Dog adoptions puppy vs adult dog expereinces (train, bones, adopt)
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My experience in volunteering at a shelter is that age is not a factor in "problem dogs". A lot of the older dogs we get are because someone is moving to a location that does not allow dogs, their owner died or no longer can for them, etc.
Good luck with a puppy! For me, they are nice to visit with, but I could never adopt one. My next one will hopefully be ~ 1-2 years old.
Yeah, puppies are a lot of work (which is why I was originally included to get an older dog--my other two dogs were puppies when I got them and I remember the work). Housebreaking was the hardest.. in a way. One dog only took two weeks to housebreak, the other (used to be feral one) took months (and she'd still have accidents in the house for years to come). But I got this weird sort of worry about older dogs (based on my limited experience with the dogs relatives adopted as I mentioned). Chances are I will still go for that older dog in the end, but I think I will at least open myself up to the idea of a puppy again.... maybe. I think it just depends on when I am ready to adopt what kinds of dogs (or puppies) are available as to what kind of dog I will adopt.
We've done both, and by far the easiest was adopting adult dogs. The one we got as a puppy was exhausting while we got him trained and adjusted to life in our house. The adult dogs just kind of climbed up on the sofa and gave us a look that said, "This will be my spot, okay?"
We adopted one that we thought was five but once we got him home we realized he was closer to 8-9 years old. Definitely aging. But he's super-chill and we love him.
We adopted another that was 1-2 years old, and he's definitely more high maintenance and less chill. I love him too.
We've said going forward that if we adopt cats, we'll go for kittens. If we adopt dogs, we'll go for adults.
Sometimes when you are at a shelter you just click with a certain dog and it may not even be the type you were really looking for. There is just something about it and an inner voice tells you this is the one.
When I got Maddie I was going just to look and see what types of dogs were showing up in shelters. I was visiting my parents and the shelter down where they lived was bigger then the local shelter. I saw several mutts that I thought would be what I would want but then decided to walk down "death row" Back then the dogs left in that row were put to sleep at days end ( 1986).
All the dogs were barking and reaching paws out at me like they knew this was it there were some I stopped and thought too bad I am not getting a dog today. Then I arrived at a run that contained a very matted and dirty dog huddled in the back. It said she was a 4 year old Cocker spaniel as I looked down she same over wagged her stump of a tail at me sat down and focused those very sad Cocker eyes on me and in an instant I knew she was my dog.
I called my mom and asked if they would consider dog sitting a dog for 3 weeks ( as I was moving to a new place and my landlord had OK'ed that I get a dog as long as it was not a large one). My parents loved animals so they said sure so I adopted the dog.
As we got in my car she leaned into my face and gave me a lick it was one of the few she ever gave and it felt like a thank you. I got her to my parents house washed her and got her combed out and she was actually a beautiful blonde and white English cocker.
I spent that weekend with her then went home and my mom said she would sleep in the bedroom I had slept in and spend hours parked at the front door looking out the screen like where did she go and when is she coming back?
My mom and brother came up to help me move and brought the dog and when she saw me she just exploded with joy. While home was a new strange place for both of us she acted like she had been with me forever.
When I got Chaos I was dead set on getting a young puppy and had turned down an adorable 10 week old blue eyed red merle aussie for that very reason. Then someone on face book sent me a photo of a puppy in a high kill Texas shelter ( I am in Calif.) and I knew right then when I looked at that photo that was my dog and the no puppy rule flew right out the window. After living with her 4 yrs I have to say that little voice was right she is my dog.
There just seems to be something about certain dogs that you know upon sight they are the right one for you.
Sometimes when you are at a shelter you just click with a certain dog and it may not even be the type you were really looking for. There is just something about it and an inner voice tells you this is the one.
When I got Maddie I was going just to look and see what types of dogs were showing up in shelters. I was visiting my parents and the shelter down where they lived was bigger then the local shelter. I saw several mutts that I thought would be what I would want but then decided to walk down "death row" Back then the dogs left in that row were put to sleep at days end ( 1986).
All the dogs were barking and reaching paws out at me like they knew this was it there were some I stopped and thought too bad I am not getting a dog today. Then I arrived at a run that contained a very matted and dirty dog huddled in the back. It said she was a 4 year old Cocker spaniel as I looked down she same over wagged her stump of a tail at me sat down and focused those very sad Cocker eyes on me and in an instant I knew she was my dog.
I called my mom and asked if they would consider dog sitting a dog for 3 weeks ( as I was moving to a new place and my landlord had OK'ed that I get a dog as long as it was not a large one). My parents loved animals so they said sure so I adopted the dog.
As we got in my car she leaned into my face and gave me a lick it was one of the few she ever gave and it felt like a thank you. I got her to my parents house washed her and got her combed out and she was actually a beautiful blonde and white English cocker.
