Have you ever thought of adopting a dog? One of the main considerations is whether to adopt a puppy or an adult dog, which one should I choose?

Let’s face it: puppies are cute, funny, adorable, and hard to resist. But they also require a fair amount of work, especially when you first bring them home.

Since they are not housebroken, they will urinate and defecate whenever and wherever they want until they are housebroken. You should start potty training your puppy to “potty him” outside as soon as he gets home.

Puppies like to play and chew and no matter how many toys you buy, your pup will still grab something off the floor to chew on, whether it’s a newspaper, briefcase, shoes and slippers, or anything else he can grab with his teeth. Unless you lay down the law and teach the puppy your house rules, he will continue to violate your house, especially when he is alone, because he is alone and there is someone else to play with.

But remember, this puppy that will test your patience and stamina will soon become a fantastic adult who will hopefully be your best friend for a long time.

Now let’s take a look at adopting an adult dog. He has outgrown his boisterous, energetic puppy stage. Hopefully he is potty trained and knows the general house rules from him without too much work teaching him on his part. He just has to ‘show her the ropes’ of behavior in his home.

Adult dogs generally have less medical bills than puppies. If you adopted your dog from a shelter, he’s been vet checked and he’s likely been spayed or neutered as well as vaccinated, saving you a lot of money on future vet bills.

Before you adopt a puppy, you need to decide what breed of dog you want because this puppy will soon become a full size dog with all the attributes and debuffs of his breed. This is the same rule that applies to an adult dog. Therefore, if you are a homebody, you should not consider a high-strung dog that needs a lot of time to play and exercise.

Size is another factor you need to think about. Do you want a small lap dog or would you consider a large dog like a Collie or Labrador? Perhaps you want a very large dog for your house, perhaps a Great Dane or a Saint Bernard. Think about the size of your family, both now and what it will be in 10 years or so.

So there are many factors to factor into your decision, but no matter which dog you adopt, if you select wisely, you’ll have a new best friend.