Puppy or Adult Dog Adoption?

There are pros and cons to adopting a dog of any age. Some believe it's best to get a puppy then you can shape the behavior any way you want. Others believe that it's better to get a dog that is one or two years old. They have most of the puppy wildness out of them, so you are dealing with a dog who has settled down a bit. I know people who only adopt Senior dogs as they want a dog that is mellow.

If you had the choice, which would you prefer to start with, a puppy or an adult dog? What has your experience been?

I'm mixed on this. All the dogs I've ohad came to me as puppies. Those first couple of years were difficult. There is so much work that goes into training a puppy. You need so much patience.

On the other hand, an adult dog could have issues. You might be dealing with a dog who chews things up, digs in the garden, is afraid of people, etc. It may have come from a home where it was abused.

I guess you don't always know what you will get with an adult. With a puppy, all the problems it has are on your shoulders.

 

If I was to adopt a dog I would be looking at 10 months to 2 years old. In this age bracket they're still very much a pup and have not fully developed. All our dogs, except for a stray, have been wee pups and they have been so much fun except for the toilet training.

 

There are pros and cons to both. We adopted my dog at a year old and I actually think that's the HARDEST age. A dog of 2 or 3 has all of his puppy gone and is most likely trained. A puppy you are starting with a clean slate. A 1 year old is just enough puppy to be ornery and just enough adult to have developed bad habits.

 

I have had both. Some dogs came to me as puppies. Others as adults. Benjamin came to me as very old dog. I can handle them at any age. All it takes is just some adjustment.

 

I prefer puppies as I usually get puppies ever since.
Our recent dog which we had adopted was a stray dog which we just guessed he was around 3 or 4 months already when we have him.

 

I would probably go for a puppy. I love how cute and tiny they are It'll be a puppy because my MIL volunteers at the animal shelter and she's always bringing home a puppy or three until she finds a home for them. She keeps telling me that if I wanted one, all I had to do was tell her and she'll fix one for me. I visited her at the animal shelter a couple of times and I didn't see any adult dogs, so if I wanted an adult dog, it'll be hard to get one.

 

I can't recall ever actually seeking out an adoption. All our pets have sort of found us first, I think, minus our old lab who we bought as a puppy. I think if I were looking to get a dog specifically, I would probably go with a younger one like that, but I have a feeling that I will just continue letting them find us instead, hehe.