So, you’ve finally made the decision that you want to adopt a canine friend. That’s good news! But first you need to decide if your new best friend will be an adult dog or a puppy.

Without a doubt, it can be a real pleasure to have a naughty puppy at home, to see it grow. However, adopting a puppy really does require a huge time commitment. Initially, it may take a couple of weeks for both you and your pup to adjust to your new living arrangements. Keep in mind that it could result in some sleepless nights for both of you. Additionally, new puppies should be closely supervised and properly taught what is and is not acceptable behavior. Then there’s home training. In many cases, this can be a stressful time with numerous “accidents” to clean up. Patience, while house training a puppy, is indeed a virtue. Also, it can take your puppy six to eight months to get past the chewing phase and another 12 months to reach full maturity.

When determining whether or not a puppy will suit your lifestyle, you really need to make a completely honest assessment of his ability and willingness to meet the challenges the youngster will present. If you come to the conclusion that caring for a puppy is not realistic for you, then an adult dog may be a great option.

Many adult dogs have already been house trained. You’ll probably still have a few accidents, but it won’t take long for the adult dog to learn your rules. Adult dogs are easier to train as they have a longer attention span than excitable puppies. In fact, you may find that they have already learned some basic commands from their previous owners. When choosing an adult dog, you will already know his full size, his true personality, and his health. As puppies develop, one or more of these traits can end up being a big surprise. An adult dog may be a better option if you have small children. Older dogs may already have had experience with children and are much more predictable than puppies. When playing with a new puppy, you will soon discover that it has needle-sharp teeth that can accidentally injure a small child.

You may also want to consider adopting a “senior citizen” canine. Even nine or ten year old dogs can have many more good years to offer to a loving family. Too many older dogs in shelters are unable to find a new “forever” home, resulting in tragic and untimely death.

When choosing between an adult dog or a new puppy, try to consider all aspects of your pet’s needs and your own. Adopting a dog should be a lot of fun, but it also requires a lot of commitment on your part to ensure a healthy and long-lasting partnership between you and your new best friend.