There is a lot of information out there about adding a new puppy to your family. There is not as much info about reasons to adopt an adult dog.
This post is about adopting an adult canine and suggestions for adding that second canine to your home.
Adopting an adult canine brings extra challenges, especially when you already have other pets. It can be simpler OR much more challenging than adding a puppy, depending on numerous factors.
IN THIS post (click below to jump ahead):
10 reasons to adopt an adult dog
Tips for introducing your second canine to your current dog
Our current weim, Remy
Adopting a second weimaraner
I originally wrote this post because we had planned to adopt a second weimaraner. We tried to adopt Remy’s 2-year-old sister.
However, we chose not to adopt this particular canine because of her intense prey drive around my cat. So yes, there are challenges to adopting an adult canine in addition to the benefits I review next.
Now, here are my 10 reasons to adopt an adult canine in general vs. getting a puppy. Next, I’ll share several ideas for adding a second canine to your home.
10 reasons to adopt an adult dog
There are also benefits to purchasing or adopting a puppy, of course. They are somewhat of a “clean slate” there for you to mold (for better or worse).
But there are also some real benefits of getting an adult dog.
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1. You can start exercising an adult canine best away.
For me, this is one of the top reasons to adopt an adult dog! While I do take little puppies for walks best away, I don’t start running with puppies until they are at least 6 months old. and even then it is a slow, short “jaunt” for a few months. I give them time for their joints to develop.
See my post: how far can I walk my puppy?
With a mature adult, you can ease into a running routine best away. building up gradually, of course, depending on what the canine is used to.
I recommend you try a couple of 2-3 mile runs to see how your new canine does and then slowly build up the miles. even if the canine is active, she might not be used to running on a leash.
2. adult dogs are fully vaccinated (usually).
Puppies typically need additional booster shots, and until then you have to be somewhat mindful of where you take them and who they socialize with.
Adult dogs, on the other hand, have likely had their shots or you can have them done best away. You shouldn’t have to worry about your adult canine picking up diseases like parvo or distemper.
See my post: Can you walk a puppy before it has its shots?
3. They have the attention span for training.
Adult dogs can focus for much more than 30 seconds! Haha.
4. size and personality are clear.
You know what you’re getting into. Although, it can take up to a month or so for an adult dog’s true personality to shine in their new home. The first few days, they might be overly thrilled and stressed or a bit shut down or scared.
If the canine lived in a foster home or with their previous owner before concerning you, they ought to be able to tell you a lot about the dog’s personality, behavior, energy and “quirks.”
For example, I knew that Raven (the canine we had hoped to adopt) would chew up blankets and she loved the water and playing fetch. I also knew that she had an easygoing personality and had done well with other large dogs, both males and females.
5. many adult dogs are already potty trained.
Not the case with Raven, as she has lived as an outdoor dog. However, I think it will be simpler to potty train her compared to a puppy. because she is an adult, she can hold it longer and won’t have to go every 30 minutes. and she already has the practice of going potty outside because that’s what she’s used to doing.
See: how to potty train an adult dog
6. might have had some basic obedience training.
One of the reasons to adopt an adult canine is some dogs have had at least some basic training such as “sit” or “come.”
They may also be crate trained or potty trained and they likely have experience walking on a leash. They’ve likely had some life experiences like riding in a automobile and going to the vet so not everything is brand new to them.
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7. adult dogs are past the chewing, biting and teething stage.
Young adult dogs might still want to chew on shoes and furniture, etc. However, they ought to be past the crazy teething stage as well asthe puppy mouthing/biting stage.
You’ll still need to supervise your adult canine and help them learn the rules, but they won’t be quite as crazy as a 12-week-old puppy!
8. The canine might already be spayed or neutered.
This could be a pro or a con, depending on your situation. but for many of us in the united states anyway, it’s a positive thing if the canine is already spayed or neutered.
That way you don’t have to worry about marking (as much), surgery cost, recovery time or females going into heat.
There are also pros if the canine has not been spayed or neutered yet. For example, many research says it’s best to wait to have a canine (male or female) spayed or neutered until they are fully developed.
See my posts:
Pros and cons of spaying and neutering.
Do shelters neuter puppies too young? (yes!)
9. You could save a dog’s life.
One of the best reasons to adopt an adult canine is you might be saving a dog’s life. You’re also opening up a place at the shelter or rescue group for another canine in need.
10. adult dogs have less energy than puppies!
One of the best reasons to adopt an adult canine and save yourself some sanity!
Cons to adopting an adult dog
While this post is focused on the reasons to adopt an adult dog, I do want to mention a few of the “cons.” In some ways, getting a puppy is easier. Here’s what I mean:
Bad practices may already be developed. Behaviors such as barking, digging, counter surfing, pulling on the leash.
Adult dogs may be nervous of things they haven’t been exposed to such as automobile rides, bikers, new people, children or other dogs
You don’t get to experience that cute puppy stage! (OK with me! haha!)
The canine may not have been correctly socialized to other dogs, cats, children, men, etc. (In our case, we did not adopt Raven after all due to her major aggression around cats. No fault of her own, it’s just what it is.)
OK, now I’m going to share some suggestions on introducing your adult canine to your home if you already have pets.
