Is 5 months too old?

[astrobajan5678]

Our family has the opportunity to adopt a 5 month old male rottweiler. My concern is that the puppy may be too set in its ways. Is a 5 month old puppy easy to train and will it adapt to its new family?

[sophie's-mom]

5 months is NOT too old and the dog can still TOTALLY understand what you want from him and be trained!

You have an advantage as the dog has surely had his parvo shots and is probably clear from being able to get parvo.

AND, if the dog is already house trained.................BONUS!!!!!!!!!

[SWEETBREW]

my boy is 5 months now, and he is learning new things all the time!!!

[jas'smom]

5 Months is still a young pup We have many people here who have adopted dogs much older than that... Dogs are marvoulsy adaptable, with patience and training they can learn or unlearn just about anything.

[AngelBunny]

The only time, astrobajan5678, a Rottie is too old to learn is when the dog is dead.

Levity aside, this is a slow maturing breed. Males don't mature mentally and physically until about 3 yo; females, at about 2 yo.

The puppy is young and can learn whatever you wish to teach him or her.

[astrobajan5678]

Thank you all for your kind comments and advice on this matter, you have made up my mind to adopt the youngster. Although he will not be our first dog I have a feeling the learning (for us and him) is now to begin in ernest, and I will be back to let you know how we progress.

[debbiej]

I adopted 2 rotties. Hilda at 7-8 months, Boris at 18-24 months. The question for me was "Am I too old to learn?" Rotties are wonderfully intelligent, easy to train dogs, but they are not dogs to ignore or take ownership of lightly. Plan on enrolling in classes, it is invaluable. Depending on how the pup has been raised, he may have some catching up to do. How they view you is important, you have to be a fair, reasonable and consistant leader to these dogs.

[dogsbydoug]

We've got three here...one adopted at 10 months (now almost 7 yrs old), one adopted at 2 yrs (now 3 1/2), and the most recent addition will be 3 yrs old next month...

They are never too old to learn - I agree with AngelBunny - they are too old when they are dead. In fact, the most recent addition here is pure joy to train with - she learns quickly, works for praise...lots of fun. She was an owner surrender, so we knew her history and the routine here was a huge change from her previous home, but she adapted very quickly.

I prefer dogs older than 6-8 months due to my own personal work schedule. I don't have time for a young pup - yet...one day maybe, but not now.

I say go for it - as long as the pup fits your lifestyle - if you are a couch potato family and the pup is active or vice versa, you'll not be happy...remember, this is a possible 10+ year commitment.

[poohbearsmom]

The wonderful thing about a dog is that it's never too old to bond to you.

More important than age when deciding about a new dog is it's temperament.
Is the puppy/dog confident and social and easy going with you (a stranger at first)?

Does the puppy/dog have an interest in food (for ease of training) and toys (for ease of training)?

Was the pup/dog socialized well?

Does the pup/dog have environmental issues (sensitivity to sounds, movements, change of environment - from outdoors to in, and visa versa)?

Please refrain from bringing an overly shy dog into your home.

These are but a few of the important points to consider.

[gnwhite]

the old wives tell, "YOU CAN NEVER TEACH A OLD DOG NEW TRICKS" is utter nosense. puppies, young dogs, and older dogs can always learn.

you just have to be patience and consistant with your teachings. they just need you to show them what you expect from them. do your research on training and you and your pup will do fine.




norma

[MontanaRott]

We adopted an 8 year old INTACT male, who had been a yard dog, he now has one leg towards his CD, and this was a dog that came to us with tons of baggage, he just needed training, clear, fair rules, training a routine, and did I mention TRAINING?, just as this 5mo old will.

[TamieK]

My Lex was four months when I rescued her. She had no training, no discipline, she was just tied to a porch in a trailer park. She has been the easiest dog to work with. We bonded as I have never bonded with a dog. There will never be another dog like her. No, five months is a good age.

[dogsbydoug]

Originally Posted by astrobajan5678

Thank you all for your kind comments and advice on this matter, you have made up my mind to adopt the youngster. Although he will not be our first dog I have a feeling the learning (for us and him) is now to begin in ernest, and I will be back to let you know how we progress.

Yippee!!

One thing I would add - take him to the vet for a check up, and get into classes within 3-4 weeks of him joining your family.

With all of our dogs, fosters included - I let them just be dogs for a day or two when they first arrived, let them get used to the 'new house rules' before asking anything of them other than basic obedience that they already knew.

Keep us posted on his progress with you!