Why Older Dogs Are Such A Terrific Choice For You

By Author: Sarah McDermott
Total Articles: 143
Comment this article

If you're considering getting a dog, you've no doubt been looking at a few shelters, and thinking about the kind of pet you want to welcome in your home. If you're like most people, you might have found yourself considering pups more than older dogs. After all, isn't it better to bring a pup home and watch him grow, than it is to get an older dog?

You might be wrong. In fact, you might be passing up the chance to own an incredible dog, by focusing so much on his age.

There are many reasons to get an older dog. Older dogs tend to be housetrained and even if they aren't. you'll have an easier time training your older dog than you would a pup. The advantages of this are too many to ignore. If you're a busy person or single person household with no time to spare to spend training your dog, you'll find getting an older dog is the best decision you ever made. Be warned, housetraining a dog can be a long and arduous process. They'll be plenty of puddles to clean, and messes to mop up. With an older dog, you are spare the pressure of months of house training.

Younger dogs are more demanding of your time. They always ...
... want to play with you or go out for walks, and are quite miserable if you don't share their enthusiasm. Maybe you don't want to go out for a walk ever hour. An older dog is the right choice for you - they are as active as a dog their age can be, but they are equally at home curling up in front of the TV or lying down for a snooze. Again, this is a great advantage if you can't factor in a lot of time to exercise your dog.

An older dog isn't as fond of chewing things and scratching on surfaces as young pups are. They are generally not as fidgety which means less destruction around the house.

If these reasons have convinced you that an older dog is for you, prepare your house for the new member of your family. Get him appropriate accessories and gear to make him comfortable. Make sure you have an elevated dog feeder if he's a tall dog - he's older and might have increased strain on his bones and joints. As far as dog beds are concerned, an orthopedic dog bed is the best choice you could make. It will give his spine extra support and relive most of his body stresses and aches.