Puppy vs. Adult
Before rushing ahead and getting a puppy, it's a good idea to
at least consider the pros and cons of adopting an adult dog.
There are certainly several advantages to getting a pup, the
foremost being you may mold the puppy's behavior and
temperament to suit your own particular lifestyle. This, of
course, presumes you know how to train and have the time to
do it. Sometimes you might not. And so in a lot of ways an
adolescent or adult dog with a Kennel Club obedience title and a Canine Good Citizenship Test may make a more
suitable companion—especially for a two-income family
whose members barely have the time to get together as a
family themselves.
Additionally, a two-year-old (or older) adult dog's habits,
manners, and temperament are already well established, for
better or for worse. Traits and habits may change over time, but
compared with the behavioral flexibility of young puppies, an
older dog's good habits are as resistant to change as their bad
habits. Consequently, it is possible to test drive a number of
adult shelter dogs and select one free of problems and with an
established personality to your liking.
Adopting an adult dog from an animal shelter or rescue
organization can be a marvelous alternative to raising a
puppy. Some shelter and rescue dogs are well-trained and
simply need a home. Others have a few behavior problems
and require remedial puppy education in adulthood. Some
dogs are purebred; most are mixed breeds. The key to finding
a good shelter or rescue dog is selection, selection, selection!
Take plenty of time to test drive each prospective candidate.
Each dog is unique.
If you still have your heart set on raising and training a
puppy, do make sure you educate yourself beforehand. Only
search for a puppy after you have learned how to raise and train
one. Remember, it takes only a few weeks to ruin an otherwise
perfect puppy.
Please ask yourself, “Where do shelter dogs come from?”
All shelter dogs were once perfect puppies that were abandoned
or surrendered because they developed annoying behavior,
training, and temperament problems, simply because their
owners did not know how to train them.
The sequence of events is utterly predictable: too much
initial freedom and too little supervision and education all but teach a newly acquired puppy to chew household articles and
eliminate in the house. In the owner’s attempt to manage these
common and foreseeable problems, the puppy is relegated
outdoors, where he quickly becomes de-socialized and
develops other annoying habits, such as barking, digging, and
escaping. After spending day after day in social isolation, the
puppy is so excited when asked indoors that he enthusiastically
runs around, barks, and jumps up to greet his long-lost human
companions. Soon, the overly rambunctious pup is no longer
allowed indoors at all. Either he is captured by animal control
after he escapes from solitary confinement, or neighbors
complain about his excessive barking and he is confined to the
garage or basement—usually only a temporary measure before
the now unwanted adolescent dog is surrendered or abandoned.
And he is barely six months old.
All behavior, temperament, and training problems are so
utterly predictable, and so easily preventable. Even most existing
problems may be resolved fairly easily. Education is the key.
Whether you decide to get a puppy or adopt an adult dog,
please get your puppy or dog neutered. There are simply too
many unwanted dogs. Millions are euthanized each year; please
don’t add to the numbers.