Dogs Worldwide

If you want to get a dog but do not have the time nor the energy to take care and train a young puppy, consider getting a slightly older puppy. He may not look as cute as a young puppy, but there are several advantages of making this choice, as described below.

An older puppy could be between 8 weeks to 6 months old. Puppies at this age are definitely ready to go to a new home. They have been weaned and are used to eating solid food. They have also started paper training so housebreaking them is easier, if not already accomplished. In addition, if an older puppy has had a happy home with plenty of socialization from the breeder, he is more likely to  be a healthy dog that is not shy or aggressive.

Once you have found an older puppy, the next step is to determine whether he fits into the  type of lifestyle that you have. It would be very unfortunate to get a dog, or any pet, only to have to return it because you aren’t able to take care of him.

Below is a list of factors you have to consider before bringing an older puppy home. Keep in mind however, that older puppies are more cautious of strangers and younger puppies, so give him some time to get used to you and his new living situation.

1. If you have children, have them meet the puppy before bringing the dog home. This is to make sure that the puppy will get along well with your kids. Ask the breeder if the puppy has been introduced to other people.

2. If you have other pets at home, determine if they have a positive connection with the puppy, and vice versa. If there are other animals in his current home, examine how the puppy behaves around them to see how he socializes with the other animals.

3. Ask the previous owner to lift the puppy and then watch what happens. Was he scared or act aggressive while being held?  If so, this is not a good sign of a confident and healthy dog.  Most puppies love to be held.  Some may squirm a little, but will otherwise be okay with it.

4. Startle the puppy by making a sudden loud noise such as clapping your hands are dropping your keys right next to him.  Examine how he reacts to it. Does he run and hide in a corner or does he look like he’s ready to attack?  Both examples are signs of an insecure dog, but if he goes with the attack position then avoid adopting this dog at all costs as he may end up attacking a family member if accidentally surprised.

Tags: adopting a dog, shelter dogs

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 20th, 2010 at 08:00 and is filed under Articles. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.