Which is better to adopt -- a pup or a 2 year old dog?

Need more informations on the dogs. For example, is the 2 year old dog house trained? If not it may be more difficult. Does he have good social skills? What breed is he? We can't comment on their personality, behaviour wise and training if we don't know this information for both dogs.

I think the two year old dog. They will not be so wild and they may be harder to train, but they will probably already be housebroken. Also, a puppy from a shelter is more likely to get adopted than a two year old dog.

It depends on what you want really but personally i think that getting a dog from a puppy is better then getting an older dog because you don't really know what the behaviour is like of that dog plus it is much easier to train a dog when its younger then when it gets old. Also for me you really get a bond with a dog when you have it from a puppy and get to watch it grow up. I have a husky and i love her to bits and i have had her from a pup and now shes a mummy lol.

A long time ago, I adopted several dogs and they were fantastic. Way back, there were fewer dogs available for adoption and they were only available if they had roamed or if their owner had died. Now as an experienced dog owner I would be reluctant to adopt an older dog. Unfortunately because idiots and kids can buy a puppy cheaply from a BYB, often these puppies are abused ad uncared for. It is a sad fact of life that a large % of these dogs develop mental problems. If you have never owned a dog, coping with an older dog which has had a miserable past could be too much for you to cope with. Opt for a puppy without baggage.

The older dog would have more trouble getting adopted. Everybody loves puppies! This older dog may be a real sweetie! Spend a little time with it. See if its trained and friendly. Though, the puppy you can train yourself. And you may have a closer bond with. Im scared of dogs because I was bit when I was very young. Ive recently grown attatched to a dog we adopted who was fully grown. His previous owners beat him so hes really scared of people. I feel like we share that connection and bonds us closer. So it all depends on you and the dog.

No one can tell you how much work a pup is until you own one. If you have never owned one, be prepared for play biting. All puppies play bite and some play bite at least occasionally for a year. Puppies don't come prehousebroken. You will take your dog out to pee- you will stay out for 20 minutes- the dog will not pee- you will come back inside and the dog will pee on the floor before you get the front door closed. This will happen more than once. I have raised several pups and adopted several grown dogs- I definitely think an adult is easier and it is easier to assess the adult personality to see what kind of dog you will have, how friendly he is with strangers, etc. If you are lucky, the adult dog will already be housebroken. Adults might need training but it will be at least as easy as training a pup, maybe more so. Pups are a lot of fun but the play-biting can get tiresome. If you don't have a lot of dog experience, I would pick and adult and get him from a good rescue who does some temperament testing and try to get one that was fostered in a home so they can tell you all about how he reacts to other animals, kids etc.

depends on how much training the 2 year old has depends on how much time and training you can spend on a puppy depends on the dog, does he have bad habits of marking?

well most people get puppies because of the cuteness factor. if you get the 2 year old, it will still bond with you and you wont have to deal with the late night crying and potty training.

I don't know, are both house-trained? The two year old would probably be a bit calmer, but the 9 week old, you could train him yourself. If you train him, you can make sure he is good with people and any pets in your house from a young age. Two year olds are pretty flexible though, still trainable! Individual dogs will act differently, they have their own personalities. So see each pup, ask about their past. See which one has a better temperament and is in good health.