needs opinions on a 13 week puppy verses a 20 week puppy

[cvk]

After a year of research and preparing, we are getting a cavalier puppy!! We are in contact with two breeders and actually have to decide between a 20 week old puppy and a brand new 13 week old puppy. This is our first dog and we have two very gentle girls ages 4 and 6. They are animals lovers but my 6 year old can be timid. My four year old is less timid, but very gentle and loving.


The pros in the 20 week old is that the breeder tells me that the pup is crate trained and housebroken "in general". This seems like a great benefit to me! The con is that we will miss out on that adorable new puppy stage, and I'm not sure I want to miss this. However, if those first few weeks are REALLY difficult, this might be a benefit.

Would love to hear thoughts and opinions on this.

[Nalu]

I would choose based on the personality of the puppy and choose a gentle one compatible with your girls. Does one stand out to you? Can you spend some time getting to know each one better? Do you know why the five month puppy is still available? Did it have health problems?

[Karlin]

With children that young I would not hesitate even for a nanosecond to say go for the older puppy. You are really only missing out on the hardest element of care and housetraining!!! and when the puppy is most at risk because so small. Puppies are a *massive* amount of work for the the first 6 months in particular but rally for the whole first year -- the equivalent of adding a toddler to your house for the next year -- do not underestimate how much work lies ahead (and also constant management around small children -- pup must have a pen that he/she can gp to for time outs away from kids, pup should never ever be carried and picked up by small children, and an adult needs to always be there when there are small children/dog interactions -- there are some great links on kids and dogs/puppies on the trainer websites I have pinned in the training section, and also the kids and cavaliers post also pinned there).

Even at 20 weeks a puppy is still very young and any help you have on housetraining by the breeder will -- believe me -- be a godsend. You will still have a huge amount of daily work ahead though!! Hence: go for the 20 week old!

[Mindysmom]

I would agree with Karlin 100%. I adore puppies and love every moment of puppy training myself - BUT when you have young kids at home (mine are grown) that is just one more demand on your time. I remember those days with young kids very well and you are already busy. At 20 weeks the pup will still have all of the puppy energy and fun but being at least partially potty trained will be a HUGE bonus.

[Reptigirl]

There are benefits of an older puppy but they can also have cons...

The older the puppy the more "habits" it will have picked up. That can be great with training and housebreaking but can be bad if the breeder did not instill behaviors you will be happy with. You still have lots of time to train your dog but behaviors can be harder to "untrain" if the dog has already learned it.

Aside from age I would consider the heath status of the parents. For example....if one breeder has parents & grand parents heart clear over the age of 5 and the other breeder only has the parents heart clear at 3 years old the decision would be simple for me. I would go with the parents heart clear over the age of 5. Or if one breeder MRI scans and one doesn't I would go with the scanning breeder.

[eg93]

I would say go visit both and find the pup that is the best fit for your family. Don't worry about the 20 week old puppy being older and being afraid to miss out on a few puppy weeks. I think Cavalier puppies mature slower than other breeds. There is definitely benefits and cons to each age and I think it is really up to you to decide!

[lucidity]

At 20 weeks I doubt the pup would've picked up that many bad habits. And if it has, it can be easily fixed. I got my pup at exactly 5 months old--her previous owners had neglected to crate train or potty train her properly. It was a mess--she would do her business everywhere, and hated being in the crate. After a couple of weeks' worth of training though, she did really well. She hasn't had a potty accident in about 2 weeks now--pretty great for a 6 month old!

I would choose the 20 week old too, especially if I've got a full time job or young kids. 13 week olds are much harder to train because they have very short attention spans and their bladder is about the size of a pea (LOL), and you cannot take your eyes off the pup for even a second.

I got my first dog at 11 weeks old, and it was a LOT of work! If I had a lot of time on my hands I would pick the younger puppy, but with other commitments, an older puppy would be good. You really aren't missing out on much--just photo ops but then again you'll be so busy, you probably won't have that much time to take that many pictures anyway.

Cavaliers act like puppies for a long time anyway! I've known 1 year olds who still act like 5 month olds.

[JessieAndMe]

I have to agree. If both pups are pretty much the same in temperament and you have the choice, I would rehome the 20 week old.
A young puppy is tremendous work and having small kiddies, it'll be far easier on the family and he's at that age still where he is really
active and will play and interact with the kids.

We bought our puppy home at 7 weeks, and although we adore him and it's been really precious watching as he grows (he is now 17
weeks), it's been trying at times and tiring. At 20 weeks, he is still a puppy and the kids will enjoy him so much more. JMHO.

[Cathy T]

No hesitation here...I'd go with the 20 week old assuming personalities, etc match up. 20 weeks is still very much a puppy but you'll only miss the difficult parts of puppyhood and with 2 young children in the house I think this would be a better choice.

[Love my Cavaliers]

I brought Riley home when she was 11 months old. I got all of my other three when they were 12 weeks old and I have to say that Riley was so easy and I don't regret for a moment not experiencing her puppyhood. Puppyhood is so time consuming and you have to be so vigilant. It can be exhausting at times, especially if you have young children too. That doesn't mean that it's not fun too. But, I would go for the older one. You're not missing out on much, 20 weeks is still not that old. But go look at both and see what their personalities are like. You may find that you like one better than the other. I happen to like a more laid back dog, some prefer a more lively dog. It's just preference. Let us know what you decide.