Thinking Of Getting A Dog....

[Bluefairy]

Hi,

I have had dogs all my life, but usually they have been puppies and so we kinda of grow into each others personality.

But now that I'm older (49), I'm not sure I can go through the whole peeing and pooing training thing again, so I was thinking of getting a young adult, from 12mths and up, but I have never had an adult dog straight up before.

I have no idea what to expect.

Like is the training different?

Will an adult dog be set in their ways?

Can they learn new things?

Or be trained out of bad ways?

Would you personally take a puppy over an adult or visa versa?

With a pup you mold them to how you want them to be, but an adult mostly already has been slightly trained in the previous owners ways (which may be different to mine), I'm just worried that training will be harder and might not work.

I am thinking of an older dog from a breeder, or rescue etc. I am looking into Pugs, British or Aussie Bulldogs. I love the Brachy breeds.

Can you give me some pro's and con's of taking on an adult dog?

Thanks

BF

[mita]

[

With a pup you mold them to how you want them to be, but an adult mostly already has been slightly trained in the previous I love the Brachy breeds.

Can you give me some pro's and con's of taking on an adult dog?

My opinion would be biased because we've always adopted an adult dog, and have had good experiences with them. So I hope there'll be other opinions posted as well.

Our breed of choice has been the more brachy tibetan spaniels. They've been adopted from registered breeders who wanted to settle them in a good pet home. Those breeders were very helpful in matching the right tib for us. Their dogs had been raised in very social & loving home environments , so they came to me already well socialised.

I found it pretty easy to 'train' the adult dogs into their new home way of life. Within a couple of months, it was as if they'd lived here all their lives.

The youngest we adopted was 7 months old & the oldest 8 years old. No worries at all with the older one, I'd be happy to adopt an even more senior dog, from the same circumstances. Others have been 3 years, 5 years, 7 years. All settled in within a couple of months.

Edited August 28, 2011 by mita

[Weasels]

I think it's great you're considering an adult! The poor things get overlooked so much. I have had 3 dogs from adults (including my current 2) and one from puppy, so I have nothing like the breadth of experience as many here, but I'll add my 2c

Like is the training different?

Will an adult dog be set in their ways?

Can they learn new things?

Or be trained out of bad ways?

Would you personally take a puppy over an adult or visa versa?

Can you give me some pro's and con's of taking on an adult dog?

- without knowing you current training style I couldn't say ;)

- Remember a dog between 1-2 years is still forming its adult behaviour, so is still quite malleable in this time. I would doubt it would be set in its ways yet. They may come with some quirks or pre-ideas about how things work but you can definitely teach them the new rules.

- Of course they can learn new things! Dogs are amazing!

- Same with training out of bad habits. e.g. my younger dog was a super-chewer when we got him, we successfully trained him to only chew things out of his toy basket and we can now leave our shoes out on the floor without fear.

- I would (and have) take an adult personally Mine were 15 months and 9 months when I got them.

Pros: - No toilet training!

- fewer sleepless nights

- they may come pre-trained and quieter

- you get to find out all their cute little quirks as you go (this may also be a con, depending on the specific quirk!)

- you can get a better idea of their temperament etc.

Cons: - You don't get to see their little fuzzy puppy faces as they grow up :D

- If you get one from a rescue you may never know their past. I often wonder about where mine have been.

- They may have learned bad behaviours, but if these are a problem a good behaviourist should be able to help.

If you take your time to choose the right fit for you and the dog, you'll get a loving, loyal companion for life without the 'challenges' of puppyhood!

Edited August 28, 2011 by Weasels

[persephone]

Adult dogs - when correctly and thoughtfully sourced can be the best thing

If I get another dog .. it will not be a puppy .

With an adult - preferably with some history available ..you know what you're getting - looks, behaviour,health - wise. Yes, there will be training involved, but that depends much on what experience/training the dog has had .My heart dog was obtained at around 2 yrs of age - yes, he had a few problems.. but he was the best and most adaptable of dogs ..and we fitted together perfectly .

