopted and returned three times. Reason: too active. Breed: pitbull mix. Seems any large dog of I determinate lineage gets labeled a pitbull. I walked into the cage and at first she was leary of me but but I senced no animosity ir agression. I sat down on the floor on the other side of the cage and talked to her. After about five minutes, she came to me and licked my hand.
I asked about adopting her and told them I had five cats and two digs her age and size. We walked her through the cat area and she was fine with cats. So the next day Franklin and Ellie got a ride to the shelter to see if they wanted to adopt Lisa…an important play date. Franklin and Ellie got along fine with her and Lisa seemed fine with letting Franklin or even Ellie be the dominant. So Lisa came home with us.
I’m sure she had been abused so I changed her name to Brandy. She would hide from men and was protective of her food. Day 2, Ellie got to close when Brandt was eating. I got between them and in the excitement, Brandy accidentally bit me on the rear. Teeth mark’s and huge bruise but I should have known better. I know it was an accident because Brandy ran and his in s corner, seeming awaiting punishment. I took the food to her and sat down with it between us and quietly talked to her while she finally started eating. After that she’d go out with Franklin and Ellie but just watch them play. Three months later I saw her wag her tail for the first time when she finally joined Franklin and Ellie playing. Shortly I took the family to the dog park where there’s a lake for swimming. Ellie loves to swim with me while Franklin just Wade’s. I was amazed when Brandy swam out to us. She is all muscle with small paws and I was sure swimming would be impossible for her but to be near me, she had to try.
So now, Franklin the pre-trained 10 week old, Ellie, the 10-week old blank slate, and Brandy, adopted after 6 years of questionable treatment, are as great a pack as I could ever hope for
The moral of this story is that any dog, no matter the age or previous experiences is a stranger until you get to know each other. if you love your dog unconditionally and show your dog how much you enjoy his company he will become to trust you and do anything to make you happy. If you don’t know how to communicate with your dog through words and motions, take an obedience class and DO THE HOMEWORK! The classes are really more about training you than the dog. On the other hand, if you don’t have time for your dog, don’t blame the dog for forming habits that don’t make you happy.