Considering survival rate and ease of training, puppies around three months old are more suitable

When raising a new dog for the first time, the most important concern is the puppy's survival rate. Some owners find that their puppy gets sick just a few days after bringing it home—this might be due to the puppy already having an illness or a stress reaction from the change in environment. Of course, it may also relate to the owner's care methods. Actually, for first-time dog owners, it is not very recommended to buy puppies that are too young. Generally, puppies around three months of age are more suitable for this group of people to raise.

1. Survival Rate

When puppies are born, they inherit some antibodies from their mother which help protect them from fatal diseases for a certain period after birth. This protection weakens after about one month, so vaccinations need to begin. By around three months, all vaccines are usually completed, and their bodies have developed corresponding antibodies. When a puppy moves to a new home, environmental changes can cause nervousness, irregular eating, and other forms of maladjustment. If the puppy's body is weak and it has not developed antibodies against fatal diseases, it is prone to deadly illnesses such as distemper and parvovirus. New dog owners often overlook these illnesses. Therefore, in terms of survival rate, puppies around three months old are more suitable for beginners to raise.

2. Feeding Difficulty

Puppies require different nutritional support and have varying digestive capacities at different stages. The younger the puppy, the more frequent the feedings needed. Two-month-old puppies need to eat four times a day, with small portions each time as they cannot control their intake—too much food causes indigestion and diarrhea, too little affects growth. After three months, puppies only need to eat three times daily. If you cannot come home at noon to feed it, it's usually fine if the meal is a little more or less. This makes feeding easier for owners without having to rush back daily at noon. Overall, feeding puppies older than three months is less demanding.

Puppies around three months old are generally more suitable for beginners to raise from all aspects

3. Closeness to Humans

Many people like raising puppies because they feel that the earlier the dog interacts with us, the easier it is to become close, and that adult dogs might be more aloof. Actually, this concern is unnecessary. Puppies at one or two months old have very weak memory of their owners, just like we can barely remember things from our own childhood. Dogs naturally feel very close and dependent on the first person who spends the most time with them, feeds them, and plays with them. Of course, it might be harder to quickly form this close relationship with an adult dog, but for three- to four-month-old puppies, they quickly recognize their owner, remember their own name, and understand they have a new home.

4. Training Difficulty

Very young puppies’ brains are not yet fully developed; training them too early is not good for their physical health and may be inefficient. Around three months, puppies’ intellectual development is more mature, and they learn new things quickly, making this an ideal stage for training. Therefore, there is no need to train puppies too early—choosing the right time is what matters most.