Puppy-Yes or No??

[lucy82]

Do you GSD owners prefer to get your dogs as puppies or all ready full-grown?

[KZoppa]

i guess it depends. My first purebred GSD was an adult. may as well have been a puppy though lol. I'm okay with either as long as i'm able to get a puppy/adult that compliments us and we them. I prefer puppies because i have complete control over their upbringing and i dont have to try and fix any problems someone else may have caused but then with a puppy, if there's a problem its my fault lol. ups and downs.

[Scarlettsmom]

We have always had "teenaged" rescues. We've been fortunate that our dogs have always been able to adapt and did well in obedience classes.

I do love that puppy smell though. Someday I will have the time for puppy-hood.

[idahospud49]

I have never got an adult GSD. I LOVE the puppy stage, as far as looks, but I love knowing what they will be like grown up even more. If that makes sense.

[doggiedad]

i perfer a pup because i don't want to inherit
any problems. i like a well trained highly socialized
dog. when i get a pup i know i'm going to have that.

[Chicagocanine]

I went back and forth when planning to get a dog on whether to get a puppy or adult. I eventually decided to get an adult because I had just lost my two senior dogs and I thought a puppy might be too much of a shock after two well-trained seniors. I had been planning to get a 1-2 year old dog but I ended up getting Bianca instead who was 4 1/2. My previous dogs were adult rescues (stray rescue mostly) and they were great dogs. I am planning to get a puppy next time, though.

[Todd]

Originally Posted by Scarlettsmom

We have always had "teenaged" rescues. We've been fortunate that our dogs have always been able to adapt and did well in obedience classes.

I do love that puppy smell though. Someday I will have the time for puppy-hood.

I've rescued two adults...one between 2 and 3 and the other between 3 and 5. I think your "time for puppy hood" comment is right on the money. When I hear some of the horror stories (some funnier than others!), I just cringe.

I might think about a puppy in two years when I retire from the Air Force, but that depends on whether I get a real job, or just mess around on-line.

[Tbarrios333]

I'm torn. I love the puppies because it's easier for me to bond and develop a trusting relationship with a puppy. However, it takes me a really long time to get to a point where I say "I'm ready for a puppy again!" In fact, I didn't even say that with Buzz. It just kind of happened.
Puppies are a lot of work, but then again adults are a lot of work as well when they first get home. Maybe not as much, but still!
Next time, I will probably go through a reputable breeder, but I'm leaning more towards a GSD rescue and an older dog.

[onyx'girl]

I love, love, love puppies! Though the 4 I've raised have been really easy and not destructive.
We rescued a stray adult border collie that would not even come in the house, he had to be carried inside. After he trusted us, he was so bonded to us and his "bro" Stomper(in the beginning they fought). I wish I'd had BlackJack at puppyhood.

I adopted Kacie at 21 months old, and wish I could have shared in her puppyhood(vetting included) Shout out to Kacie on her 6th birthday today!!!!!
I also fostered a young male that was still a bit of pup, and I'm sure most of his 'issues' were related to environment and not his genetics. Too bad he was dealt a bad hand during his foundation.
I would love to be a foster to pups(or be a service dog raiser),
though I am a bit too lenient, so may not be the right person to raise a pup for that type work ethic.....though I've had more problems with the ones that came to live with us as adults vs ones that we raised from puppyhood(for the record only one was from a good breeder with good pedigree, genetics)

[selzer]

I have only gotten two dogs as adults -- Jasmine who was just a temporary lodger for about two years before my brother got her back; and Odessa. All the rest were puppies. I do love them all. But there is something special about watching puppy antics.