Do Your Dog Adoption Plans Include An Adult Dog?

When most people do a dog adoption, the plan is to bring home a puppy that they can nurture from a baby to an adult. There are obviously a lot of advantages to doing this. But don't discount the possibility of adopting an adult dog either. As with anything else, there will be pros and cons to bringing home a mature pet. And if your plans include adopting from a family you know rather than a shelter, there are even more advantages.

First let's look at some of the good things about bringing home an adult dog. First, if the dog is coming from someone you know or maybe a newspaper advertisement, they will be able to tell you if the dog is potty trained. If he is, that's a huge plus. Also, an adult dog tends to have a more stable personality. If you spend any time at all with the dog before adopting (even if it is at the shelter), you will have a pretty good idea of what this dog is like. Puppies on the other hand are prone to changing personalities throughout their maturing time.

Also working in your favor is that if it is a private adoption, you'll know the dog's medical history. Chances are you can get the dogs health record. And even if you can't, the adult dog is no longer prone to many diseases that puppies can get. You may also be able to get better insight into the dogs history of behaviors.

Finally, if you are short on cash an adult dog typically costs less than a puppy, depending of course on where you plan to adopt him from. However if you are really short on money we recommend holding off on a dog adoption because even if the pet is free, there will be plenty of expenses from vet bills to food.

Now let's take a look at some of the problems with adopting a mature pet. Depending on the dog's background, he may be a little insecure. Especially if he is, in effect, losing the family he has been with for a while. For you that means you'll need an extra supply of love, as well as providing plenty of guidance both emotionally and physically.

We said earlier that spending a lot of time with the dog at the shelter you'll be able to know his personality pretty well. That's typically true, but not always. Sometimes he'll have behavioral problems that you won't find out about until you've had him in your home for several weeks.

You will also not have the benefit of being the one who provides socialization and guidance during those critical times in a puppy's life. And finally, you'll miss out on those really cute puppy years. Of course those years will also require an abundance of energy from you as well. So if you are elderly or in any way disabled, you may not want a puppy anyway.

Our goal here is not to tell you whether to get an adult dog or a puppy. We're simply listing some of the pros and cons that may make the decision for you a little easier.

We're also telling you that no matter what age pet your dog adoption plans call for, you'll want and need to train him properly. And by far the best resource to help you do just that is Daniel Stevens' SitStayFetch program. We highly recommend you check this one out. Written by a professional dog trainer in an easy to understand and follow manner, SitStayFetch can be in your hands just minutes from now because it is an instantly downloadable book.

Of course many people learn better by watching others rather than by reading. If this is you, you'll want to check out Dove Cresswell's Dog Training Online. Sit back and watch on your computer as she guides you through the steps to having a well trained pet. You can even view a free sample lesson by visiting her website.

Either program will guide you into having a pet you can be proud of.