Getting a 5 month old puppy? Pros and cons

[lavenderhoney]

I need some sensible advice - I planned to get a puppy at 3 months old but the breeder I am going to see has one which will be 5 months old and will also be available.

I would like to know what the pros and cons of getting this one might be. I wonder as well if it has been returned for any reason and the breeder might not tell me why, if it will bond easily, change if routine - and things like that. If anyone has any advice I'd be really grateful.

Has the puppy been sold and then returned or has the breeder kept it back and is now selling it? Depending on the exact situation I'd be far happier with the latter than the former. My main concern if the pup has been returned would be whether the first owners had done an appropriate amount of socialisation or not.

Apologies if I've got the wrong end of the stick but does the same breeder have 3 month old pups as well as the 5 month old? It's very, very unusual for a decent breeder to have two litters so close together.

Don't consider myself expert enough to advise on pros and cons but happy to share our experience. We adopted 5 month old puppy from a family that were not suited to having a dog. Pup settled in and bonded with us very easily, no problems whatsover. He did have some issues to work through having not been socialised properly but I wasn't expecting perfection. He has a lovely temprament and is very quick to learn so will be fine. I would definiely get one at 5 months again.

I got a six month old puppy from a breeder. He seemed fine when we went to see him.

Within five mins of been home he attacked Dh. He spent the next two years attacking Dh on a daily basis. He bit me, my mum, my sister, went for my nephew, bit my neighbour. Bit my Dh dozens and dozens of times. Every single day was spent snarling and growling at Dh.

Spent a fortune on dog psychologists and behaviourists.

Id never realised how important socialising was. Feel very stupid looking back.

Think carefully about this. The first 14 weeks of life are absolutely crucial for socialization. While a small minority of puppies have problematic character traits by nature, most problems either emerge or are strengthened because of lack of socialization in these first 14 weeks.

Why does the breeder still have the puppy? Who had him for the first 14 weeks? Do you trust this history? Can you spend some time with the puppy before you make a decision and see him in different situations? Are you knowledgeable enough to notice possible problematic behaviors? Do you have the time and energy to deal with a puppy that may have picked up bad habits?

Why were you getting a 3 month old puppy?...8 weeks is the optimum age.

There is no issue with getting an older puppy in terms of bonding or routine, I've had rescues at every age from 6 months old right through to an elderly one estimated to be about 12, they settle in and we bonded fine.

But why do they have that age of puppy? What socialisation has it had? What training has it had?...

Good breeders do take back puppies, but, if that's the case, what happened in the time it was away?

The other ok alternative is that they kept it as a show prospect and it isn't now a good one, in which case if it's a good breeder it should be well trained and socialised.

But, I'd be worried that it's simply a leftover puppy from a not great breeder that then hasn't had the appropriate socialisation and training.

The one pro I can think of is that it should be house trained at 5 months. But as per pp's, my main question would be why the breeder still has a 5 month old puppy. I'd be asking to see the mothers of both for starters. And whilst the age gap makes it almost (but nor quite) impossible for the puppies to be from the same mother, if your breeder is KC registered, they're breaking the rules by having too many litters per year. If they're not registered breeders, I wouldn't buy from them at all.

Ha ha. Yeah, I thought my six month old puppy might be houses trained, he wasnt at all.

Last dog I got was 11 weeks old and I was nervous enough that was too old. She is lovely but she's very shy around people and other dogs. Will run in the opposite direction if she sees another dog and I think that may be partly due to not getting her until 11 weeks.

Thank you, and I will check - all these were on my list to ask and I will find out today. Lands of love , thank you - that sounds very positive:)

What breed is it? Have you considered a rescue dog? If you go to a good rescue such as <a class="break-all" href="https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&ei=s2efVe6SK4rxUommlJgL&url=m.facebook.com/BlackRetrieverXRescue%3Frefsrc%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.facebook.com%252FBlackRetrieverXRescue&ved=0CBwQFjAA&usg=AFQjCNHBnxIiw6cygaaKZ-dtzA5jy9sMoA&sig2=D3Td2tG0Mzh88-Sqp0yczQ" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Black Retriever X rescue they will have fostered the dog to assess it before rehoming and will match the dog very carefully to the home.

We've had Trigger (GSD X) from them 3 months now and every day we see more of his character and it's clear he's the perfect dog for us. My Mum and Dad rescued Abby from them and she's the perfect dog for them.

I've had puppies from five up to eleven months before (just got an eleven month old rescue pup) of all different breeds and I've never had any problems at all. Yes sometimes they need some extra training, but nothing major in my experience. Some breeds it is advisable to get them at three months old rather than younger. I think a lot of it depends on the individual pup and their circumstances, proceed with caution but it doesn't always have to be a negative experience .

Our adored JRT we got at 5 months. Not a breeder, just someone who decided to gave one litter from their pet. They had had a time waster . Jrt was pretty much house trained, is slightly nervous, but adores his natural home ( where he is on holiday atm) and us. Has worked perfectly.

But ask and look.

We got our puppy at 15/16 weeks from Battersea , he wasn't house trained - the only problem he has is that he doesn't know how to socialise with other dogs - he doesn't dislike them but he doesn't like being hassled and won't play so he says hello and then expects to move on so can get a bit agitated if another dog tries to persist in play . This may have nothing to do with his early upbringing though as he is a Patterdale x and being anti social with dogs is quite common in the breed . He is fantastic with people , loves small children ( even though we don't have any) and is always happy to play , he is also very good if he has to stay home alone for a few hours.

I'm think of getting a over4 month old farm collie have a dog already at home is it a good idea? Will it take more training?

This is a 9 year old thread and a lot of the people here won't be on Mumsnet anymore, you may be better off starting your own thread.

get a rescue

Following your thread OP as I am looking at an almost 5 month old rescue next week. I’m guessing there are positives and negatives depending on wether they have been socialised or trained. The pup I’m looking at is in a rescue and is mixing daylight with other dogs and people despite having a bad start.

If the pup is house trained I would say it’s a huge bonus. From having dogs before I would say the hardest but is the toilet training and sleep training during the first few weeks so I’m guessing at 5 months that part will be done (are almost done).