I spent that weekend with her then went home and my mom said she would sleep in the bedroom I had slept in and spend hours parked at the front door looking out the screen like where did she go and when is she coming back?
My mom and brother came up to help me move and brought the dog and when she saw me she just exploded with joy. While home was a new strange place for both of us she acted like she had been with me forever.
When I got Chaos I was dead set on getting a young puppy and had turned down an adorable 10 week old blue eyed red merle aussie for that very reason. Then someone on face book sent me a photo of a puppy in a high kill Texas shelter ( I am in Calif.) and I knew right then when I looked at that photo that was my dog and the no puppy rule flew right out the window. After living with her 4 yrs I have to say that little voice was right she is my dog.
There just seems to be something about certain dogs that you know upon sight they are the right one for you.
We adopted a 12 week old puppy that had been a stray from Animal Control in Dothan, AL. I had seen her on Petfinder, she was a chow mix. I had been trying to adopt an adult through the local humane society but they were taking too long and were determined they would choose the dog for me rather me choose for me. Rinnie is now 10 years old. She has been a great dog.
Four years ago I started looking for another dog and I really didn't want a puppy because we are both older now and hopping up and down, chasing, searching, is not something that we wanted. We went a few times to a humane society but they tried to get us to take dogs that I did not want and discouraged me from taking ones that I thought I wanted. It became overwhelming.
I decided to try Animal Control. The dogs in our smaller city were very limited so we crossed the border into MO. We went about one dog, but she was sort of shy so we weren't sure. During this time, we got to do a lot of talking and looking with the Animal Control Officer. She clued us in that when a dog was really good that she tried to hold them back rather than let them "expire" quickly.
I saw a dog on Petfinder and Facebook at this facility. I had always felt that a lab was just not a dog that would work for me. So, there is a yellow lab and she has been there for about 10 weeks, well past the few days. We called to make sure she was still there and drove to see her. This girl wanted a home. We petted her and then all sat down. She came and laid in the area like she was at home. A lab though. I like really furry dogs.
They said she was the standard "a couple years old". I could tell by her eyes that she was much older which didn't really matter.
We decided that we would think about it overnight and if interested, we would return to get her the next day. We didn't want a "hold" put on her though. The next day, we went back and got her. That was 2 females but that has always worked for me. Dogs are about the same age and size and it has worked.
This yellow lab turned out to be housebroken, crate-trained and leash trained. We have had her over 3 years.
I prefer Animal Control, a clean facility but doesn't need to be fancy. Get to know the personnel there and let them know the kind of dog you are interested in. It can be hard going to Animal Control BUT I just kept telling myself, I could save at least one.
My Ryder is an adopted dog, picked up as a stray in Georgia before being pulled by a breed-specific (Siberian Husky) rescue. I adopted him in March 2014, at which time they estimated that he was between 2 and 3 years old, and my vet thought he was closer to 2 than 3. The rescue matched him with me after they reviewed my application. It was a good match.
I specifically wanted an adult dog and was happy to not have to go through the puppy training, which can be exhausting and frustrating, and which I wasn't sure I'd be able to handle with my work schedule. Nevertheless, Ryder came with his own share of issues, notably that he is stressed by confinement in a crate and he had some separation anxiety/isolation distress. We also had a lot of housebreaking accidents when I first got him, though he seems to have grown out of that. Despite all of that, he has never been even the slightest bit destructive. He's a good roommate and companion, with an innate sense of when to be quiet and calm and when to be playful and energetic.
Ryder is the second dog that has belonged to me alone, and my first adopted dog. (My previous dog, Bandit, came from a litter of pups that my brother's dogs had.) I do think that there was some wariness on my side when I first adopted him. He's a sweet dog, but there were moments when I could see his own self-protective wariness, that uncertainty about whether he could or should trust me. He was watchful and careful. But we overcame that with time, as he learned that his new mommy doesn't hit or yell or boss around, and that his new home was a safe place to be.
I agree with another poster who said puppies are nice to visit. They are adorable and so appealing, but I personally don't want to deal with a puppy. I'll take the adult dogs -- and honestly, I think the next dog I adopt will be a senior.
I adopted a ~4 y/o who was used as a breeder in a puppy mill environment...she was a challenge to housetrain and had some dog aggression for the first few months, but she was completely worth the effort and patience...I felt a special bond with her because of what we went through together.
The ~2 y/o that I adopted was housetrained from the first day I got her and had no behavior issues at all...she has been a breeze. She was malnourished and had worms when I got her, but those were easy, inexpensive fixes.
About two years ago, we rescued an 11 week old puppy. She did all of the usual puppy stuff before growing out of it (chewed everything in sight, chewed on me, had entirely too much energy...). For some reason, she was very difficult to housetrain and is working on some mild resource guarding issues.
