Puppy or Adult? Some things to consider Here are some of the pros and cons of buying a puppy versus an adult dog.Puppy
If you get a puppy you have the opportunity to watch them grow and learn. Some of their personality and temperament will be inherited and some you will be able to influence. You will be able to shape his behavior the way that you choose.
He will not have developed any bad habits.
A puppy cannot be left alone for long periods of time. If you work outside of the home, you will need to let him out, or hire someone to let him out during the day.
The puppy will have to be housebroken. This may take from one week to a few months. There might be accidents for a while.
Puppies may be destructive. They must be trained not to chew on unacceptable items such as shoes, the furniture, rugs, etc.
It will take time to train your puppy. Although SWDs are very intelligent, they must be trained.
A puppy must be socialized a lot. You will have to take your puppy many places and expose him to many different sights, sounds, smells, etc.
Puppies should not be allowed to jump a lot or be over exercised, as it can damage their growing bodies.
Puppies are more expensive than an adult dog and there is a long list of vaccinations the puppy will require for the first year.
Adult or Rescue Dog?
An adult or rescue dog’s personality is already apparent.
An adult may or may not already be housebroken.
An adult or rescue may or may not already be obedience trained.
An adult or rescue may or may not already be socialized.
An adult or rescue may have health issues.
An adult or rescue may be much calmer than a puppy and easier to live with.
An adult or rescue may be quite comfortable being left alone for longer than 6 hours.
An adult or rescue may be done with the “destructive” stage.
An adult or rescue may be a lot less expensive than a puppy. Most have had their shots and now just need maintenance.