Bonding For Life
Puppies are cute. They are irresistible especially when they are between 6 to 8 weeks of age. When you read books, it will also reinforce your belief that it is best to get a puppy at this age. It tells you that it is during this time that the pup is curious about the outside world and they bond for life with whomever they are with at this crucial age. I would suppose the bonding is more for the owner and not really the pup's. It's comparable to bringing up kids when you go through all the trouble and you are the left with memories, lots! You'll have lots of stories to tell. Dogs don't live as long as humans do so when you've had the dog since it was a puppy, then the span of time is longer for you.
At Cob, most of our dogs except of course for the ones that we've bred came to Cob at age 3 to 4 and sometimes even 5 years of age. They do bond very well with us. We also do have lots of fond memories. And we do get glimpses of how these dogs were when they were puppies especially when we breed them and find out first hand through their puppies. Given a choice, we would rather acquire an older dog than a puppy. And by the way, the term puppy applies to dogs less than a year old and not just those cute adorable and irresistible rascals between 4 to 6 weeks of age. Depending on the breed, young adults would range between 1 year old to let's say about 3 to 3 and a half. Smaller breeds mature faster while it takes longer for medium to large to extra large dogs to fill out. Comparable to humans, dogs a year over is roughly your awkward average teenager. At two, it's roughly your 18 year-olds raring to go with raging hormones and wild. At three are your mid to late 20-somethings. Thirtyish are those between 3 and a half to four year olds. Oftentimes, when asked about the breeding age, based on the slow-maturing breeds we have, we often reply "Will you allow your fourteen year old to get pregnant?" We only consider breeding after 3 onwards. Our dogs don't fill out until they turn 4.
If your purpose is to show, you will be better off getting young adults. There is less risk involved too, not just to you but also with the breeder who can fully guarantee the dog's career since it has been conditioned by the breeder and not by anyone else. There is less work for the owner. Less problems. And you will get what you will pay for. WYSIWYG. If you have reservations as regards to bonding, maybe you should stop considering getting a dog at all.
Now, if your purpose is to breed, all the more you should get an older dog instead of a puppy. A puppy is good if you want to experience your slippers being chewed, going back and forth to the vet and yes, aside from teething ... you have listlessness, sometimes fever and most of the time upset stomachs and stress. Then there's the risk of ruining a good dog by inexperienced owners. Over supplementation, lack or sometimes over-exercise. When you want "just a pet" then maybe, a puppy is best. But another two cents worth, not unless you are nurturing a need for parenting like your biological clock is ticking, there are tons of advantages of just adopting an older retired show dog who would appreciate your tender loving care and companionship with the least amount of trouble on your part. Just a couple of things to consider and add to your confusion. Things backyard breeders and puppy millers often leave out or dissuade you from. So when you want a dog, do you want a dog or is it a puppy that you want? Puppies grow up to be dogs except for breeds like Golden Retrievers, Labradors or Boxers. These breeds somehow are like puppies all through out and never grow out of it. And one last note, puppies do not always get it right the first time. They are bound to have more accidents. Older dogs learn faster, quicker and aims to please you at all cost especially those that long for human companionship. They will be yours forever or at least for their life span.
Fellow dog lovers (& divers!) are always welcome in our homes!
Don't forget to leave your paw prints (or bouys) behind!
THANK YOU FOR DROPPING BY!
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