[Bluefairy]

Thank you for your replies,

It strengthens my resolve in getting an older dog. Yes I love the puppies, but the TT is a real dragged out affair sometimes, that seems to go on forever. Only a few puppies I have had, have been really quick to TT.

I would prefer to get one from a breeder, that needs a new home, but I know the ones from rescue need a home to. I don't mind putting in the hard work, as the end result is so enjoyable.

Thank you again.

BF

[mita]

I would prefer to get one from a breeder, that needs a new home, but I know the ones from rescue need a home to. I don't mind putting in the hard work, as the end result is so enjoyable.

Good on you for considering both. The good, experienced foster-carers of rescue dogs can tell you all about them, just like the good registered breeders can. Both have already put work into their dogs.

Right now, we're doing some preliminary 'work' for a young adult tibetan spaniel who's coming up here, from her registered breeder, to join a family as a desexed pet. She's the daughter of one of my girls. So the family's resident pet tibbie, a desexed boy, is coming over to have a play date with our girl. When a look-alike joins his home in a couple of weeks, he won't be too surprised!

I came across an excellent book recently, at a sale. It's called Adopt the Perfect Dog: A Practical Guide to Choosing and Training an Adult Dog. I don't like the word 'perfect' in the title! But it's a book full of ideas about adopting & settling in adult dogs, from breeders & from rescue (or wherever).

The author, Gwen Bailey, is chairperson of the (UK) Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors. Published by Readers Digest.

[Mason_Gibbs]

I admire people who take on rescues / older dogs. I had always had rescue horses but i had only had dogs from puppy. I then heard of a 7 month old goldie who needed a home and we decided to take him in. Sadly he was not for us as he was far too dominant for my lab, the poor thing had never played offlead with another dog and had issues due to this. If i had not had another dog at the time it may have worked out but could not live with having to watch them 24 7. Because of this i would probably only get another puppy.

[Mags]

How easy an adult is compared to a puppy depends on where you source them. From a breeder and they will probably be a breeze. From a rescue and you may have quite a lot of work - but well worth it in my opinion.

We have taken on 2 young adult rescues this year:

Katie a grey who is 2 yrs old and my ideal dog at this stage of my life. She is a beautiful calm dog that after a few months has learnt that having fun is OK here and whilst she is still scared of hands, especially hands holding anything that looks like a stick, is very quickly learning you do not get hit here. She is terrific with our tiny dog and the cats, good with people, and calm and clean in the house. She did take to digging up the yard when she arrived but that had a lot to do with my OH thinking her doing normal dog things was good and rewarding her for digging without knowing just how hard a grey can dig. She rarely digs now. She was fostered with greyhound rescue for a few weeks after being rescued from the pound, which was ideal for us as we knew she was small dog and cat safe when she arrived, and were warned about her issue with hands.

Bertie our other rescue was in very bad shape when he arrived being about 30% underweight and was not house trained, didn't know how to walk on a lead, was matted to the skin, had a retained testicle, was being eaten alive by fleas. Its taken 8 months to get him physically back into good condition. He still has issues as he was physically abused not just neglected but has learnt you don't get hurt here so is learning to trust again. He is a friendlt jaunty little chat with an amazing view of life given what he has been through. He is now toilet, crate, lead trained and is coming along well. I suspect he may go to live with my mum in time but we still have quite a way to go with him. Mum and I have decided we will start walking the dogs together once a week or so, so she can start training him herself.

Whilst Katie was less work then taking on a well socialised puppy, Bertie has been considerably more work. Still glad we took on both these dogs as Bertie deserved better than being put down and as I have already said Katie is our ideal dog at this time in our lives.

[ChristineX]

I got Kate as a puppy (irish terrier - my previous dog was a mini poodle. talk about culture shock!), I then aquired her dad Quin aged 6 (kennel dog) - who spent the first six months with his eyebrows touching his ears at the shock of his new abode, (I still miss that dog)and then Duke, aged 17months (rescue, I just got to give him a home).

