# What is the ideal age?



## cowgirlteach (Mar 17, 2012)

My DH and I have decided to get a puppy (we were thinking rescue, but decided we wanted to train our own pup). 

My question is...does it matter if the puppy is older than 8 weeks? We want a puppy at the end of May when I am done teaching for the summer...so I will be home with the pup. Finding a puppy in that time frame is proving more difficult than I thought...at the 8 week range.

I'm thinking in terms of training and bonding? Advice or even tell me when you got your puppy and if it mattered what age it was would be appreciated!


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

As far as bonding, it doesn't really matter. Many people her including myself have adopted adults 3+ years old with no problems.

If you are wanting a puppy this month and just now looking you might have trouble since most good litters tend to be reserved well in advance. A rescue is probably more realistic so you don't have to sacrifice good health and temperament for something available now.


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## guddu (Mar 14, 2012)

Dogs will bond at other ages too, but IMHO the strength of the bond may not be the same. From the owner's point of view, Its the difference between adopting a baby vs adopting a teenager.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

I think more than the *age* of the pup, or the *convenience* of when pup comes home, you should focus on the lines and breeder choice that are of interest to you. Unless you get a rescue(which finding pups is a bit difficult locally) then doing your homework on what would best fit your family/lifestyle is important. If you don't know the differences in the lines here is an overview and other articles of interest

If you are open to shipping I'm sure you'd find an 8 week old pup from a responsible breeder, but there is much to research/decide before choosing.
I adopted a 21 month old and she is very bonded to me(and she had been passed from person to person in her first 21 months)
I also have had pups from 7 weeks of age, and really there is no difference in when they came to live with me as far as bonding. Some dogs are more biddable and pack driven, others are individual and only self pleasing. Lines/pedigree tend to be the reason for the differences of that!

As far as staying home in the summer for the pup....make sure you are going to do some separation/alone time so the pup or dog gets use to you NOT being there for periods of time. That way, when you do return to your work schedule, the dog won't have separation anxiety or other behavioral issues due to crating for longer periods.


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

guddu said:


> Dogs will bond at other ages too, but IMHO the strength of the bond may not be the same. From the owner's point of view, Its the difference between adopting a baby vs adopting a teenager.


This is not true at all. An adult or even senior can bond very strongly with their new owner. 



> As far as bonding, it doesn't really matter. Many people her including myself have adopted adults 3+ years old with no problems.


We have a hospice foster who can barely see (light/shadows is about it) and hardly hear (very loud noises is all) and when I come home from being gone, she notices my presence in the room and seeks me out, wagging her tail like a maniac when she finds me. She then licks my legs! This is a 10yr. old (minimum age of 10, possibly older) Pom-Poodle who was scheduled to be put to sleep (due to age) and we wanted to give her a final home before she was put down.

My point is, you can bond with a dog of any age, and often rescue dogs bond even stronger, having sensed they were "saved"


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

it's not close to being the same.



guddu said:


> Dogs will bond at other ages too, but IMHO the strength of the bond may not be the same. From the owner's point of view,
> 
> >>>> Its the difference between adopting a baby vs adopting a teenager.<<<<


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## GsdLoverr729 (Jun 20, 2010)

I have adopted (in my lifetime) a 3 yr old male, a 13 yr old male, a 6 wk old female and an 8 wk old male (wolf/shepherd). The three yr old was just as attached to me as the two I got as babies. The 13 yr old did not bond to me as much. But he was a retired police k9 and I believe he missed his partner very much.


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## Rico's Daddy (May 8, 2012)

We got Rico at 6 months old. He came from a great show breeder who decided he would not get quite big enough, or have the alpha personality for the ring. He started bonding to us immediately. He came to us house broken :thumbup: and very well socialized. He still chews a little (at 8 months now) but not bad. 

So to my mind, it's really a question of how much of that "puppy experience" you want. Personally, I'm glad we got a pup who was past the most trying period, and we could focus on doing fun things together and bonding, without having to constantly correct him or housebreak him.


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## Falkosmom (Jul 27, 2011)

I've taken in older dogs and also raised young pups. I never noticed much of a difference in the bonding. All of the older rescues/strays taken in were from either abusive or neglectful homes. They seemed to be grateful to be taken care of and loved. I also never noticed a big difference in training either, but socialization.......now that was a different story.


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## sashadog (Sep 2, 2011)

guddu said:


> Dogs will bond at other ages too, but IMHO the strength of the bond may not be the same. From the owner's point of view, Its the difference between adopting a baby vs adopting a teenager.


