[sensualspirit]

At what age is a dog considered an adult, & should already be home trained?

Thanks


Michelle

[Yogi]

The term adult dog is contingent on maturity. Small breeds become "adult" at approx 2 years where large breeds are closer to 3 years. They can be sexually mature at approx 6 to 9 months but this does not mean they are adult mature dogs.

[angiesample]

Housetraining is not exact science its not like bam at 3 months all dogs know to go potty outside... it depends on the dog, and how consistant the owner is with getting the dog outside on a regular basis. Also dogs from the shelter many times need to be retrained or trained at an older age bc many times they have to go in there kennel.

I got my puppy at 5 weeks old, which general is to young for a pup to be seperated from its mother, my puppy was abandoned along with her brothers and sisters, but by 2 months i could tell by her body language when she needed to go she probably wasnt fully trained til about 4 months. I choose to bell train my dog so she could just ring a bell when she needed to go potty it was very helpful.

The biggest thing is to be consistant and if ur dog does have an accident dont punish ur dog.. focus on rewarding before punishment... in anything i think.

[cigwyllt]

House training varies hugely from dog to dog and from owner to owner. The owner might be attuned to the dog and find it easy to spot the signs that he needs a toilet break and so far as the owner is concerned the dog could be considered house trained at 16 weeks. A more independent dog, perhaps left at home for an hour or so at a time several times a week will take longer. There is no fixed time when a dog "will" or "should be" house trained. It is to do with the training it receives and not a developmental thing.

[sensualspirit]

Originally Posted by Yogi

The term adult dog is contingent on maturity. Small breeds become "adult" at approx 2 years where large breeds are closer to 3 years. They can be sexually mature at approx 6 to 9 months but this does not mean they are adult mature dogs.

To be clear, I wasn't talking sexually.

Why do small dogs mature faster?


Michelle

When you go out, do you leave paper on the floor?

Bell? wow, impressive


Michelle

[Lunareclipse]

Try crate training your dog. Most dogs will not go where they sleep. So buy a crate that is just big enough for them to stand up and turn around in. Make sure there is not enough room in the crate for them to go potty in. Take them out every hour until they are 3 months old and then every two hours after they turn three months. You can train a larger dog to hold it longer. Smaller dogs have a lot of trouble holding it for longer than 4 or 5 hours. My oldest saint will hold hers for at least 24 hours if it's raining out. She doesn't like getting wet at all. Buster on the other hand, indicates that he has to go out about every 8 hours. I had a chihuahua that went every 4 hours. Every dog is different and some dogs catch on faster than others.

[sensualspirit]

I don't plan on buying a pup, rather a dog 1-4 years old.

Thanks for the info.


Michelle

[Lunareclipse]

I think it's wonderful that you are willing to adopt an adult rather than a puppy. For most adults it is easier to handle than getting a puppy. Our two girls were adults when we adopted them and they were already potty trained, didn't chew anything, and were already through the very energetic puppy and teenage stage that Buster is going through right now. A majority of adults get put to sleep every year because a lot of people want puppies. I can tell you, after raising Buster from a pup, we will always adopt adult dogs from now on. A 140lb excited and bouncing puppy is really hard to handle sometimes. We really can't wait for him to be 2 years old and mature enough to get fixed. We are hoping it will settle him some. You have to post pics as soon as you get your dog. I want to see what kind of pooch you settled on.

[sensualspirit]

Oh thank you & those are exactly the reasons I want to get an adult. LOL

Have a lovely week.


Michelle

One more question.

How old do you think is too old when adopting?

I don't want to get a dog that's going to get sick quickly or pass over in a short period of time.


Michelle

[Lunareclipse]

I don't think there is a too old when adopting. All dogs need love and caring. Our first saint was 4 years old when we got her and we knew we would have only a few years with her. But she is a really good dog. A lot of people don't want to adopt older dogs for that reason, but I feel differently about it. Older dogs tend to be calmer. Most live out their lives without any serious problems. Athritis can be a problem in older dogs. But people get athritis too and we don't love them any less. Think about it and don't rule out a perfectly healthy older dog just because you worry about what might happen later. It doesn't matter what type of dog you get. It will get old some day. Don't rule out an older dog as a pet. Most of them make better pets than puppies.