My answers are in bold, red letters.
For those who have raised puppies to adulthood..
Do you think its worth it?
Yes. Having a puppy is FUN! If you take the correct measures, it's not terribly hard, and it's worth it to see your hard work pay off, and see your dog grow through each stage of it's life, and raise your dog the way you want it to be raised. You can teach an old dog new tricks, but there's nothing like training them from the start, and teaching them everything there is to know.
Would you have it any other way?
Well sure. We got Chloe as an adult. i wish I would've known her as a puppy, but that's an impossibility. I would adopt an older dog again, but I also enjoy having puppies.
Why/why not?
Puppies are fun, but if I found an older dog in a rescue who needed me, and I fell in love with them, it wouldn't bother me that it was an older dog.
Pros/Cons
Cons: Housebreaking. It's hard... but there's no guarantee that an adult dog will be housebroken. And there's no guarantee that a housebroken adult won't backtrack when they come into a new home. Starting from scratch is harder, granted, but it's do-able. And with the right tools, doesn't have to take too long, or be too hard. It's different for different dogs. Another con would be chewing. But not all puppies chew as much, or on the wrong things. Most of my puppies have preferred toys to furniture, and we've always kept shoes and such out of reach.
Pros: You get to experience puppy breath, and rub their little puppy bellies, and just....have a puppy. They're great.
Do you think its something everyone should experience?
Yes. I understand that not everyone WANTS to experience the puppy stage, but I do think it's someone everyone SHOULD experience. They grow out of it if you don't like it, but you'll never know if you like it or not unless you experience it!
Do you think training/socialization from puppyhood always creates a steady sound well behaved dog?
No, not always, but for the most part, I think it does.
Do you think its worth it?
Yes. Having a puppy is FUN! If you take the correct measures, it's not terribly hard, and it's worth it to see your hard work pay off, and see your dog grow through each stage of it's life, and raise your dog the way you want it to be raised. You can teach an old dog new tricks, but there's nothing like training them from the start, and teaching them everything there is to know.
Would you have it any other way?
Well sure. We got Chloe as an adult. i wish I would've known her as a puppy, but that's an impossibility. I would adopt an older dog again, but I also enjoy having puppies.
Why/why not?
Puppies are fun, but if I found an older dog in a rescue who needed me, and I fell in love with them, it wouldn't bother me that it was an older dog.
Pros/Cons
Cons: Housebreaking. It's hard... but there's no guarantee that an adult dog will be housebroken. And there's no guarantee that a housebroken adult won't backtrack when they come into a new home. Starting from scratch is harder, granted, but it's do-able. And with the right tools, doesn't have to take too long, or be too hard. It's different for different dogs. Another con would be chewing. But not all puppies chew as much, or on the wrong things. Most of my puppies have preferred toys to furniture, and we've always kept shoes and such out of reach.
Pros: You get to experience puppy breath, and rub their little puppy bellies, and just....have a puppy. They're great.
Do you think its something everyone should experience?
Yes. I understand that not everyone WANTS to experience the puppy stage, but I do think it's someone everyone SHOULD experience. They grow out of it if you don't like it, but you'll never know if you like it or not unless you experience it!
Do you think training/socialization from puppyhood always creates a steady sound well behaved dog?
No, not always, but for the most part, I think it does.