Should I get a 5 month old or 8 weeks?

[puerazaelis]

@mamckay41 My puppy just turned 5 months and my god, if I could have skipped the last few months I would definitely have! Was my first puppy and it was so much more work than I ever could have expected. Glad you decided on the older pup, good luck!

 

[valforgod]

@puerazaelis This 100% our pup just turned 5 months too and things are great now, but I don’t think I would ever adopt another puppy at 8 weeks. I would jump at the chance to get a 5 month old instead. Love her to death but we were an absolute wreck for the first few weeks living on no sleep at all.

 

[stephenbagot]

@mamckay41 I'm not one of those who get puppy blues. I enjoy my puppies. Over the years I've gotten puppies at 7, 8, 11, 12, and 16 weeks. The 7-week-old one was the only one who caused anything approaching puppy blues, but I was working full time then and wasn't for the others.

Anyway, the older puppies were easier on me, but that didn't have as much to do with bonding as how well temperaments and personalities ended up suiting. That's hard to tell in puppies. My last 3 Rottweilers all had the Volhard Puppy Aptitude Test administered, and there were still surprises.

I never had to choose between age differences but did have to choose between two puppies in the same litter a couple of times. Giving up on logical pros and cons and going with my heart worked for me. I chose the best dog I ever had over her sister that way. The litter was across the yard. I called, "Puppy, puppy," and she was the one who raced to me.

 

[mamckay41]

@stephenbagot That is an adorable story. Thank you for sharing . Definitely is helping my decision making.

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@mamckay41 You've already made your decision, but in support of that decision, I'll add this: the most loving dog I've ever had, we adopted at around 9 months old.

I currently have a 13 week old puppy, which we got at 6 weeks (yes, too early, couldn't be helped). Love the dog, but oh the stress of the last 7 weeks.

My next dog will be a rescue that is in that 6 month to 1 year range again.

 

[cn17]

@mamckay41 We got our pup at 12 weeks. It’s A LOT of work. But it’s so worth it. I wouldn’t mind getting a 8week old pup because that means by 12 weeks I could try to socialize my pup. We fostered our pup for 3 weeks and couldn’t take her out except for our backyard since she’s not done with her shots. Then the rescue spayed her before allowing us to adopt her so that’s another 10 days of being at home. They say 8-12 weeks are the socialization phase and we think we missed that window. Our pup has attended 18 weeks of classes and several daycare trips but she is still reactive with other dogs when on leash. She is a sweet girl and get’s along with dogs at the dog park but when totally different when out on a walk. But not all dogs are the same. Getting a 5month old pup that’s potty trained and house broken is awesome but for me it’s more important that I raised her while shaping the proper behavior and not worry about any behavioral issues.

Goodluck and please post a picture of the future pup!

 

[heatherwight]

@mamckay41 Get the 5 month old I have a 4 month old from a rescue that I recently adopted and he is still a lot of energy but has bonded to me pretty quickly! 8 weeks will be even more energy and training etc.

 

[stilllearning]

@mamckay41 We got our pup at about 18 weeks. All the things you’ve described are huge advantages… knowing the personality is a fit alone is tremendous.

I think you’ll really enjoy your older pup

Just keep in mind the 3 days, 3 weeks, 3 months rule… the pup will certainly take some time to acclimate and become “yours”.

 

[mamckay41]

@stilllearning What is the 3 days 3 weeks 3 months thing? And yes, all good advantages!

 

[stilllearning]

@mamckay41 Here’s a good summary.

 

[mamckay41]

@stilllearning Thank you so much!

 

[koroman]

@mamckay41 Maybe not as late as 5 month old, but I was hoping I could have gotten Beanie when she was around 3 months old instead of 8 weeks.

An 8-week-old puppy is a major pain in the ass when you have to watch them like a hawk. It's so physically and mentally exhausting. I'd never wanna go back to those days again, not immediately anyway.

