aussielover Posted February 19, 2011 Share Posted February 19, 2011 What are the benefits of getting a baby puppy vs an older pup vs an adult dog? I have only ever had puppies, but Mindy (current dog) is my first baby puppy (8 weeks when we brought her home). Our other dogs have been older puppies, Teddy was 16 weeks and Clover was 5.5 months when we brought them home. Mindy has been the most work (by far!), I have to say as cute as she was I really was not able to enjoy her that much during the first 2-4 weeks of having her. I actually felt like I was not bonding to her at all in the first two weeks! Which is kind of funny because now I feel I have the strongest bond with her out of any of my dogs I have had. She is by far the most obedient and affectionate (to me) dog i have had. Mindy was completely psycho and a lot of hard work as a baby puppy, but really calmed down from around 4 months and her behaviour has only improved over time. Where as I have seen some labs are really quiet and sleepy little puppies but then become more psycho and boisterous as they get older. So I guess my questions are - does raising a baby puppy result in a stronger bond between dog and owner? - are some breeds, less work/less intense as baby puppies or is it individual dogs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burkes Posted February 19, 2011 Share Posted February 19, 2011 Nope, the bond is just as strong with older dogs. I foster rescue dogs and with some of them I have that lifetime bond before I have even left the carpark. I like puppies to look at but I don't think I bond as much to them because of the amount of work involved. Sleepless nights are not for me. All my dogs have been older and rescues. Some came from nice homes and some terrible situations. I like the feeling that I have probably turned their life around. And also saved one who may get looked over for a younger model. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gayle. Posted February 19, 2011 Share Posted February 19, 2011 My newest addition os a 5yo rescue, and she has spoilt me forever more for new dogs. I doubt I'll ever get another puppy, she has been so easy to slot into the family and an absolute delight to live with. No piddly puddles, no night time whining, she came with lovely manners (way better than my other dogs have). And no chewed up shoes! We are still discovering new things about her, and that is lovely as she was a bit of an unknown quantity, like a puppy would be, but she's been SO easy, and it's been very easy to bond with her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HugUrPup Posted February 19, 2011 Share Posted February 19, 2011 If I ever get another dog it would be an adult. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twodoggies2001 Posted February 19, 2011 Share Posted February 19, 2011 When our older boy departs this earth, we will looking into bringing an older puppy into our family unit. Call me lazy, selfish, or whatever you like, but I can't see myself at my senior age, getting up in the middle of the night to let a puppy out to the toilet, and all those feeds during the day. Hopefully, this will all be attended to by someone else, namely the breeder of my chosen breed. I am probably looking at a pup that has been run on and proven not to be up to scratch for the show ring or breeding. At this stage, I am not entertaining the thought of bringing in a new member of the family whilst my older boy is still with us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perry's Mum Posted February 19, 2011 Share Posted February 19, 2011 Give me an older dog every time - what you see is what you get. I think when Perry goes to the bridge I will be opening a seniors home here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancinbcs Posted February 19, 2011 Share Posted February 19, 2011 I prefer mine home bred whenever possible, otherwise at 8 weeks. Training really young puppies is so much easier and having them behave exactly as you want from day one, makes up for any destruction. My babies are almost toilet trained by 8 weeks and completely toilet trained by about 10 weeks. They don't get carsick, are crate and lead trained as well as knowing the meaning of all their basic commands, well before 3 months. My puppies are still puppies and do all things normal puppies do, like chewing and digging but they know my house rules as part of life with no other alternative ever being learnt. The more puppies you raise the easier it gets. I can't even imagine going back to trying to train older dogs that have already learnt bad habits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizT Posted February 19, 2011 Share Posted February 19, 2011 (edited) I prefer mine home bred whenever possible, otherwise at 8 weeks. Training really young puppies is so much easier and having them behave exactly as you want from day one, makes up for any destruction. My babies are almost toilet trained by 8 weeks and completely toilet trained by about 10 weeks. They don't get carsick, are crate and lead trained as well as knowing the meaning of all their basic commands, well before 3 months. My puppies are still puppies and do all things normal puppies do, like chewing and digging but they know my house rules as part of life with no other alternative ever being learnt. The more puppies you raise the easier it gets. I can't even imagine going back to trying to train older dogs that have already learnt bad habits. dancinbcs...if I ever get that Border Collie I've always wanted I'm getting it from you!!! On another note the 7+ Male Cavalier Rescue I had for one month learnt so much in that time and bonded so well. He now lives with my parents and follows my elderly mum around like a puppy! They have both bonded with each other. Oh...and one other thing...I've found the bond I have with the puppy I whelped is amazingly strong. Having her since birth is a whole new experience. Edited February 19, 2011 by LizT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tlc Posted February 19, 2011 Share Posted February 19, 2011 A puppy for me definatley, I love everything about the puppy stage, All mine are 4 and under so I basically had 3 full years of puppieness and I would do it over again in a second! I can understand people who get older dogs, I have a friend who despises the puppy stage and opted for an older dog both times and that great too. Puppies are not for everyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janba Posted February 19, 2011 Share Posted February 19, 2011 I have 2 next dogs in mind - 1 will be an 8 week old pup from lines I want and the other and will probably come first will be an adult broken in working BC. I know what I want in my next triallng dog and its going to be easier to find that in one that is already working. