Home
>
Pet
>
What You Need to Know Before Adopting an Older Dog

What You Need to Know Before Adopting an Older Dog

Newer doesn't always mean better.

Adopting an older dog may be a decision based on you or your family's lifestyle. In fact, many senior citizens opt for this choice because a new, hyperactive and untrained puppy may be too much excitement and work to handle.

Sometimes, an older dog has its advantages. It may be more settled, already house trained, leash trained, and maybe even spayed or neutered.

With this important decision, however, there are some vital points that you should keep in mind. When adopting an older dog, there is a lot to consider, no matter where you get your dog from- a kennel, a rescue center or a friend.

The first thing to research beforehand is the dog's history. Find out if the dog was a stray or where he was found. Being a stray isn't necessarily bad, but it may mean that you have to do some training. And, don't believe the myth that teaching an old dog a new trick is impossible. An older dog may be calmer, allowing you to concentrate your efforts on specific training methods.

Obedience school may be an option. Some older dogs may have been kept outside, so you may have to train it for living indoors, or vice versa. Although this will take time and energy, eventually your dog, no matter its age, will learn. At first, out of nervous habit, the dog might use the bathroom anywhere- especially if you are gone. Give the dog time to get used to his new home? it's a big change for him too. Be optimistic. He'll adjust. Overall, training a puppy is harder as they are distracted more easily.

During the initial background check, find out if the dog was abused. Just because the dog is shy in a cage or shelter, doesn't mean he was abused or will act shy once he is with you. If the dog was abused, however, he may be overly aggressive towards you or your children. Ask how the dog reacts to the human contact he receives presently. If it's a friend's or family member's dog, all of this may be a lot easier to find out.

Next, find out the reason why the older dog is now up for adoption. It makes a difference only if the dog has a violent background. It also makes a difference whether the violence was rooted in the dog's situation (i.e. taunting, hurtful children) or if the dog simply possesses an aggressive dominance over its environment. If you find that the dog was aggressive towards its previous owner, and that it wasn't the dog's temperament, you will really have to think about it.

If your dog is going to be around children, it's extremely important that you know ahead of time how your dog handles these little people. Find out what you can from the previous owner or care giver. Some dogs may have been mistreated by children in the past. These dogs tend to be overly aggressive towards children at first so please take that into consideration. Though it can generally be corrected over time and with proper training, your first responsibility is to protect the child's safety.

Please remember that most dogs in shelters or rescue clinics are there innocently. They could have been a product of a divorce, death, separated family, or a number of other circumstances. Most of these dogs have no behavioral problems and you will get along together great. The average age of a dog that you'll find at an animal shelter is between six months and one year old, that being their time of adolescence.

Finally, while most shelters ensure that their dogs are one hundred percent healthy, you will take your dog to the vet to get a check-up. This cost will likely be included in any adoption fees you pay. Insist that you take the dog to your preferred vet, and that the shelter or clinic will pay. If the dog is not spayed or neutered, then the shelter can recommend a vet and either fully reimburse the cost, or give you a coupon worth at least a fifty-percent reduction.

About the Author:
Tina Spriggs is an expert dog lover whose lifelong interest in canines provides the motivation for her site. To learn more about dogs or to find gifts and toys for them visit her site at dog gifts and toys for dog lovers.

Copyright 2004. All rights reserved.

high-end home cleaning Winnetka ...

In The News:

Americans average 10-plus hours online daily, according to recent survey, splitting time between streaming shows on TV and browsing websites on multiple devices.

Boost your smartphone privacy instantly with these security tweaks for iPhone and Android that limit ad tracking, hide notifications and prevent unauthorized access.

Platforms like Hoax Tech and JS Click Cloaker help cybercriminals bypass detection systems using machine learning to selectively display scam content to victims.

A new battery recycling technique transforms old lithium-ion batteries into high-performance components that retain 88% capacity after 500 cycles with minimal waste.

Google's Android operating system can warn users about earthquakes before the shaking even begins – and there are ways to do it on your iPhone, too.

Meta's new gesture control wristband might just be the most seamless way to control a computer yet. And no, it doesn't require surgery, a camera, or even a touchscreen. All it needs is your wrist.

Long-haul trucks are now being upgraded with a surprising twist, thanks to California-based startup Revoy. Their electric boost doesn't replace diesel but works alongside it to cut emissions and fuel costs without major disruption.

PayPal and Venmo just rolled out something big: AI-powered scam alerts for Friends and Family payments.

As data centers multiply across the United States, energy demand is increasing at a rapid pace. This has not escaped the notice of large investment firms from Wall Street.

The Unicode Consortium, the nonprofit organization that maintains the Unicode Standard to ensure emojis work across devices, has announced Unicode 17.0, which includes nine new emojis slated for release this fall, in September 2025.

OpenAI is one of the world's leading AI research labs. Founded in 2015, it's behind some of today's most talked-about tools, including GPT, DALL·E, and ChatGPT.

Ever catch your dog staring at the screen during movie night and wonder if they're actually watching? Turns out, they might be. A new scientific study from Auburn University found that many dogs really do engage with television, and not all pups react the same way.

Stop the scammers from making contact in the first place. They're getting your parents' contact information and much more personal data besides, from somewhere.

The Walker S2 robot from UBTech autonomously exchanges its batteries in just three minutes, allowing continuous operation in car factories operated by BYD, Nio and Zeekr.

The FX Super One electric MPV from Faraday Future offers flexible seating, zero-gravity recliners and an AI system that creates a personal connection between driver and vehicle.

Practical solutions for reducing unwanted charity mail, political texts and email spam by opting out of shared lists, replying "STOP" and using data removal services.

Delta's new AI pricing system eliminates static airfares for personalized rates based on individual data, raising questions about fairness while promising optimized revenue.

AI data centers are straining the power grid across 13 states, contributing to a $9 billion increase in electricity costs, and PJM customers face monthly bill increases of $25 or more.

Artificial intelligence is transforming the music industry as AI-generated bands like The Velvet Sundown earn substantial streaming revenue, prompting lawsuits from major record labels.

Microsoft phishing scams use fake security alerts and links that redirect to credential-stealing pages with warning signs, including urgent language and unusual senders.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Tesla vehicles manufactured since mid-2021 with AMD Ryzen processors can now access Grok 4, xAI's witty conversational assistant designed to make drives more engaging.

Understand how technology affects mental health through five concepts, including blue light exposure, screen time management and algorithmic bias.

Electric vehicle maker Lucid adds hands-free driving through an over-the-air update for Air sedan owners with the DreamDrive Pro package and Gravity SUV support coming later.

Protect your home network from hidden dangers, including router vulnerabilities, ISP tracking and smart device weaknesses with proper encryption, firmware updates and VPN technology.

What You Need to Know Before Adopting an Older Dog

Pet