Should You Adopt A Puppy Or An Older Dog?

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Thinking of getting a dog? One of the first things to consider is whether to adopt a puppy or an older dog. This post explores the benefits of both options to help you make the right choice. 

Why adopt a puppy?

The cuteness factor is what draws many people to adopting a puppy. Adult dogs can be adorable too, but there’s something extra special about owning a puppy.

Adopting a puppy is also a chance to bond with a dog from its infancy and see them grow. You are likely to get many more years with a dog that you’ve raised from a pup than you would do with an adult dog. This can be particularly valuable with larger breeds that have shorter lifespans – adopting an older dog from one of these breeds could mean that you only have a couple years together. 

There’s no denying that raising a puppy can be hard. However, it can be a very rewarding experience. Some people are eager for the challenge. For some couples, it can even be a good test before deciding to have kids.

Perhaps one of the biggest benefits of raising a pup is that you get to instill good behavioral habits early. Some older dogs may have behavioral issues caused by a neglectful or abusive previous owner. Contrary to the popular saying, you can teach an old dog new tricks – but it isn’t easy. By raising a dog from a puppy, you don’t have to deal with this.

Raising a puppy also allows you to protect their health early. When you adopt an older dog, there’s always a chance that a previous owner may have failed to groom them, exercise them or feed them a healthy diet. This means that there could be a risk of health problems. With a puppy, you can enforce a healthy lifestyle when they are young and reduce the risk of them developing health issues when they are older.

It’s also worth noting that pet insurance can sometimes work out cheaper when you raise a dog from a puppy. There are some fixed life plans out there that you can take out on a dog as a puppy – unless you have to make a claim, the rates won’t change. Taking out insurance on an older dog is always more expensive because there is a great risk of health problems.

Finally, adopting a puppy is a chance to select the exact breed you want. When adopting an older dog, it is much harder to track down specific breeds. In fact, some breeds rarely end up in animal shelters (and when they do, they get chosen quickly). For example, older labradors are not easy to find. Adopting a lab puppy is often the easiest way to adopt a labrador – especially if you’re after a specific color. 

Why adopt an older dog?

Many dogs in animal shelters never find a home. Some will have been loved in the past, but their owner may have passed away. Adopting one of these dogs could be a chance to let them experience that love again. This makes it equally rewarding. 

Adopting an older dog can also be cheaper than adopting a puppy. Some puppies cost over $1000 to adopt. Animal shelters will meanwhile only charge between $200 to $400 in many cases. Of course, in some cases you may not have to pay anything when adopting an older dog – you can sometimes find ads on pet rehoming sites in which an owner is willing to give away a dog for free.

Adopting an older dog is also typically a quicker process. Puppies generally cannot be separated from their mother until 8 weeks (some breeders even keep puppies for as long as 12 weeks). While you may get to meet your pup much earlier than this, you could have to wait over a month to take them home. The process when adopting an older dog is generally much quicker. Animal shelter staff will generally still need to carry out a home visit after you have signed any papers – which could take up to 7 days. However, in some cases you may be able to take home a dog within a week. This is ideal if you’re eager to own a dog.

Of course, one of the greatest benefits of adopting an older dog is that you get to skip the hard work associated with the puppy phase. While some owners do enjoy this challenge, most dog owners who have raised puppies will tell you that they do not miss the toilet training or the destructive chewing. Most older dogs will be house trained already. This makes getting an older dog generally less stressful. 

While some older dogs may have behavioral issues, many will have good manners. Compared to puppies, older dogs are also generally much calmer and gentle. This makes them better suited to owners with young kids or senior owners. Owners with disabilities may also find it easier to look after an older dog. 

Speaking of disabilities, if you are getting a service dog, this will have to be an adult dog. Such have to be fully trained before they can be introduced to your home. This article delves more into getting a service dog. 

Puppy or older dog?

You should get a puppy if you’re looking for a challenge. You get to experience the thrill of raising them and can take more effective measures to prevent future health problems and behavioral issues. Just make sure that you have researched how to train them and that you have the time and energy required to attend to their extra needs.

You should get an older dog if you’re looking for a more relaxed path into dog ownership. It is a cheaper and faster process without any of the house training chaos that comes with raising a pup. There will still be a period of adjustment in which you get used to dog ownership and your dog gets used to your new home, but overall it should be less stressful.