I think if I were you I woulda picked 5 month old puppy because like you said everything just fits except the age, it's not a little puppy but a slightly older puppy. It will be easier taking care of them.

 

[kromestar]

@mamckay41 You will love and bond with any puppy you chose. Ive adopted a dog at age 2, and do I ever love this dog for 12 years until he took his last breath in my arms. There will always be pros and cons with whatever choice, do what's best for you and your family.

 

[stevieray]

@mamckay41 Good choice with the 5 month. We got our pup on the 3rd August. I did the same as alot of people said above, dismissed how hard work it was and boy have I been in for a shock. He's 10 weeks old on Tuesday, it took over a week to get him to be quiet at night we had to get rid of the crate closing and let him roam around a room. I was absolutely exhausted. We had the vet prescribe him some sleep assistance to swap his breeders routine to a normal humans (awake all night asleep all day) I've slept completely through from 10pm to 6am two nights in a row now.

Obviously puppy's at 9 weeks can't go all night without a toilet break which is fine because he can use puppy pads at night. I feel so much better but I also feel lucky that he can actually manage this.

Tonight he will be sleeping without his little night time treat and we will see how he gets on.

With all this said I have to say that I would have saved myself the 1 hour sleep per night I had over the last week and got an older pup. Bearing in mind he's still not through the worst of it, still having about 1 accident per day toilet wise.

We have a rescue that we got at 16 months and he is very loving. I'd ignore the info about bonding and training because the rescue is far more affectionate than any dog I've every grown up with.

 

[mamckay41]

@stevieray Thank you so much for this detailed post! Definitely appreciating my choice. Goodluck on your puppy though! If you don’t know her, check out Rachel Fusaro’s puppy videos! It’s worked for so many people and she’s amazing.

 

[johnnyboylane]

@mamckay41 5 months unfortunately still isn't always a guarantee of what their personality will be like. It can be a pretty difficult adolescent stage where they begin to start pushing boundaries and that 6-8 month range is a REALLY common time for people to give up their puppies because they realize then that "this dog will be too much for me". It has its benefits though of course.. they are a little more acquainted with the world, sleep through the night, at a good age for training, still perfectly able to bond easily, etc.

I adore the young puppy stage but of course they're also the most work then. There's a good chance you'll be cleaning up potty messes several times a day, waking up in the middle of the night, supposedly to take them out... But sometimes they'll just wake up and cry over nothing because they're babies and they act like it. They're afraid of most things at that stage and you can't safely take them most places because they don't have their vaccinations. A 5mo old is still likely to be mouthy but that's different from teething, which is incessant for a while and hurts.
I raised one of my three dogs from the 8week old stage and she's basically my daughter. She is super bonded to me and I wouldn't trade any time I've had with her but I also had an anxiety attack the first week because I was so sleep deprived and she'd just sit there in the evening and shake/cry and I had no idea why. Eventually I realized she was tired and being fussy about it.

 

[mystique14]

@mamckay41 I got an 8 month old vs an 8 week old puppy. I thought he’d be less work than a oupoy. That was not the case for me. I had to undo all the training already done, which was to pee pads. He had no idea he could go outside. It took forever, and at age 9 I still have to keep pee pads as he still occasionally comes in from outside and goes to them.

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@mamckay41 I think to answer and give advice we need to know a little bit more about your background and your life and your work/home life?
The situation, support and time you have to dedicate to a puppy, is more important than anything else.

 

[mamckay41]

@imagebeastmarkbeast I’m a college student but I’m taking this semester off. Tbh, I think I’m going to just adopt the 5 month old. She seems more suitable with my lifestyle. thank you for the response!

 

[dannii2895]

@mamckay41 We got a 5 month old puppy (rescue) and I can quite happily say that the bond between us and her could not be stronger. You will still go through trying times and overcome them which brings you closer. 8 weeks is fine but remember they are just a baby still.