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What's Better: Adopting a Puppy or A Grown-Up Dog?
Dogs are man's best friends and there are various reasons for this. They are therapeutic in the face of loneliness. A simple wag of your dog’s tail when you come home after a difficult day at work can make your day. Dogs are obviously excellent security too.
All dogs will have more or less the same level of loyalty and affection for their owners. However, before adopting a dog one must consider whether they should adopt a grown-up dog or a puppy and balance the pros and cons.
Puppies demand a lot of labor
Like any other baby, a puppy is extremely loving and dog parents adore them for their little mischief. However, training them might be very laborious. The owner has to make a lot of careful effort to train the puppy such that it knows what should be done and what is forbidden. Every exercise needs to be properly monitored. Properly training your puppy is key to having a well behaved puppy.
A puppy is a little baby. It knows nothing of the world. The owner must undertake efforts to make sure it grows and socializes properly and is comfortable. Even cute, playful puppies while growing up can make a lot of unwanted mess in the house. The owner should consider all of these and remember that his patience will be tested.
Puppies might grow up unpredictably.
Adoption and rescue centers often provide puppies with undesirable circumstances. They might face challenges in both physical and psychological growth because of improper pre- or post-natal care. They might be separated from their mothers before they have developed enough emotionally. Vets might have not attended to them properly. Consequently, they start showing unwanted symptoms of diseases after moving in.
However, this should never discourage one from adopting a pup from a rescue center. All you need to be is extra careful about a pup’s history while choosing. Troubled infancy leads to problematic adulthood in dogs too.
The owner needs to have an open mind. He should know that the puppy might grow up in a way completely alien to his thoughts, especially if it is of mixed breed. However, the owner should own it and love it no matter what. This kind of responsibility must operate.
Grown-up dogs are more emotionally stable.
Puppies grow up very fast but they can attain a certain maturity only when they are at least three years old. So, if you bring home a little grown dog, you might not have to handle unseen trauma or deformities that a puppy generates. Such dogs need little training. However, these dogs might have habits that you dislike. You can do little to change them no matter how much the dog loves you.
Grown-up dogs have got little to change.
A grown-up dog is generally more stubborn and won't transform itself. It will stay all its life with you the way you bring it home. The physical and emotional traits will hardly change. However, shifting to a new home might induce behavioral changes in the dog. With proper love and care, such changes can easily be adjusted.
If the owner doesn’t have enough time to devote, he should definitely adopt a senior dog. First-time dog parents with no experience should definitely adopt senior dogs who are trained to a certain extent.
There is no change in love.
A senior dog who is already trained will love you as much as a puppy who remembers you as the first parent. There should be no concern there. However, the only sad part is, when you bring home a senior dog, you get fewer years to spend with it as they might be susceptible to several degenerative diseases.
Be it a puppy or a dog, you should always consider getting them insured. A pet insurance provides you with financial coverage if your dog is diagnosed with a serious disease. There are several pet insurance policies that quote different premiums based on their services. You should read the policies well to choose the apt one for your pet.
Conclusion
If you are a first-time parent, chart out whether you can spend enough time and labor on your dog and then make a choice. Talk with dog parents, gather information about the growth and development of puppies. It is however advisable to adopt a senior dog if this is the first time unless you are extremely dedicated.
However, what matters most is acceptance. No matter in whatever shape or size or emotional attachment your dog comes in, you should love it exactly the same way it loves you.