I have adopted puppies as well as older dogs and I can say from experience that the bonds have been the same, if not stronger with an older dog. My older dog might actually be more bonded to me than the dogs I adopted as a puppy...


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## TheNamesNelson (Apr 4, 2011)

I took in a 6 year old rescue from my cousins who moved out of state and couldn't take the dog. He bonded stronger to me than any dog ever had, for the next 5 years I was his idol and he couldn't be close enough to me and I could do no wrong in his eyes. That was my previous shepherd and he is what inspired me to get another. Now I have a 2 year old who is bonded strongly to me but because he is more emotionally strong compared to my old rescue Rocky, my pup has more independance and is less clingy.


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## CeCe (Jun 1, 2011)

Do you have a breeder or a specific litter in mind? If you state your location then someone could suggest a breeder with puppies near you.


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## cowgirlteach (Mar 17, 2012)

CeCe said:


> Do you have a breeder or a specific litter in mind? If you state your location then someone could suggest a breeder with puppies near you.


I'm in Colorado but am will to pay to ship. The only thing about that is that it is hard to pick a puppy off of just a picture. We sort of want to drive to pick it up but would need to be within like 8 hours from us. (KS, OK, WY, UT, etc.)

I would love for some suggestions on reputable breeders.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

you need to research the lines a bit....suggesting a breeder is suggestive. I love working lines others love showlines. It is what YOU want that is important. If you can go to some club/training venues and see the dogs in person, you may make some connections w/ the breeders of the dogs you are attracted to(look at the structure/movement/temperament, not just color or coat) 
Not sure CO has many training venues though!


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## cowgirlteach (Mar 17, 2012)

onyx'girl said:


> you need to research the lines a bit....suggesting a breeder is suggestive. I love working lines others love showlines. It is what YOU want that is important. If you can go to some club/training venues and see the dogs in person, you may make some connections w/ the breeders of the dogs you are attracted to(look at the structure/movement/temperament, not just color or coat)
> Not sure CO has many training venues though!



No, CO doesn't seem to have many breeders even...other than private family homes earning an extra buck. I am leaning towards working lines...we live on a ranch and I was wanting a line that could be used for some cattle work.


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

IMO, GSDs wouldn't be as suitable for cattle as an actual cattle dog.
GSDs are typically herding dogs, and for cattle you need something w/a huge big ol' 'tude and the Australian Cattle dogs/Blue Heelers/Queensland Blue Heelers would be best for that, as they were bred specifically for working cattle.


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## cowgirlteach (Mar 17, 2012)

msvette2u said:


> IMO, GSDs wouldn't be as suitable for cattle as an actual cattle dog.
> GSDs are typically herding dogs, and for cattle you need something w/a huge big ol' 'tude and the Australian Cattle dogs/Blue Heelers/Queensland Blue Heelers would be best for that, as they were bred specifically for working cattle.



We do have a blue heeler!!! She is fantastic at working cows and we don't need our new dog to work cows but just be comfortable around them. I still think a GSD would do just fine pushing cows with us on horse back. Our new dog will go to work with my husband and just needs to have drive to go all day long like our ACD.


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## VonKromeHaus (Jun 17, 2009)

My GSD herds cattle and is quite good at it. He is too hard for sheep and smaller livestock but does very nice on cattle. We use him to bring the steers in at my friends when we go roping and we use him to move the heifers from pasture to pasture. So I would say there are GSDs that can work cattle and do it well! He also has a "nephew" off of his littermate brother that works on a cattle ranch. He is out from sun up to sundown with his owners and part of his duties are moving cattle. He does very well at it.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Onyx's dam was also a cattle herder. She worked on a ranch most of her life....thus the reason for the breeding(not titled in anything but farm and 4-H). She was bred for others to have working dogs and pups sold to farms(though a few went to pet homes).
Onyx has those herding instincts, but her temperament is a bit reactive so I haven't done any sheep type herding tests w/ her. 
I have no doubt; had she been a working dog on a cattle farm, she'd fit right in and her anxiety wouldn't have surfaced like it has in a pet home.


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

I brought my female home just shy of 4 months old. 

She is a spectacular companion and is currently training in schutzhund and doing amazing!

I personally loved the age I brought her home because the breeder did a lot of the leg work for me already... LOL.... crate trained, potty training started and a lot of socialization. I did however get to visit the litter/pup whenever I wanted which helped.


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## Kev (Sep 11, 2011)

It's fine. Just make sure that the breeder will put in effort to socialize the pup between then and 8 weeks.


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