When adopting or acquiring a dog, we can orient our choice towards an adult animal rather than a puppy. The advantages associated with this option are manifold.
Choose to acquire or adopting an adult dog (at least 12 months old) is an important decision . The arrival of a dog who has had a history and whose personality is already built requires a period of adaptation at the start, but the advantages of such a choice are numerous. Let’s see the positive aspects, the drawbacks to be expected and the precautions to be taken to avoid bad experiences.
Learning to know each other
The education received by the dog from its former owner determines its current behavior and its ability to adapt to the life you are about to offer it. The relationship between the dog and you – and possibly the other animals you already have – therefore depend to a great extent on it.
An adaptation time must necessarily be observed at the start. It will allow the dog and his new family to get to know each other . Everyone will gradually get used to the temperament and habits of the other.
Many advantages …
Opting for an adult dog has a number of advantages :
- You save yourself all the education and training work , especially with regard to basic instructions and cleanliness
- You will not have any surprises regarding its breed, nor its final size
- You already know, after having obtained all the information, the character of the dog
- Adults are generally calmer than puppies
- Adopting a dog from an approved shelter guarantees that the animal has received the necessary care and procedures (medical examinations, vaccines, dewormer, etc.)
- You save the puppy’s initial veterinary costs (first vaccinations, identification chip, booklet, specific treatments, etc.)
Some disadvantages to know …
- If the education given by the former master is approximate, it is more difficult to correct the behavioral flaws of the dog in adulthood.
- If you already have other dogs in the house, it is possible that tensions are created between them and the newcomer.
- The adult dog will live less by your side
Adopting in a shelter is saving a life!
Adopting an adult dog from a shelter is also an act of charity . Unfortunately, many shelter dogs that have not found a taker risk being euthanized .
So precious lives are saved when animals are adopted.
Moreover, all the dogs found in adoption centers are not necessarily there for behavioral reasons; adorable and well-behaved animals may have been placed in these structures because their former owners can no longer afford to care for them, have had to move, or have died.
Read also: Choosing a puppy
Some recommendations to avoid unpleasant surprises
- The dog needs time to adapt to your surroundings. It may be difficult for him to familiarize himself with it at first
- Before adopting the adult dog, find out about its past and behavior from its previous owner or from the shelter.
- A dog who has been abused in the past will take more time to trust you . Be patient and loving, he will pay you back a hundredfold!
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