Advantages of Adopting an Older Dog

In honor of Adopt a Senior Pet Month, we’re going to highlight the many advantages of adding an older dog to your family. One of the questions facing aspiring pet parents is should they adopt a puppy or an older dog. Adopting an adult dog is a wonderful choice for busy families. Some of the advantages of adopting an older dog include:

• The behavior book is already “written.” This refers to the ability to judge an adult dog’s overall temperament and emotional stability, unlike puppies, who are in the process of different developmental stages. Many shelters use personality tests such as the ASPCA’s Meet Your Match program which evaluates a dog’s personality to best match a potential adopter’s lifestyle. Generally, what you see is what you’re getting with an adult dog. 
• Adult dogs that enjoy children and are comfortable with them are worth their weight in gold. Many families want a puppy so that their child and puppy can bond and grow up together, but a great option is to adopt an adult dog that already loves children. The bond can be just a strong with an adult dog. The key is establishing a relationship between your children and your dog that is based on trust and teamwork with reward based training.
• Older dogs have already completed puppyhood and adolescence. You can bypass adolescent puppy developmental stages which include testosterone and energy peaks and secondary chewing phase (around 9 months of age.) It is no coincidence that many adolescent dogs are surrendered at shelters during this period, which require several months of increased management.
• Many adult dogs are already spayed or neutered, have complete vaccination histories, and may be housetrained. These can be great advantages and most adult dog can be left alone for longer periods of time than a puppy. 
• Older dogs are always available. Local shelters can be great resources for finding older dogs year-round in every shape and size. Many times, dogs lose their homes due to a change in their family’s financial situation, family dynamics or domestic issues. 

Some disadvantages of adopting an older dog include having less time with them as part of your family. And, if there are behavioral issues, such as separation anxiety or not being housetrained, these issues can be more challenging to resolve in an adult dog. 

Be realistic and know that no adult dog is perfect. There will be issues to work through. Older dogs have lots of love to give and provide a range of options for those seeking to adopt a dog into their family. 

The Senior Dog Project has a list of rescues that specialize in placing adult dogs.