10 suggestions for adding a second canine to your home
These are the 10 things I do whenever we add a new canine to our house. I’ve fostered a lot of dogs, implying we temporarily offer a shelter canine a home while he waits to get adopted.
These safety precautions have always helped when we have a new canine around our own dog.
I also followed these suggestions when I tried to adopt a second canine last winter. sadly she did not do well with our cat, but following these suggestions helped me learn much more about her while keeping all of the animals safe.
1. adjust our routine before we bring home the new dog.
My current canine Remy and cat Scout are sensitive to change. So I moved the crates where I wanted them ahead of time. I adjusted the feeding and walk routines too. This make the adjustment of having a new canine simpler for all of us.
2. head out for a long, long walk with both dogs.
I’m sure this won’t surprise any of you. I took my canine Remy and potential new canine Raven on a long walk together practically right away as their introduction to each other. (One of the reasons to adopt an adult canine – you can opt for long walks best away!)
A long walk helped Raven get to know her surroundings and get familiar with us. and visa versa.
It’s not a good idea to allow any nose-to-nose sniffing best away. Instead, head out for a “pack walk.”
Ideally, one adult or older child handles one canine and someone else walks the second dog. start out with some space between the dogs and keep moving forward. If all goes well, allow the dogs to sniff each other after a few minutes.
Raven on her walk
A walk helps a canine decompress from the tension of travel or shelter life and will burn some energy!
Read about how to introduce two dogs here.
3. continued daily exercise.
I offered structured walks and runs every single day for both dogs. exercise is my top “training” tip! I was lucky I was able to deal with both dogs together on my own practically best away. That may not be the case for you. walking the dogs together helps them bond as a “pack” and saves some time. However, it’s not always possible to walk two dogs together.
Here are some much more suggestions for slowly introducing dogs that will live together.
4. Crates and gates – much more crates than dogs.
I’m a substantial advocate for crate training and because Raven was already used to sleeping in a wire crate, that helped us tremendously. I received two extra crates from Carlson Pet products so we had a total of three wire crates for two dogs!
I know not everyone has the space orthe money for extra crates, but I set up two crates downstairs for at night or when I was not able to supervise.
The third crate was upstairs in our kitchen/living room area where we spend the most time if we’re not working.
That way I had a place to put one canine when I needed to separate them or give them breaks from each other. but the crate allowed them to still be near us.
5. avoid fights between dogs.
The dogs had separate feeding areas, in their crates.
We did not have numerous toys out. I believe toys make weimaraners extra nutty and I don’t encourage thrilled playing in the house. They each received their own items to chew on like Kongs and bully sticks, but they were separated at first to avoid fights.
Dogs can fight over practically anything of value – the water dish, a canine bed, the area around a person, a doorway – so supervise closely.
Expect a few minor fights to happen. but you can avoid many issues.
6. Feed your new canine in her crate or behind a gate.
Some dogs might be too stressed to eat best away in their new environment.
After a walk with Raven on her first day with us, I briefly showed her around the house. then I introduced her to her spot in her crate.
I gave her some food there and a Kong with peanut butter as well as some easy bedding – a sheet and a towel. then I let her have some quiet time to decompress for at least 45 minutes.
Remy went in his crate, too. We use fold-up wire crates from our sponsor Carlson Pet Products. I set up the two crates in the same room because both dogs seemed to like that.
I believe calm downtime is essential for everyone the first few days to reduce tension and excitement. For the people and for the cat in the house, too!
7. consistent routine.
I do better with a routine and so does every animal I’ve ever lived with.
We get up around the same time every day, the animals are fed at the same times, we head out for our walks around the same times every day.
The dogs learn to work out in midday when I do my many essential work. I offer them with daily exercise, training and things to chew. In return, I expect them to allow me time to work uninterrupted. Crates and Kongs help with this if needed!
Two derps
I’m lucky I can work from home or from my office which is only two blocks away. I worked mostly from home when Raven was adjusting to our routine.
Yet, I also wanted to leave for short periods best away so she could get used to that as well. I did have a Nest video camera set up so I could check in on how she was doing in her crate when I was not home.
8. begin basic obedience training.
For some dogs, it is a lot to simply work on reinforcing their name, the new routine and potty training.
Raven had not had much for leash training or obedience and nothing for house rules. So we dealt with the basics, which was a lot for her to take in.
I didn’t work on much much more than “sit,” “down” and “stay.” even walking on a leash in a neighborhood was new to her. We took things slowly.
9. use training collars for safety on walks.
You ought to have some sort of training collar or harness ready to make walking your new canine as easy as possible.
Perhaps a martingale collar, a no-pull harness would work well for your dog. gentle Leaders also work for some dogs, but I don’t recommend one for the first walk.
Gentle Leaders fit over the dog’s muzzle, and they’re hard for dogs to get used to. You want your first walk to be fun and tension free.
SAFETY TIP: Be extra careful that your gear fits your new canine correctly as the last thing you want is for her to slip out and bolt in her new surroundings.
For example, prong collars can break a part, dogs can slip out of or back out of collars that fit too loose and some dogs can twist out of harnesses.
You may want to have your leash clipped to both a harness and a collar for safety. place the gear a little tighter than you typically would and make sure your dogs have ID ta
