Benefits of Adopting a Senior Dog

Benefits of Adopting a Senior Dog

When looking to add a dog to your family there's very little more fulfilling than saving an animal from a shelter. While you may be drawn to a new puppy for your household, there are benefits to adopting a senior dog you may want to consider first.

Most of the training is already done

Senior dogs will often have the basic commands already down pat. Things like sit and stay will come naturally to them where a puppy will need to be trained. This means either your time to train them or the cost of a dog trainer. Puppies will also not be housebroken where a senior dog will know that the outdoors is where they need to go to take care of business.

Easier to figure out if they will fit into your home

One major hurdle to adopting any dog is you won’t know how they will interact with your home environment. Things like how they are with children, other dogs, or if they do well with cats. These are important questions to answer before taking home a new family member. When adopting a senior dog, these things are typically already known (or easy to figure out) based on their history.

If you have an existing dog, oftentimes, seniors are much easier to introduce as a pack companion. Especially if the existing fur baby has overcome their puppy energy. 

Less demanding

Most older dogs do not require the amount of exercise and playtime a younger one would. Younger dogs will often get bored if their minds are not occupied with physical activities and play. This often leads to what some call "bad behavior" such as chewing on unacceptable items or relieving themselves in the home. A senior dog is more content with shorter walks and longer nap times. 

The cliche saying is “who saved who” when it comes to adopting a dog from a shelter, and while there are many different aged dogs available, there is something fulfilling about giving a senior dog a comfortable place to live out their golden years.  

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