Bringing Home a new puppy to a household is one of the most rewarding experiences for a family. Whether your family includes curious children, active teenagers, or older adults, welcoming a puppy adds companionship, energy, and joy—when done thoughtfully Considering the puppy’s needs for training, supervision, exercise, and social interaction ensures that everyone in your home, from the youngest to the oldest, has a positive and safe experience. When considering to bring home a new puppy to a household with adult family members or children, it is important to understand the unique character traits of each family member while assessing their future relationship with your new puppy. With a little bit of upfront research and planning, you’ll be off to a good start in selecting the best dog breed for your household.
Step 1. Choose the puppy companion that best fits your household
When bringing home a puppy to families with children or older adult family members, selecting the right breed, size, and temperament is essential. Energetic, playful puppies may thrive in a home with active children, while calmer, low-maintenance breeds can be a better match for seniors or a multi-generational household. Consider your family’s daily routine, activity levels, and the amount of supervision you can ensure the puppy integrates smoothly and everyone enjoys a safe, joyful experience.
Although all puppies (and even adult dogs) are cute and amazing in their own unique way, you can set yourself up for greater success by being selective about whom you bring home. You will want to think about each of your family members and make a list of their unique wants and needs. You can also use this time to brainstorm what behaviors and characteristics each person may need from your puppy. Some examples include needs for size, breed, and even age.
What grown-size dog is right for your family?
Size: If you have children in your home, their age and maturity will likely determine your ideal size of dog. For example, if you have young children, it might be safest to get a medium-sized dog; smaller dogs might get accidentally injured by children, whereas larger dogs can knock kids down or be less safe if they end up having behavior problems or are less tolerant of children than expected.
Similarly, the physical needs of any older adults in your home should be taken into consideration. For example, you may want to avoid large or very strong dogs breeds, which can pull an older adult off their feet during a walk or accidentally knock someone over, both of which hare common reasons for injuries to adults (Willmott et al., 2012). However, you may also not want a tiny dog who frequently needs to be picked up if your older family member has trouble leaning over or squatting.
What dog breed is right for your family?
Breed: Although you cannot accurately predict the behavior of an individual dog, you can stack the deck in your favor by researching different breeds for their typical characteristics. This can help you determine average size, lifespan, and typical behavioral repertoires. For example, herding dogs have a tendency, on average, to chase and even nip at running objects (Coppinger & Schneider, 1995). Given that young children tend to run around a lot, herding dogs and children can sometimes be a problematic combination.
Some breeds are known for their heavy daily stimulation needs, which may be prohibitive for your family. For example, Belgian Malinois and border collies generally to require a lot of stimulating activities throughout their day in order to meet their energetic and social needs; families who are unable to meet those needs may experience problem behaviors stemming from boredom and frustration, such as chewing, hyperactivity, barking, and other unwanted behaviors.
Further, some breeds are believed to have more challenging socialization needs than others based on their biology. Specifically, one study found that German shepherds have a shorter socialization window than Cavalier King Charles spaniels and Yorkies (Morrow et al., 2015), meaning that owners of German shepherds need to provide as much socialization as early as possible to increase their dogs’ social skills. There are other factors to consider when choosing the right dog breed for your family, including lifestyle, environment, and experience level.
What dog age is right for your family?
Age: Puppies tend to have lots of energy – are your family members ready and accepting of that, or will they be overwhelmed when your puppy gets the zoomies? Will their skin be able to hold up to puppy teeth, which can be incredibly sharp and accidentally yet easily damage the typically thinner skin of older adults. If you have seniors in your home with bleeding disorders or very thin skin, note that puppies tend to be mouthier than older dogs and are more likely to break skin with their mouthing (Waite et al., 2021). Many homes do well with puppies, but adolescent, adult, and senior dogs can be just as rewarding! Did you know Puppies.com is not just for finding a puppy? There are many young-adult dogs, middle-aged dogs, and senior adult dogs listed on Puppies.com, and searching for them is easy using the “advanced search” tools on the website.
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Step 2. Get buy-in from all family members early when bringing home a new puppy
When adding a puppy or dog to the household, it is critical that everyone in the household is on the same page regarding which puppy to get, the roles and responsibilities of family members, and communication plans.
Consider the roles and responsibilities of each family member
The puppy will have numerous daily needs, and everyone in the family must agree on who will provide what and when. When hashing out roles and responsibilities, first develop a list of puppy needs and a daily schedule – this can help each family member see where they can pitch in.
Who will be responsible for feeding the puppy within the family?
The puppy will most likely need to eat several times throughout the day, go on walks, get taken outside to potty very often (more often than you think!), encouraged to take several naps, engage in play time, and also engage in training. Who’s going to perform which tasks, and on which days? Who’s the backup? Do your best to ensure that everyone is being realistic about what they can offer on a regular basis.
