One of the main considerations in dog ownership is choosing the correct breed to suit your lifestyle. Another aspect of dog selection that is widely overlooked is whether you should get a young puppy or adult dog. Both options offer different rewards and you should take the time to make the best decision.
On the whole, most dog owners believe that bringing up a puppy is an advantage because this means that you guide its growth and well being. You have the ability to raise it according to what you want. This means you can ensure that it is properly nurtured with the right dog food, the necessary vaccinations given and heartworm prevention done properly at this early stage. Having your puppy personally trained is also a plus since you can teach him exactly what you want. A puppy can easily adjust to new surroundings as compared to an adult dog even though most puppies may cause some damage to your personal stuff while they are in the stage of teething. They need to be housebroken and house training needs a lot of time, effort, and patience from the owner.
There is no assurance of what a puppy will look like when it grows up; especially if it is a mixed breed. Then again, his temperament and characteristics might change when he grows into an adult. You should bring back your puppy when it is at least 10 weeks old.
Puppies need a lot of time to be cared for by their mothers. This is a crucial stage for them. This allows them to gain a psychological advantage for both puppy and for the mother dog. Puppies are at a stage where they are most adorable and fun to have in the family. They are hugely lovable and cute now which makes it fun and interesting for the whole family.
Puppies are generally easier to be accepted into a new family as they watch it grows. On the other hand, puppies require a lot of attention and training a puppy can be difficult, time consuming and an expensive task. Destruction is inevitable in the house ranging from carpet stains during house training to chew up shoes and furniture when he is teething.
All these may be unbearable and difficult to achieve if you are one with a busy schedule. Getting an Adult Dog - A well trained adult dog is an easy fit into any family. You would generally have less of a fuss taking care of an adult dog.
They already have an established behavior that you can understand. By being with the dog more often, you would have a clearer idea of its temperament is. One big consideration is that the personality and characteristic of the adult dog is relatively unknown and need to be carefully evaluated. A new owner should take note of its habits and mood swings.
Hopefully you can acquire this valuable data from the previous owners of the dog. There are also chances that some older dogs might suffer from some behavioral problems. It is important to take note of them. You still need a considerable amount of time and effort to get to know your adult dog and for him to be comfortable with you. You need to introduce an adult dog to your children and other household members before bringing him into the home.
This would help the dog familiarize itself with them. It can help your dog to identify family members and prevent it from hurting or scaring them. An adult dog may not need your full attention unlike puppies, and would require lesser trips to the vet. For a fully grown dog, its physique is no longer an element of surprise.
Its behavior is less of a variable as well. What you see is basically what you get and there might be fewer surprises for you in the long run. Most dogs are housebroken already so they would cause lesser damage to your belongings and don't tend to wake up at night like most puppies do. They have usually outgrown the impulse of chewing things that strike its fancy. In addition, an older dog can easily adapt to other pets, like other dogs or cats. A popular myth believes that older dogs will not bond to their new owners is definitely not true.
Bonding will occurs between you and your dog regardless of your dog's age if you are willing to put in time and effort to develop a good relationship.
Moses Wright has been a dog lover since young and now he loves to help fellow dog owners solve their dog obedience training problems whenever he can. You can get a free copy of his book filled with useful and practical tips here: Free Dog Training Book
