(08-30-2013, 02:37 AM)glitteringfuzz Wrote: I would love to just adopt a dog that has already been trained! i have a baby and I would feel safer where I live with a dog, but I don't know if it's safe to adopt a dog who was raised by another owner like that. Maybe someone can provide some insight on that.
But to answer the question, I want a dog so bad!
I think that adopting a dog that is already an adult is a great idea, especially since you have a small baby. Puppies, no matter how sweet natured they are, are still just a puppy , and will want to play with the baby , and could unintentionally hurt your child. However, an adult dog usually knows somehow that they need to be very careful around a small child or baby.
Also, an adult dog will be able to be a guard dog for you right away, whereas a puppy is not going to be much use as a guard dog for almost a whole year while he is growing up . And while he is a puppy, he would need a lot of training and attention, so you would have to be spending a lot of time training the puppy and it would take away your time to spend with the baby, so you would have a lot more work to do.
I would recommend getting a medium size dog, and one with short hair, or at least not one with really long hair. (They also need a lot more grooming and you will have hair all over and a baby crawling. Around in it)
A small dog is not going to be a lot of protection for you, and they are often nippy with children.
However, a large dog can easily bump into a small child and knock them over, without meaning to.
And it is going to be living in an apartment, so you don't want a high-energy dog, like a terrier.
I know that is a lot to think about, but hopefully, it will help you to choose just the right dog for your family.
