What’s Better? Puppies vs. Adult Dogs: A Dog Trainer’s Perspective

By | April 2, 2023

Let’s talk about the pros and cons of training puppies and older dogs, while considering their energy levels. Whether you’re planning to adopt a new dog or just want to learn more about dog training, this video will help you make an informed decision.

We’ll cover early socialization, bonding experiences, and the benefits of training puppies, as well as the challenges they pose. On the other hand, we’ll explore the advantages and disadvantages of training older dogs, including their established training habits and potential health issues.

As a professional dog trainer, I’ll share some personal anecdotes and experiences with both puppies and older dogs, touching upon topics like housebreaking, managing high energy levels, and customizing training approaches.

If you’re interested in modern, force-free dog training techniques, make sure to like, follow, and engage with this video to dive deeper into the world of dog training!!

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CHAPTERS
0:00 intro
0:42 let’s say you’re getting a new dog
1:07 PROS of young puppies
3:08 CONS of young puppies
5:05 PROS of adult dogs
6:45 CONS of older dogs
8:51 dog training advice for all ages


Hypothetically let's just pretend that You are going to get a dog in the next Few weeks if you had a choice would you Get a 10 week old puppy or would you get A dog that was out of the puppy stage if You're thinking about getting a dog or You know somebody who is make sure they See this video click Thumbs Up And Subscribe Why would I do a double thumbs up Doesn't make sense my name is Zach George I'm a dog trainer I train dogs Without the intentional use of aversives Recently I made a video talking about How I think a lot of people give too Much consideration to a dog's breed and Not enough consideration to the Individual dog and I discussed a lot of The issues surrounding that reading the Comments I saw people wanted to know the Difference between getting a young dog Like a young puppy versus an adult dog Hypothetically let's just pretend that You are going to get a dog in the next Few weeks if you had a choice would you Get a 10 week old puppy or would you get A dog that was out of the puppy stage Like one year or older we'll say though Plenty of one-year-olds are still Puppies at what age does a dog go from Being a puppy to being a dog nine months To two years is the short answer sexual Maturity is what defines an adult dog Okay this is the fun part let's talk

About all of the pros with a brand new Puppy do you guys think of something That I haven't and you will please put Them in the comments below with these Young dogs you have the advantage of Being there for their critical Socialization period which is roughly Four months and younger with puppies Like this ideally you want to give them Broad exposure to a variety of Age-appropriate experiences did you know That and there's that unique opportunity To build a really strong bond right from The beginning when I get a brand new Puppy one of my favorite bonding Experiences is playing tug of war with Them for the first time and teaching Them how to play with me and one could Make the case that you have more control Over shaping the behaviors that you want To see repeated as well as preventing Undesirable behavior for example if You're the type of person to puppy proof Your house there's a good chance your Dog is not going to get in the habit of Destructive chewing because you'll phase In those chewable items to your dog over Time another Advantage too that kind of Takes others into consideration would be Imagine a family member who is a little Nervous of bigger dogs for example you Get a puppy Rottweiler and they get to Know the dog from a puppy and as they Get to know the dog before you know the

Dog is this big and no one's scared of The dog and typically we're not going to See concerning aggressive behavior in Young puppies we don't typically see That until adolescence which might be Between 6 and 18 months of age maybe two Years of age so from that perspective it Can make introductions easier with Existing pets if you have a really Specific need maybe a working dog or a Competition dog of some kind and you're Trying to maximize their career lifespan A younger dog might be more ideal and Some people might say that puppies have A greater ability to adapt to their Environments and that's probably because They have no comparison so you're in a Position to really establish their Routine and even though puppies do have A lot of energy if you know how to Harness that energy and direct it into Productive activities that give them That safe natural Outlet to experiment And interact with the world that might Be a little bit easier to do with a Puppy or it might not as we'll get into In a second let's talk about some of the Downsides as I see it when it comes to Getting a young puppy there are some big Ones that should give people pause about Adopting a a young dog particularly if You are not prepared for a major project Little bitty puppies who are brand new To the world know absolutely nothing

They don't know anything they're smart They just don't know anything do you Know what that means that means you are The one that if you want this done and And efficient manner you have to very Proactively show this puppy how you want Them to behave in virtually every aspect Of their life think about it though they Don't know what stairs are they don't Know a food bowl in a water bowl are Supposed to keep their contents inside Of them they don't know about sleep Schedules we have to be really proactive About taking them outside very Frequently if we hope to house train Them efficiently and we have to do it in A way that is enjoyable and pleasant for The dog and for you it's a project if You're coming at this in good faith and You really want to do the best you can With this dog then understand it takes Significant effort and you have a duty To socialize your dog to the world They'll be living in over their next Lifetime and then there's that raw puppy Energy which as we discussed before can Be harnessed into productive activities But then there are many people out there Who don't really want to take on all of This Untamed puppy energy and it's Important to be honest with yourself do You think you can handle that because it Takes a minute to build some initial Communication with them let me just say