Last year, we adopted an 8 month old who was still doing some puppy chewing, but was already perfectly housetrained. She was underweight and apparently been isolated in a cage, so she had not been socialized much, was timid, physically weak and uncoordinated. With a good diet, regular exercise, the other dogs modeling behavior for her, and just getting her out in the world...those were easy fixes. I noticed the first week that I had her, she would run and hide whenever I picked up anything long (like a shovel, broom, yardstick, etc)...so I made sure to be aware of how I was holding the item (I would hold it down in the least threatening manner possible) and wouldn't even look at her or go near her at first. Later, I would toss treats her way when I would pick something up, and eventually give her treats when she didn't run away...she is over it now.
Anyway, all of my rescues have been very loving and have bonded wonderfully with me and the rest of the family. They were all easily trained in basic obedience and none have had preexisting "issues" that we couldn't resolve fairly quickly and easily.
To sum it up, I wouldn't hesitate to adopt a homeless dog who has a few years on them. Just based on my experiences, all of the dogs needed a little work at first (regardless of age), but every single one of them became equally wonderful, loving, social, happy, well-adjusted members of the family.
To sum it up, I wouldn't hesitate to adopt a homeless dog who has a few years on them. Just based on my experiences, all of the dogs needed a little work at first (regardless of age), but every single one of them became equally wonderful, loving, social, happy, well-adjusted members of the family.
This is a really good point. I never really thought of it that way. Thanks!
We have a senior rescue mini Daschund and the dog has always been neurotic. She's my wife's dog. She still poops and pees in the house occasionally, even though we have a doggie door she always has access to, and has her whole adult life. She barks for half an hour after someone knocks on the door, and whenever it rains, she hides under the bed and scratches the carpet for hours. In her defense about that, however, many old dogs have anxiety about storms, and I think that's the problem there. We can't crate her either, because that makes her anxious. So my big dogs are always the ones who have to be crated when we leave the house.
The main thing I don't like about the dog is that she entirely food motivated. I have done many things to try to be affectionate with the dog and get her to be a little loving towards me, but she only comes from her bed when I go into the pantry or eat something and she thinks she can get some type of food, so I feel like she's a canine version of a mooch. She stands in the kitchen or by my office waiting for me to feed her up to two hours before mealtime, and when I go into the kitchen to actually get the food, she barks nonstop until I feed her. She isn't malnourished in any way, just only into food. She also had some food aggression issues toward my two Great Danes when we first moved in, but fortunately, since they weigh more than 20 times more than she, she wasn't able to hurt them when she snapped, and I nipped that problem in the bud right away by feeding her last. She was really peeved at being the Omega dog on the feeding pecking order, but I think the food aggression issue would have gotten worse had I not addressed it right away.
It's very hard for me to love such a dog (in fact, it's impossible), when my Great Danes are so opposite; velcro dogs who want endless love and kisses just because they love being around people. I've never gotten a rescue myself, and have convinced my wife that we shouldn't get one in the future. We might get a shelter dog, but I think rescues sometimes deceive people about a dog's history, and shelters tend to have dogs that are healthier and also keep them on a shorter term.
The main thing I don't like about the dog is that she entirely food motivated. I have done many things to try to be affectionate with the dog and get her to be a little loving towards me, but she only comes from her bed when I go into the pantry or eat something and she thinks she can get some type of food, so I feel like she's a canine version of a mooch. She stands in the kitchen or by my office waiting for me to feed her up to two hours before mealtime, and when I go into the kitchen to actually get the food, she barks nonstop until I feed her. She isn't malnourished in any way, just only into food. She also had some food aggression issues toward my two Great Danes when we first moved in, but fortunately, since they weigh more than 20 times more than she, she wasn't able to hurt them when she snapped, and I nipped that problem in the bud right away by feeding her last. She was really peeved at being the Omega dog on the feeding pecking order, but I think the food aggression issue would have gotten worse had I not addressed it right away.
It's very hard for me to love such a dog (in fact, it's impossible), when my Great Danes are so opposite; velcro dogs who want endless love and kisses just because they love being around people. I've never gotten a rescue myself, and have convinced my wife that we shouldn't get one in the future. We might get a shelter dog, but I think rescues sometimes deceive people about a dog's history, and shelters tend to have dogs that are healthier and also keep them on a shorter term.
She may not like you because you don't like her. I'm sure she senses that the Danes are your favorite.
Dachshunds are a pretty food motivated breed as a whole and it's been my experience that, regardless of the breed, the older a dog gets the more food motivated it becomes. In addition, since she was a rescue, she may have not had access to regular meals and that could be the reason she's anxious about her food. My cat was a stray who was eating insects to survive when I found him and he was very food motivated for his entire life.
Not all dogs are velcro dogs (including those you raise from a puppy), some are just more independent than others.
Shelters "keep" dogs for shorter term because once the shelter is full, they euthanize the dogs that have been there the longest. If a dog is sick or injured once it's hold period is up a shelter will usually euthanize it and not put out for adoption. The public will never see it.
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I like really furry dogs.