Who will be responsible for exercising and training the new puppy within the family?
It can be fun to match the needs of each family member with the needs of the puppy. For example, studies show that interacting with dogs can motivate people to be more physically active (Martins et al., 2023). Therefore, perhaps your senior family members are enthusiastic about exercising or playing with the puppy, as this can offer fun ways for them to be more physically active, engage in stretching activities, and even get some strength training in, such as through tug games.
Consider regular check-ins with family members to assess roles and responsibilities and trade puppy stories
Once you’ve decided on roles, think about also scheduling weekly or bi-weekly family check-ins so that issues can be addressed quickly, members can communicate whether their roles are or are not working for them, and everyone can come together to share funny stories but also provide emotional support for each other. Consistent check-ins will ensure that everyone feels supported and is getting their needs met, including the new pup.
Step 3. Support your family and puppy’s needs by identifying building a support network made of critical supplies, equipment, and external support
Based on the unique needs of your family members (generated in Step 1), spend some time listing ways you can make life with a puppy even better or easier for everyone. This can include identifying which supplies best support your lifestyle and your puppy’s needs, which behaviors might be important to train into your pup early, and whether there are external support services you can tap into.
Having the right puppy starter supplies and equipment can set up your family for success
Having the right supplies can make life so much easier! Let’s say that you have a family with a lot of time constraints or disabilities which prohibit long walks – in this case, you know that a puppy is unlikely to go on a lot of walks.
You can increase the odds that your puppy’s energetic needs are met by purchasing toys which can help compensate; things like food dispensing toys, snuffle mats, and tug toys can all go a long way toward using your pup’s energy.
Also, purchasing a good crate and some baby gates or x-pens can increase the likelihood that your puppy will get their daily required naps while simultaneously staying out of trouble.
Seek out external, supplemental support when needed to support your family’s puppy rearing capabilities
It’s common for families to supplement with external support for their puppy, so think through what support you may need before your puppy comes home. For example, some dogs’ coats require professional-level grooming, even if their owners brush them daily.
Dogs will also need their nails trimmed every few weeks, and some families are up for the challenge, whereas other families may want to use a groomer for maintenance nail trims, which is perfectly fine! You can also look at your family’s schedule and determine whether there are gaps in the day where no one can let the puppy out to play and potty, in which case you may want to find a dog walker or sitter.
Another common support is the use of a professional dog trainer. If you have seniors or children in your home, you may want to think up what behaviors are acceptable, unacceptable, and necessary for your new puppy. For example, it’s best if dogs sit politely instead of jumping up on children or seniors. Another example is that children will often leave toys or clothes lying around, which may be tempting for the puppy to pick up, so teaching a good “drop it” is really important.
Once you’ve made this behavior list, think carefully about whether you are experienced enough to properly train the puppy using positive reinforcement techniques or whether you will benefit from taking a group puppy training class and/or get private lessons. (I’ll let you in on a secret – even dog behavior professionals still take their puppies to puppy classes!) Here is a great page for How to Choose a Dog Trainer by Dr. Zazie Todd.
Final Thoughts
It’s important to think through the needs and roles of all family members involved, including the new puppy. And never be afraid to get creative or go back to the drawing board. If you initially thought you wanted a high-energy breed but don’t have enough family support for that endeavor, you can always go back to Step 1 and rethink your choice of puppy or you can figure out a stronger support network to help you. Whatever you decide, remember that your goal is likely to increase the amount of joy in your multi-generational family while keeping everyone safe and supported.
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References
Coppinger, R., & Schneider, Ri. (1995). Evolution of working dogs. In J. Serpell & P. Barrett (Eds.), The Domestic Dog: Its Evolution, Behaviour and Interactions with People (Vol. 1–Book, Section, p. 30). CUP.
Martins, C. F., Soares, J. P., Cortinhas, A., Silva, L., Cardoso, L., Pires, M. A., & Mota, M. P. (2023). Pet’s influence on humans’ daily physical activity and mental health: A meta-analysis. Frontiers in Public Health, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1196199
Morrow, M., Ottobre, J., Ottobre, A., Neville, P., St-Pierre, N., Dreschel, N., & Pate, J. L. (2015). Breed-dependent differences in the onset of fear-related avoidance behavior in puppies. Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research, 10(4), 286–294. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jveb.2015.03.002
Waite, M. R., Harman, M. J., & Kodak, T. (2021). Frequency and animal demographics of mouthing behavior in companion dogs in the United States. Learning and Motivation, 74, 101726. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lmot.2021.101726
Willmott, H., Greenheld, N., & Goddard, R. (2012). Beware of the dog? An observational study of dog-related musculoskeletal injury in the UK. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 46, 52–54. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2011.10.004