Pro's and cons: housetraining is usually done, there are some brains functioning. Can they learn? You bet!! You do get to see the fully formed personality straight off. With both rehomed and rescued - I have had some suprizes - Quin was scared of men for some strange reason, and Duke was an absolute fruitloop (more like basket case, but I have learnt so much!)- an adorable doofus one, but we are still dealing with the sideeffects of his first home. (there's a reason why dogs should be socialised as pups)

After Duke, I don't mind going thru the teenage years, its just those puppy ones are so much work on top of a long work day. And older dogs means you can start going for walks straight away!

And older dogs bond just as well as pups!

[Bluefairy]

Thanks again,

I have seen some bad mistakes some people make with training their dogs, thinking its oh so cute, and then as the dog becomes an adult, its the one thing the owners no longer see as cute and tend to get rid of the dog instead of untraining a bad behaviour. It breaks my heart to see this, but no amount of trying to talk to people will make them change their ways....and its always the animals that suffer in the end, for the owners silly unthinking mistakes.

I never realised (like I said I have never had an adult before) that having an older dog was like having a teenager (you can talk to) compared to a demanding baby (who wants everything now). It sounds more and more appealing. I am looking forward to it now....I was a little hesitant before.

I am a stay at home mum of 2 girls, one aged 21 and the other 14. Both are eager to help train and walk the dog. My OH works away from home, so this will make me feel safer (Ok most dogs would lick a burglar to death, but the thoughts there ). Plus as I have a heart condition, we can slowly get into the exercise routine. This is why I have picked breeds that like to walk, but are not really active and like to be couch potatoes too (like me). We can do this together.

My Rotti was a pup when I got her, she was terrified of men and was afraid of any noises, soft or loud. It took me nearly a year to get her used to men not beating her (I found out later), and I worked hard to get her used to noises. I even had her sitting at a train station as trains came and went, she never flinched. She was my heart dog. So I know what it means to be gentle and patient with a dog that has issues. So thats fine with me.

Edited to ask: Can you change a dogs name without too many hassles?

Thanks

BF

Edited August 28, 2011 by Bluefairy

[persephone]

I usually pick a name close to the one they already have - that way it's really quick! Blackie >Jackie, Teeny > Minnie for example . Not essential , but ...

If you are keen .. contact the breed rescues on here, maybe> that way most dogs will have been fostered ,and some background info provided for you .

Sounds exciting have fun, take your time choosing, and enjoy the anticipation!

[juice]

I would always go adult over pup, too much gets destroyed and i am over it

I got my 3 year old girl from a breeder, she had had 2 litters, and not done well, so she needed a pet home.

Downside, she was a kennel dog, didn't know how to walk on lead, gets very excited when she meets new dogs, food aggro, and mouthy.( and eats poo. )

However all these i am working on, and don't regret having her at all, but she came from interstate, next time i would prefer to see what i am getting first i think.

Have you considered a grey? sounds like a good match for you.

I also changed her name, didn't like it, and she didn't know it.

Edited August 28, 2011 by juice

[Scarlet]

I did some fostering for about 2 years and I never had trouble giving dogs a new name - most were from the pound so names were unknown. Then some had another name change when they went to their new homes. None of them had any trouble.

A couple weren't house trained but they learnt quite fast - much faster than pups.

Not pulling on the lead was probably the only thing that took a while to learn but most learnt other rules pretty fast.You can teach old dogs new tricks

I'm also over the puppy stage so the only dogs I'll ever have again will be adults but preferably over 4/5 years. Probably ex showing/breeding dogs or from a reputable rescue group - preferably dogs kept in a home.

Currently I have 2 dogs; one from a pup and another was around 2yrs old when he came to live with me-a foster failure. I can honestly say I have no preference and love each as much as the other

[dee lee]

I got my current dog from a breed rescue at 2 & a half.

She has been wonderful and didn't take too long to settle into a completely new life with us.

She came from a home where she was beaten & kept outside with little interaction. Initially she would flinch and flatten herself a lot, fearing a beating, but quickly learnt she was safe.

It was lovely seeing her learn to play too. :D

Sure she has some quirks, but I can't be sure she wouldn't have developed them even if we had her as a pup. (Chasing skywriting? I can't imagine what would cause that!)

