Advice on adopting a puppy

I've desperately wanted a puppy my whole life. Every Christmas, every birthday... well, you know the deal. Now I am finally old enough to make these kinds of decisions for myself but I need guidance.

I am 22. I am in my fourth year of undergrad but I still have one more year. I plan on staying in my current town to get my master's before I apply to my in-state vet school, which is 600 miles away. I only work part-time, and lucky for me it's at a vet hospital. So I am actually home a lot, and will be for a good part of the summer. My SO and I have a small backyard with a REALLY tall fence. There are 3 parks/open fields within a 3/4 mile radius of our house. I understand the responsibility, time and money that goes into adopting a dog. I'm ready to commit. SO says he will support me no matter what I decide.

I think I've got most of it right, but I'm still torn inside. The biggest obstacle is that I will have to leave the state for 6 weeks at the end of the summer and I'm staying with family. The puppy that I'm looking to adopt is currently 4 months old, and at 6 months I just don't feel right about leaving it (my SO works full time). No possibility of taking it with me.

I have and will continue to consider rescuing/adopting an adult dog. I've just always relished the idea of investing every thing I have into raising, training and bonding with a puppy. But when is the best time to do this??? I don't want to wait until I am working full time... I'm at home so much more often while I'm a student. And, of course, the beginning of the summer seems to be a great time since I won't be in school!


I'm trying to make a well-informed, responsible decision. All the same, I've never wanted anything so badly in my life... seriously.

Thanks for any non-condescending advice. Wouldn't mind hearing your experiences with adopting either.

I have gotten adult dogs and puppies and I think one of the big misconceptions people have is that they will be closer with a dog because they raised it since it was a puppy. This is just really not true. In fact it is often just the opposite.

Puppies are cute and adorable, no question, but you are not the center of their existence, and they are a lot of work, and sometimes trouble.

When you adopt an older dog you can still train it. A lot of the best trained dogs are just rescued from shelters. The dogs will definitely appreciate you, and you will quickly become the center of their lives. And I really think when you rescue a dog that has had a tough life, they bond even stronger with you. Kind of like they know how lucky they are (anthropomorphizing to make a point).

My next dog will definitely be an adult. I like young adults 1-2 years old. Still lots of life but over the puppy stage.

And I just don't feel good about leaving puppies alone and not giving them the socialization and training that is good for them. Some people get lucky and their dogs turn out okay even though they aren't getting much attention, but often that is not the case.

Anyway that is my opinion. I know lots of people get all weak-kneed over puppies...admittedly it is.sometimes hard to look past that feeling.

I adopted a 5 to 6 year old beagle male. He was skin and bones, a total nervous wreck and not house trained and was scared of ceiling fans, lol. We got him a crate, put him on a potty schedule with lots of positive reinforcement, a feeding schedule and taught him to walk on a leash. He is the best (meaning the most well behaved) dog I ever had. I will always adopt older dogs now. It's true, they really "appreciate" a good home. My sis just got a puppy and WOW, I forgot how much trouble they are, haha!

I think "putting everything into raising a puppy" and "leaving for 6 weeks, 6 weeks after I get the puppy" don't really fit. If you're set on a puppy you should wait until you're not going to be leaving it for a long time during a crucial stage of development and training.

I will second/third/fourth the opinion that the bond with a rescued animal is really special.

I also want to throw out the wonderful option of fostering if you want to get your puppy/dog fix but don't feel ready for a long term commitment.

Originally Posted by pigsatuga

I adopted a 5 to 6 year old beagle male. He was skin and bones, a total nervous wreck and not house trained and was scared of ceiling fans, lol. We got him a crate, put him on a potty schedule with lots of positive reinforcement, a feeding schedule and taught him to walk on a leash. He is the best (meaning the most well behaved) dog I ever had. I will always adopt older dogs now. It's true, they really "appreciate" a good home. My sis just got a puppy and WOW, I forgot how much trouble they are, haha!

We adopted a 3-5 year old (they're not sure how old) beagle male and a 3-year-old female chihuahua. All but two of our (lots) of dogs were shelter dogs and they're all amazing.

Yeah, my poor beagle-boy is such a chicken..scared of balloons (just floating around ones), cardboard boxes, loud noises, odd objects, new people...and we've had him for three years. He's fine with approaching people but gets scared when they try to grab him. He's definitely a sweetheart and I love him, but he can be a chicken.

Shelter dogs are awesome dogs. Puppies (admittedly) are too much work for my family (four of us, two work full time and go to school full time and the others go to school full time but don't want to care for the dog). Just be aware that they may need just as much training as puppies - my beagle had been in the shelter for over a month and had forgotten how to be housetrained and the chihuahua was so scared of everyone for a while that she'd get overstimulated and potty in the house. Took about a month for everyone to straighten out.

Love mah doggies, though.

Is it possible to get the puppy you want and just skip whatever the 6-week thing is that you have going on this summer?

You're right in thinking that a 6 month old puppy shouldn't be left alone all day when your husband is working and you are away. Some people do it and their animals survive, but it's obviously not ideal. Plus, a 6 month old puppy shouldn't be holding his bladder all day.

I think getting a puppy is kind of like having a baby. There's never a perfect time.

That's what I'll be doing once I'm done raising the first guide dog: getting foster dogs. I'm so excited to start that.