Should I get a 5 month old or 8 weeks?

[mamckay41]

I’m stuck between two puppies. The benefits of 5 month old would be that they are already crate trained, personality is figured out which fits me, and would be able to be left alone for a bit. The con is that I would love my first dog to be an 8wk puppy bc it’s my first dog.

I want to go through the puppy phase bc they are so tiny and cute at the age and I feel like the bond would be more secure. I asked the breeder which puppies seemed more docile, and she said 2 of them were, but idk if that changed when they grow up. But the con would be that the puppy phase could be so terrible for me. I hear the horrors and stuff and I just don’t know.

Advice in which age to pick would be nice. Thank you.

EDIT: thank you everybody for the responses!! I’ve decided to choose the 5 month old puppy. I think I’m done replying to comments, but if you would like to say your experience with 5 month olds please do and I’ll read!

 

[mbrandan]

@mamckay41 I agree with above. A lot depends on whether you have the emotional, financial, and time bandwidth for an 8 week as opposed to 5 month old.

My husband was of the same thinking as you.. get a puppy as young as possible and see them grow, bond with them. He will be the first in our house to now admit that as first time dog owners, an older puppy or adult dog would've been a better fit for us.

I know several friends who adopted older puppies/adult dogs and still bonded real well. Also, despite having a puppy since 8 weeks, it took our pup over a year to settle down enough to cuddle with us for more than 5 min. Until then I don't know if I'd say I was truly "bonded". Sure he loved us and was happy to see us. But he had so much energy that after some scratches he was off bounding to another thing. Now at 1.5 years he will sit on our lap and settle for some pets.

So long story short - I don't know if the whole "bond more when you raise them from 8 weeks on" thing is true or not.

 

[mamckay41]

@mbrandan Thank you for your response! The more I read the comments the more I just want the 5 month old haha. I initially wanted her, I just needed more reasons to want her and not an 8 week old puppy haha.

 

[mbrandan]

@mamckay41 Good luck!!

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@mamckay41 I'd take a 5 month old from a breeder over an 8 week old any day. I rescued a 6 month old (feral puppy) and he had his challenges but things like house breaking were done by the fosters and he was much easier than a puppy. You won't have the same kind of behaviour issues that I did with a rescue, but still all of the training benefits. My pup and I bonded just fine (he's actually way more affectionate than my female who I got at 8 weeks, but that could also be personality). My friend also got a dog at 18 months old, and the two of them have bonded extremely well too. He's more attached to her (in a healthy way, no separation anxiety) than I think I've ever seen a dog be to a person.

 

[kayla232323]

@mamckay41 I think it depends on your current lifestyle. An 8 week old puppy is more work and more exhausting than a 5 month old puppy. Of course there are a million pros and cons to each.

I got my puppy at 8 weeks. If I am being honest we didn't start bonding until 4-5 months old. The first few months were just me in auto mode making sure my dog was getting enough sleep and learning to potty train. I wasn't sleeping much and was always stressed. Most of the early days I forgot and kinda hated. I was able to walk my dog outside, but lots of puppys need all their shots depending on where you live. At 5 months a dog SHOULD be all set with vaccinations. Not being able to walk a new puppy outside is a source of frustration for many people.

Around 4 months my dog started to sleep through the night all the time, self settle, stopped nipping, and learned to focus (well, for 3 whole second haha)

I think bonding time has more to do with what you actual do with the pup and less than age. Training a dog and learning together is the best way to bond. Teaching my dog new commands and tricks and just exploring the world and introducing him to things was how we became best pals.

Thats just my own experience, you have to do whats best for you!

 

[mamckay41]

@kayla232323 Thank you for the response! I’m definitely leaning toward the 5 month old . This was helpful.

 

[truthinlight]

@mamckay41 There are tons of posts of folks going through puppy blues, where they are exhausted by all the work and discourage by a lack of bond with their 8-12 week old puppies. I would choose to get an older puppy, having raised one from 8 weeks. The first two months were defined by no sleep, constant biting, and just overwhelming amounts of frustration and loss of identity. At five months, pup is more self-capable

 

[mamckay41]

@truthinlight Thank you!! I decided to get the 5mo puppy, will be receiving her next week

 

[propitiated]

@mamckay41 Hey I’m not trying to change your plans at all but have you asked why a breeder has a 5 month old at this point in time? With covid dogs vanish from breeders faster then anything from what I’ve seen just curious how a puppy lasts that long with them

 

[mamckay41]

@propitiated It’s not from a breeder, it’s someone who got the puppy from a breeder but is needing to let her go bc they are moving out of the country

 

[propitiated]

@mamckay41 Ohhh ok I was just curious how a breeder would’ve kept the dog that long in today’s current market, not that I’d steer you away but I’d of questioned that you know

 

[truthinlight]

@propitiated Actually breeders will often have a slightly older puppy, because many breeders will accept the puppy be returned to them when a family realizes they are not ready for raising the puppy

 

[kayla232323]

@mamckay41 Glad I could help! Good luck with whatever puppy you decide on!

 

[free2bheretical4him]

@mamckay41 Probably get the older one tbh I got mine two weeks ago when she was 8 weeks and it's been extremely hard work the cuteness of her being a puppy has been massively overshadowed by the constant biting whenever I go near her

 

[fadingwest307]

@free2bheretical4him Sorry for laughing at your expense.. And mine

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@mamckay41 I grew up with dogs and we got a 12wk puppy and I love her to bits but it's more work than I expected, even with me working from home I feel like she's consumed large sections of my life. Are you prepared for a big commitment?

 

[mamckay41]

@imagebeastmarkbeast Yeah you’re right. I don’t think I’d be able to handle an 8 week old.

 

[justme84]

@mamckay41 I don't think anything other than prior experience can prepare one for a teeny tiny baby puppy. I'm a rather patient, responsible person, and got my first ever puppy (mini american shepherd...high energy herding breed) around 10 weeks old. I was so bummed I couldn't pick her up at 8 weeks. Oh boy am I so glad in hindsight, as I believe my puppy blues would've started sooner and lasted longer. My first full week of working from home (second week pup was with me), I could barely eat, was stressing ALL. THE. TIME, cried almost every day, and wanted to give up and just walk away constantly. There's no denying that young puppies are adorable, but if I am lucky enough to get an amazing pup again in the future, I would happily take the 5 month old over 2 month old. By 5 months, most breeds should be potty trained, sleeping well, mostly done losing sharp teeth, and just more settled in their disposition.

Other comments here mention not even bonding off the bat. Anecdotally I'd agree and I don't see why a 5 month old wouldn't bond any "better" than a 2 month old. And looking back at photos/videos, yes my pup was extremely cute, but she needed constant attention, could not settle down, nipped and scratched, chewed the carpet while teething, and I'm not sure I'd consider those trade-offs worth the cute factor. I'd say let the breeder/breeder's dogs raise the pup through some of the crazy stages, which are hard to enjoy when you're constantly stressing about every second of your pup's life!

Edit:

I had a friend get a 3 month old puppy about a year before me. She tried to warn me about the difficulties of young puppyhood. I dismissed her comments because I wanted a cute, little furball for myself to raise for as long as possible. I only understand after the fact what she meant! Maybe it's worth it to you to go persevere through those stages though! You certainly do feel some pride when you get to the calmer stages around 4-5 months and look back to say, wow, can't believe we made it through in one piece. Do you value sanity or pride more? Lol.

 

[mamckay41]

@justme84 Definitely sanity more! Haha. I’m leaving towards the 5 month old.. my heart has already chosen her tbh, I’m just also scared of fomo. Thank you for your response .