Buying a Puppy - Should I Get A Dog Or A Puppy

Many people only think of getting a puppy, but that may not be the best choice for their circumstances or lifestyle; the character of an older dog is easier to see and any difficult or undesirable traits will already be apparent. When it comes to training a puppy, it will generally require more patience than training a dog, as an older dog should already be housetrained, and will usually be more settled than a young pup.

Puppy or Adult Dog - At-A-Glance Guide

A Puppy

Pros

• Puppies and young adults tend to be more adaptable than their mature counterparts, but it really does depend on many circumstances and characters.
• You can enjoy seeing a puppy grow and develop.
• You will, hopefully, have many years to enjoy together.
• To a great extent, it will be easier to train him to behave in the way you require.

Cons

• A young puppy needs small feeds at regular intervals during the day at first, opportunities to go outside to relieve himself after meals and plenty of attention in order to shape desirable behavior and properly socialize him, all of which are time-consuming.
• A puppy may find it frightening to be introduced into a busy family unless he has been brought up in such an environment and been well socialized with humans (and possibly other pets) since birth.
• If there are young children in the house, they will need a good deal of supervision while around and handling the puppy to ensure he is not inadvertently hurt or tormented.
• He will not have been neutered.

An Adult Dog

Pros

• Not as time-consuming as a puppy.
• He is likely to have been house-trained.
• Character established.
• Potentially socialized with people and other animals.
• He may have been obedience-trained.
• Potentially neutered.

Cons

• Limited lifespan depending on age.
• He may take longer to bond with you and other pets.
• An adult may be more difficult to integrate into your family.
• He may have some illness or some established condition.
• He may have undesirable behaviour traits that only become apparent when he has settled into your home.

Dogs and children

Young children cannot be expected to know how to approach and handle a dog correctly, so it is imperative that they are supervised at all times when together to prevent accidents. Naturally, children want to explore their new pet and play with him, but poking him in the ear or disturbing him when he is eating or sleeping are certainly not the best way to do this.

If your children are taught how to handle dogs with gentleness and respect, then most children and dogs become the best of friends.

Which sex?

If your dog or puppy is to be neutered, then the question of its sex becomes less important as there will be little difference between males and females. How loving and obedient the dog will be depends on how he is brought up and treated by his owner.

One dog or two?

Is it a good idea to get another dog as a companion for your existing one? Having two dogs can usually work very well for all concerned once they have accepted each other. It can also have drawbacks if you do not take care to make sure that they do not bond closer to each other than to you. You may end up with problems in training them, and in their learning undesirable traits from each other.