This wait the first year of life is Greatly underestimated in terms of Effort required from you by a solid Portion of the population I'm getting Exhausted thinking about this for those Of you who are knee-deep in raising a Puppy right now in that first year tell Me on a scale of one to ten how Overwhelmed you are with 10 being Extremely overwhelmed now let's talk About some of the advantages of training Older dogs which I guess is we're Defining it 10 months and older we could Literally be talking about a dog that's 10 months 2 years or 10 years old There's a really good chance that a lot Of these dogs have had some at least Very basic training like Sit Stay for Your food things like that and they've Likely experienced a lot more Socialization which just means exposure To varied experiences older dogs are Going to be more mature and this might Mean that they behave a bit calmer I Said might but they might not and Sometimes with a more mature dog that Can make training easier even dogs that Spend significant time in foster care And shelters have figured out a lot About human culture and how to coexist With us people who work in the shelter And rescue Community are some of the Most dedicated people I know they're Always trying to squeeze in a little bit

Of training here and there so that is Often a benefit with getting a rescue Dog you could also say that they might Be less distractible during training Because puppies have literally seen very Little so every little thing is going to Distract them whereas even with a not so Trained older dog they've still seen Things like butterflies and birds and May not become as distracted by things Like that but they could and an older Dog is likely to have better bladder Control for example though you still Need to house trade any new dog so They're familiar with the rules at your Place the energy of a grown dog is Likely going to be more predictable Virtually all puppies are energetic and Playful at various times throughout the Day but a smaller percentage of those Dogs are going to remain highly Energetic throughout much of their life So you kind of know more about what You're getting at least in terms of that Dog's energy level so all of this means You have a higher likelihood of having a Faster learning curve what are the Downsides to having an older dog there Are no downsides to having an older dog It's possible that a fully grown dog may Have established unwanted Habits Like Jumping chewing excessive barking things Like that most of those are very Superficial and easily addressed I've

Got videos and books on all of that I Will say it is important to use modern Methods that do not include the use of Aversive techniques the evidence in Ethology and animal behavior is that we Don't need to use aversive techniques to Resolve those issues in any known case Always please remember that as you're Training your dog then there's always The possibility that an older dog could Have had negative experiences in their Past that may make training a little bit More difficult or challenging but with The right commitment and flexibility on Your part you can give this dog a Completely new start if you're adopting A senior dog it's possible they could Have existing medical conditions that You'll need to contend with and it might Be harder for dogs beyond the age of Puppyhood to adapt to new environments While you can probably get them to adapt To any environment you need to be Prepared to be patient and flexible in Accomplishing that sometimes if your new Home is so dramatically different than What they were used to that can take Some time always consider the context From which they came if you know it for Example some dogs could be grieving if They've recently lost a guardian and That's why they're being rehomed it may Take a little while to achieve a strong Two-way Bond and even things as simple

As housebreaking take a very proactive Approach sometimes and getting them on Our schedule and in tune with our Routines very often with a fully Developed dog comes a fully developed Athlete too so matching the energy Between the dog and the person is Critical if you've done your due Diligence with this dog you'll hopefully Have an idea of what their everyday Energy level is like not only do we want To consider the dog's genetics and their Experiences if we're aware of them but We have to take into account that Individual dog in the context in which They are going to be living it's such a Good idea to reflect on all of these Pros and cons before making this major Commitment what other pros and cons are There are two young dogs versus older Dogs tell me in the comments below and What are some ways that we can keep dogs Of all ages entertained and happy novel Experiences for dogs really hit Different and can be extra exciting for Them so things like new Dynamic toys or Puzzles or things that really engage Their brain and their senses can really Help improve a dog's emotional state and Keep them super engaged not only with You but the world they live in BarkBox Makes some of the most creative toys out There each month you'll get these new Toys you'll get top quality treats and

Shoes some doll dogs are really hard on Toys superchewer might be the better fit For them the toys are every bit as Creative but they're more durable for Those really strong dogs get a free box When you sign up for a subscription at Barkbox.com dog training or Superchewer.com dog training I'll have a Link below don't forget to like and Follow if you enjoyed this video why do I keep doing that I never do this in Real life subscribe to my channel Goodbye we'll see you in the next one


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