Puppy versus older dog

Should you be getting a puppy or adopt an older dog...

That's a difficult decision for some of us.

Well, it depends on your home situation and what the reasons are for getting a dog.

When having small children an older calmer dog could be the answer. A puppy tends to bite. They play but they have not learned to bite lightly so that they do not hurt us. A young child could be to exhausting for a puppy as a puppy just like a baby needs a lot of sleep. A puppy also needs lots of positive stimulation and interaction to be the adult dog you would like him or her to be.

An older dog could be a wonderful addition to the family in a different way that a puppy would be. An older dog could already be your companion and potty trained. A puppy has to go through many stages before he is not fully depended on you. An older dog may take time though to adapt to his new situation and family.

But a puppy on the other hand can be molded as he's slate is almost clean for you to write on it all new experiences good or bad.

Some shelters would be willing for you to "adopt" an older dog for a week to get an idea if the particular dog would fit into your family life.

When deciding on a puppy try to get as much info about the specific breed that you are interested in, so that you can make a choice based on what you know rather on what you think is a cute puppy.

When you get an older dog from a shelter the dog will be sterilized and that is to prevent the dog from being bred with another dog as there are thousands of dogs being euthanized yearly just because the puppy grew up and didn't fit in anymore.

The choice is of course for each of us to make...

There is a dog for every family and even if they seem imperfect and do not fit, with proper training, time and positive attention a puppy or an older dog can work.

So it's best to take our time, assess why we want a dog, what our situation is and what breed we think best would suit our family.

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