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huski Posted February 19, 2011 Share Posted February 19, 2011 Definitely a puppy for me, my next dog will be bought to do dog sports with and I want to put a lot of the right work into it during its critical development period. That's not to say that adult dogs or rescues can't be trained to do dog sports well, they totally can, but I think sometimes your job can be easier if you train what you want from very early on (in theory of course) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dee lee Posted February 19, 2011 Share Posted February 19, 2011 I'm really conflicted on this. When we adopted Honey she was 2 and a half, she has been an absolute delight & we have bonded amazingly. I was overjoyed not to have to do the puppy thing again. However.... She does have little quirks that I struggle to manage (obsessed with skywriting, storm phobic, toiletting fussiness to name a few). I would be tempted next time to get a pup so I could start from scratch and train it into the dog I want it to be. But then, I'm terrified of stuffing it up AND I do love older dogs better than pups. See- conflicted!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huga Posted February 19, 2011 Share Posted February 19, 2011 My next little guy is going to be 12 weeks when we get him (just because he will be desexed before he leaves the breeders). I'm sure an adult dog would fit in here, but I think a puppy will be better for Lola (she's not much of a dog's dog) and I'd prefer a puppy to grow up with my kids. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted February 19, 2011 Share Posted February 19, 2011 (edited) Definitely a pup. I like my pups to be socialised and trained in my preferred manner. That means I do it. I'm not "into" baby puppies but you only get one chance to start them right. Edited February 19, 2011 by poodlefan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inevitablue Posted February 19, 2011 Share Posted February 19, 2011 I took on a 4yo deaf girl, and she slotted into life quite easily, and I was lucky that she did have excellent early socialisation...zero obedience work though. My male was with me from 5 wo.... found dumped but he was easy as we already had a SBT for him to hang out with. I socialised him extensively as well... but an incident at 8mo undid everything and made the next 18 months HORRIBLE I have a pup now and she is such hard work because she is the only dog in the house, plus she currently can squeeze through the pool fence. She comes everyhere with me. The only break I'm getting is when I have to go somewhere like the supermarket, then she is put in her crate. Its tiring but I know that all this will pay off in the long run. Plus I find it rewarding to watch her development, when she is brave, or feeling proud when she bounces back quickly after something scary. LOL this isn't rewarding...but reassuring to know that I have correctly dealt with any challenges from her now. The 4yo I took on had serious food aggression issues.... and dealing with that in a 25kg dog vs a 5kg puppy is a different ball game! (yep I still have 10 fingers ) I think raising a puppy is made a bit easier if you have another dog for the puppy to hang out with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whiskedaway Posted February 19, 2011 Share Posted February 19, 2011 Puppy for me too. I like being able to train a puppy to behave how I want it to - I do find though that I don't really bond with a puppy until they're a little older and passed the toilet training stage. With Akira, I was worried at the start that I just didn't love her, but by the time she was five months old, I realised that I loved her more and more every day. Halo has been easier, but there are still days where I worry I don't love her enough (such as today, where I've had three hours sleep thanks to her being unsettled overnight and ended up with her peeing on the beanbag when I took my eyes off her for two seconds). So like Poodlefan, I'd say I'm not really into baby puppies, but I want to make sure they're trained the way I want them trained. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dory the Doted One Posted February 19, 2011 Share Posted February 19, 2011 I've had plenty of Recycled Adults and all of them were just as bonded (if not more so) than any of the dogs from puppies, I've had. Dory is so bonded that she chucks a Sulk if I even leave her at home with my Daughter (the photographic evidence taken by my daugther is classic stuff. ). Our next dog will hopefully be a puppy. All our pets are recycled and we want to spoil ourselves by moulding our next dog into something that will consistantly listen to us. (I admit, we do indulge Dory a bit...I'm not blaming her. I blame me! But that Terrier Tude! OMG. And to think once upon a time I was a serious obdedienc trialler). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bubitty Posted February 19, 2011 Share Posted February 19, 2011 (edited) - does raising a baby puppy result in a stronger bond between dog and owner? For me the answer is no. I raised Bitty, did everything for her and adored her from day dot. But then she grew up and ran off with my OH. Bubby on the other hand is a Mamma's boy. He adores me and loves his Mamma best, despite coming to us at 11 months. I think I will always cherish the puppy memories I got to have with Bitty and there is always a part of me which will wonder a wee baby Bubby would have been like. I wish I had fluffball memories of him, toilet training memories etc. Bubby and I have a soul bond whereas Bitty and I only have a training bond. She works well and works hard for me and we play together like no one else can but there is no "soulmate" quality. Bubby is a terror to train but he understands me when it comes to everyday life. - are some breeds, less work/less intense as baby puppies or is it individual dogs? I honestly think golden puppies are very easy as puppies provided you keep up your end of the bargain. Bringing up Bitty took a lot of work and effort on my part but she never put a foot wrong because she just embraces everything good that you teach her and never developed bad habits. Edited February 19, 2011 by Bub Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huski Posted February 19, 2011 Share Posted February 19, 2011 For me getting a puppy is definitely not about being able to bond with it better than an adult dog, but just being able to be there for that crucial development period to imprint the behaviours I want to imprint on it. If I wasn't raising a competition dog I probably wouldn't care as much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelpiekaye Posted February 19, 2011 Share Posted February 19, 2011 Puppy to be sure, I love them. I enjoy the early training period and spending the time doing the work and putting time into a pup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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