I recently spent a bit of time at my local animal shelter. From time to time I like to go walk around and check out what dogs are there and see who’s been adopted out and bring in donations. It’s no surprise that all the puppies go quickly but there are also boomerang puppies. The puppies that get adopted and returned because the owner didn’t expect that cute little fur baby to be so much work. The challenges to puppy raising are undeniable but there is also a great benefit. Raising a puppy requires a lot of patience and consistency but the advantage is that you can shape your dog from the beginning of it’s life before it develops any real behavioral issues. The pay off is huge because you can start out teaching good habits and begin correcting unwanted behaviors immediately.  I am not advocating adopting puppies over adult dogs. Both need homes and both can be excellent companions. There are also benefits to adopting adult dogs as you can skip the potty training (in most cases) and puppy nipping. Some adult dogs don’t have any baggage and for those who do I believe 95% of that stuff is fixable through behavior modification. As for the puppy raisers who are frustrated and confused don’t loose heart. There is help out there. The puppy stage does not last forever. If you are willing to put in the work you can shape a great dog. 🙂