Training has been fine, she is very intuitive & follows direction pretty well. Having more maturity helps with that I think.

We changed her name from Morgan to Honey & it took her only a matter of days to adapt.

Honestly, I would adopt an older dog again in a heartbeat!

[Bubitty]

I got bubby at eleven months old and he was the easiest dog to live with. I got him from a fantastic breeder. He was toilet trained, never touched anything that didn't belong to him and is just a joy to live with. He was /is just so easy!

That said I also raised a puppy who is a lot more work than my boy but she is my husband 's dream dog.

Bubby is very much his own person (and very lovely) but has some very specific traits whereas Bitty is hubby 's ultimate dog and everything he wants.

[tdierikx]

I foster pups for rescue... and I can understand your aversion to the toilet training, the chewing, etc... lol!

For me though, the puppy breath kisses make up for it - and I'm a glutton for puppy cuddles. Fostering (un)fortunately caters to my puppy addiction, so I'm pretty set... *grin*

Adopting an older dog comes with exactly the same considerations as adopting a puppy as far as I've experienced... each dog is as individual as you or I, and come with their own set of needs and/or habits...

Changing a dog's name isn't a big deal to the dog (I have found through experience), and all dogs will learn at their own pace, regardless of age. The old dog/new tricks thing is actually a fallacy too - any dog can be taught new things... some may just need a different "focus" to do so - find that, and you are set... *grin*

T.

[Monah]

Adult dogs - when correctly and thoughtfully sourced can be the best thing

If I get another dog .. it will not be a puppy .

With an adult - preferably with some history available ..you know what you're getting - looks, behaviour,health - wise. Yes, there will be training involved, but that depends much on what experience/training the dog has had .My heart dog was obtained at around 2 yrs of age - yes, he had a few problems.. but he was the best and most adaptable of dogs ..and we fitted together perfectly .

This :D I've had a few adult dogs, wonderful experience all round! with each I felt that I was blessed having them, not the other way around. One was a cattle dog, 7 yrs old, and she was the best ever, a nanny to my kids, a truly wonderful girl who we lost to cancer aged 15. she had never been around cats, and we had 4 (still do), so that was about the only hurdle and she came out as very protective of them, but it took me about 10 months to trust her with them on her own..she had never lived indoors but adapted very well to the kid's beds she also taught all our other dogs/pups manners etc. over the years and I miss her dreadfully.

So many 'working' dogs get dumped, awful

[Cleo's Corgwyn]

I got my girl as an ex show dog, when she was 18 months old. I was deliberately looking for a dog with some aptitude and potential for dog sports, and after talking to a few breeders who were retiring dogs, I got Shandy. She came to me not even knowing how to sit reliably on cue, and now has her first obedience title and also has starting competing in Dances With Dogs, just on 3 years later. She wasn't completely toilet trained, but has been such an easy dog that she was perfectly reliable within a few days. I chose a dog that wanted to work, but wasn't too high drive, so she'd cope OK with our 2 cats.

She came with a good knowledge of her established temperament and well socialised with other dogs and people from her show career. My family used to breed dogs, and my parents current dogs are also ex show dogs as well,and its definitely a great way of getting a dog.

My next dog will probably be a pup, in order to get the edge in training early, and I have to admit, aside from the cuteness, I'm kind of dreading the extra work involved!

[Gayle.]

I've added two adult dogs to the family this year.....a 5yo bitch and a 4 yo dog. Best thing ever, they are awesome dogs and so much less work than a puppy!

[Quickasyoucan]

I got my dog as a rescue at around 10 mths to a year (age and origin unknown). He was already toilet trained, was pretty much past the chewing stage (already had adult teeth) and I would definitely do it again. Nearly 8 years later he has been one of the best things in my life.

As I work full time (though I do have a friend that walks my boy during the day and I walk him morning and evening) an adult dog is a better fit for me and I think for them too.

I am not really a puppy person, I prefer to see what I am getting if that makes sense. Sure pups are cute (other people's) but I would rather have an adult dog.

And he is very bonded to me so no probs there. Oh and we didn't know what his name was but he seems pretty happy with the name change and cottoned on very quickly. :D