This is one of the most import questions you must ask yourself. Puppies are the cutest things on the planet, but they are an immense amount of work. Honestly, I think I would take time off work if I were adopting a puppy. You have to let them out every couple of hours, even in the middle of the night, clean up messes, puppy proof your home and commit time to train and socialize your pup. That’s if all goes right!
An adult dog on the other hand has already learned many of the skills you like and with an adult dog you can get a better sense of the dog’s temperament and if it’s a good fit for your family and home. Adult dogs are often last to be adopted too, so consider giving these older dogs a second chance. Here’s a nice article that will help you consider all the factors to consider when deciding between a puppy and an adult.
If you decide to go the puppy route, keep this in mind; puppies have a critical learning and socialization period between 8 – 12 weeks, some say 8 – 16 weeks. This is the time in a dog’s life where it’s curiosity outweighs it’s fear. It’s a very small window of time. Missing this window will almost certainly cause problems for you down the road. Unfortunately, 90% of my clients call me when the window is closed because of problem behaviors they’re fed up with. Yes, you can still train your dog after 16 weeks, but it might be a slog instead of a breeze.
