Oh yes, one thing we can all agree on, puppies are cute. All
too often I get an email asking, "What kind of dog is this?". In most cases the
photo sent in is an adorable picture of a very young puppy. When I email
back and tell them what kind of dog it is along with a link going to the
information page, I hear back, "Oh, well are there any dogs that stay looking
cute like that, even when the dog is full grown?" You guessed it, those adorable
little puppies grow up to be adult dogs.
Puppies are cute, rambunctious and adorable. You can pick
them up and cuddle with them. Raising puppies is similar to raising children
in a lot of respects. Puppies are babies and like human babies, they need a
lot of sleep and will often fall asleep on your lap. Who could resist the
faces of those adorable puppies. But puppies can also be mischievous,
defiant and destructive. Getting a puppy is a lot of work and a long-time
commitment. Puppies need visits to the vet, house training, behavior
training and socialization. Puppies go through a teething stage where they
feel the irresistible urge to chew on everything in your house.
The cute cuddly puppy stage does not last long. Their
size, temperament, activity level and coat all change. Puppies grow up very
quickly into adult dogs. In-between the puppy- adult stage is a rebellious
adolescent phase, where puppies require almost constant supervision.
Depending on the breed, by the time puppies are one year old, they are
considered adult dogs. Some breeds of dogs take longer to mature out of
their adolescent phase than others.
Less than one year will be spent in cute cuddly puppy
stage, the next 10 to 15 years you will be living with the adult dog.
Puppies are cute, but by no means should one choose their dog solely on the
looks of the pup. If you do not choose the right type of dog, your adult dog
could grow up to be a holy terror.
What size dog do you want? Do you have children? Do you
have a fenced-in yard? How much time will you have to train and walk the
dog? These are all factors which you must decide upon before you decide on
what type of dog you wish to own. Adopting a pup should not be taken
lightly. It should be a well thought out decision which involves the entire
family.
Even the best trained dog can get itself
into a bit of mischief now and again. Puppies, adolescent and adult dogs,
Caught in the Act!
Are
You Ready for a Dog?
Raising a Puppy
Find
the Perfect Dog
Below are some examples of puppies vs. adult dogs.
While the full grown version of these dogs
are cute,
there is something even cuter in the faces of the puppies
|
 |
 |
|
Barkley, the
Ori-Pei as a very young pup, Barkley all grown
up |
Phoebe, the Tibetan Terrier
as a young puppy, Phoebe all grown up
Cody the Farm Collie as a
young puppy, Cody all grown up
Bugsy, the Pug as a young
puppy, Bugsy all grown up!
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Yellow Labrador
Retriever Puppies (these lab pictures are of the same dog, Henry)
Full Grown Yellow Labrador Retriever
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