| DvlshAngel985 | 12-15-2010 11:06 PM | Well, if you're trying to decide on whether to get a pup or young adult, consider your living situation, how much time you will honestly put into training, and what are your expectations of this new family member. Do you have something specific in mind? (a specific temperament, color, coat texture, size, etc)
If you want something specific, then go with an older dog (10+ months) because you will have a better idea of what a pup will be like. If you have no time to go through teething, watching out for hypoglycemia, and starting training from scratch, then adopting an older pup would be better. As far as bonding "better" when younger, well... in my humble opinion, I think that's bogus. My dog is my first dog, and he and I could not be closer and more bonded if we tried. Seriously, the next step would be for him and I to melt together and be one entity. He was a year old and past the puppy stage. He was really easy to adapt to "college" living and did well in the environment I provided for him. A puppy would have been cute/fun, but the reality is that I probably would have been overwhelmed. My inexperience as a dog owner would have hindered me greatly.
In other words, what my long winded post is trying to say is there are a lot of factors that come into play when choosing the right age. As far as neutering goes, I would personally never do it earlier than 8 months. (that is if you want me to generalize) |