Puppy or Dog?
- Thread starter dunbrine47
- Start date
It all depends on what you are willing to deal with. Do you want to housebreak and deal with chewing? With adult dogs I cannot say what issues they will have, you can choose the adult dog and his set of issues. So you might have to deal with jumping up or you might have to deal with pulling on the leash but you will most likely know because you'll meet the dog and see what behavioral problems he has. You'll probably have to deal with all these things in the puppy too except it's on a smaller scale and will not yet be a habit (unless you let it be). I will personally get myself an adult dog, housebroken, with awful manners and no commands. That way there is a chance that no one has ever laid a cruel hand on him in the name of training and I can have a dog trained in a positive way.
So as you see it's all in what you want. You do have the benefit of knowing what you are getting for the most part with an adult dog, and the benefit for a pup is that you help to make him what he will be like as an adult. For me those are both winning situations but I don't like to deal with housebreaking and I like to know what my dog will look like as an adult.
So as you see it's all in what you want. You do have the benefit of knowing what you are getting for the most part with an adult dog, and the benefit for a pup is that you help to make him what he will be like as an adult. For me those are both winning situations but I don't like to deal with housebreaking and I like to know what my dog will look like as an adult.
It really depends on the individual dog and what you're looking for.
I adopted an 'adult' dog (we were told she was about a year old), who was supposed to be house trained, knew basic commands, etc. etc.
Turns out we were starting from scratch with her, had to teach her everything (including house training, which took MONTHS in our situation) and our 'year old' dog almost doubled in size. I wouldn't change any of it for anything, she's the right dog for us. But I had to put that out there. Adopting an "adult" rarely means you're getting a pre-made pet.
I adopted an 'adult' dog (we were told she was about a year old), who was supposed to be house trained, knew basic commands, etc. etc.
Turns out we were starting from scratch with her, had to teach her everything (including house training, which took MONTHS in our situation) and our 'year old' dog almost doubled in size. I wouldn't change any of it for anything, she's the right dog for us. But I had to put that out there. Adopting an "adult" rarely means you're getting a pre-made pet.
I plan on doing this for my next dog actually. I really don't want to have to deal with the puppy stuff, and a retired breeder would have had all the same health testing etc done that a well bred puppy would. You might have to wait a bit longer for one to become available, but IMO it would be worth it.
It depends. You can get an older puppy, that way they're still young and pretty "moldable," but they might already know some basic things, which makes it easier. Molly was somewhere around 7 or 8 months old when we got her, so she was still very much a puppy, but she was already housebroken and knew all the house rules (didn't jump up, didn't nip, etc.)
The puppy thing is tough. They're cute and fun and, depending on how training goes, it can be a really rewarding experience when they're older. But they will make you want to pull out your hair at times, lol. Adult dogs can have their issues too, but you'll probably know what they are before getting the dog, so you can decide if it's something you want to take on.
The puppy thing is tough. They're cute and fun and, depending on how training goes, it can be a really rewarding experience when they're older. But they will make you want to pull out your hair at times, lol. Adult dogs can have their issues too, but you'll probably know what they are before getting the dog, so you can decide if it's something you want to take on.
I got one dog as a one year old and one as a 10 week old. Both have had their own separate challenges to be honest. Sally was a year but was not housebroken, had no idea what to do on a leash (other than pull), knew no commands, and had separation anxiety.
With Jack we had to deal with the housebreaking and crate training issue, but he was a pretty decent puppy. It was the adolescent stage that made us want to pull our hair out with him. He was STUBBORN, very stubborn--particularly with my husband. Jack got to the point with him where he simply ignore any commands that DH gave him unless the incentive to comply was right in front of him (like the food dish, etc). These were commands that he did know and would follow if I asked him, whether there was a treat involved or not.
With Jack we had to deal with the housebreaking and crate training issue, but he was a pretty decent puppy. It was the adolescent stage that made us want to pull our hair out with him. He was STUBBORN, very stubborn--particularly with my husband. Jack got to the point with him where he simply ignore any commands that DH gave him unless the incentive to comply was right in front of him (like the food dish, etc). These were commands that he did know and would follow if I asked him, whether there was a treat involved or not.
It depends on the individual person. Puppies are A LOT of work. You have to deal with the baby-ness, the whining and all of the raising , socializing. There are pros and cons to each. Some breeds the puppies are terrors LOL If you go to a (good) rescue they can tell you flat out the dog's good, and bad, habits. Plus you don't have to do the rounds of puppy shots and pay for those vet visits, or spay/neutering.
Me, personally? No more puppies for me!
They are completely adorable and I love to dog sit puppies... I can give them back at the end of the day, after spoiling and cuddling of course :lol-sign: There are so many dogs in need of homes, I think there are a lot of perfect dogs out there for the first time dog owner. You could always get an adult dog, and then years down the road if your ready, adopt a puppy :rofl1:
Me, personally? No more puppies for me!
They are completely adorable and I love to dog sit puppies... I can give them back at the end of the day, after spoiling and cuddling of course :lol-sign: There are so many dogs in need of homes, I think there are a lot of perfect dogs out there for the first time dog owner. You could always get an adult dog, and then years down the road if your ready, adopt a puppy :rofl1: