If you've ever owned a puppy you know they go through all different stages as they grow up, not only physically but mentally. Hormones are raging through them like a human teenage girl or boy, the things they do seem absolutely out of the blue, crazy, annoying and sometimes just plain rude. This guide will help you understand what to expect of your young puppy from age 8 weeks - 1.5 years.
Little Angel - 8 wks - 12 wks
A young puppy between this age should be exploring their home, playing with anything that moves and sleeping 90% of the day. This is the easy stage, the puppy that you always dreamed of, sure he/she may have accidents every now and again but it is pretty much well behaved and follows you everywhere.
Cute Angel - 13 wks - 5 months
This stage is when your puppy starts feeling quite comfortable with their living space, they don't sleep as much so they're drinking and eating more and therefor usually having accidents in the house. Baby teeth are wanting to come out around 4 months and this is where puppy's chew voraciously, it's very natural, they want to break the baby teeth out so the adult teeth can come in and soothe their sore gums.
This period is also known as the fear imprint period, this is where fears are developed or conquered. By bringing your puppy out to expose him or her to every sight, sound, touch and handling you are likely to have this puppy grow up into a well rounded dog. Now the imprint period doesn't start exactly at 13wks, nor end exactly at 5 months old, but it's right around in that time frame so it's best to get your pup out every day for short periods of time and encouraging curiosity not forcing. If you miss this period where the puppy needs to be exposed you definitely have a higher risk of your dog becoming aggressive and fearful -get the puppy out everywhere!
Little Demon - 6 months - 9 months
If you've had a puppy you know what I'm talking about :)
This stage is where your puppy's hormones really start raging, they are coming into adulthood and important things in life start changing from gently playing and following you everywhere to rough housing, ignoring you and taking out household items because they are unaware that they're not tiny anymore. Even with training you still do see much of the ignoring behaviour, it's natural, the dog's brain is telling him to do what his impulses say, "sniff, sniff.....you can bark......you can reach that counter now ect". It's important to not take what the dog is doing, personally because the dog is being a adolescent, he's not out to get you no matter how much it seems like it.
This age is when your training needs to be highly reinforced and clear cut rules need to be given to all humans in the household so they can all implement this to the dog. Bad behaviours stem from this age, this is the hardest stage of raising a puppy because they push our frustration to the limit.
You will have wonderful days where the puppy listens to your every cue and you will have days where the puppy doesn't know his or her name or who you are. Take a breather and hold on to your sanity that day...... it passes.
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Little Angel - 8 wks - 12 wks
A young puppy between this age should be exploring their home, playing with anything that moves and sleeping 90% of the day. This is the easy stage, the puppy that you always dreamed of, sure he/she may have accidents every now and again but it is pretty much well behaved and follows you everywhere.
Important training to be done: Bite inhibition training. Puppy must learn that putting their teeth on us hurts and is not accepted.
Cute Angel - 13 wks - 5 months
This stage is when your puppy starts feeling quite comfortable with their living space, they don't sleep as much so they're drinking and eating more and therefor usually having accidents in the house. Baby teeth are wanting to come out around 4 months and this is where puppy's chew voraciously, it's very natural, they want to break the baby teeth out so the adult teeth can come in and soothe their sore gums.
This period is also known as the fear imprint period, this is where fears are developed or conquered. By bringing your puppy out to expose him or her to every sight, sound, touch and handling you are likely to have this puppy grow up into a well rounded dog. Now the imprint period doesn't start exactly at 13wks, nor end exactly at 5 months old, but it's right around in that time frame so it's best to get your pup out every day for short periods of time and encouraging curiosity not forcing. If you miss this period where the puppy needs to be exposed you definitely have a higher risk of your dog becoming aggressive and fearful -get the puppy out everywhere!
Important training to be done: Handling exercises and confidence building. Puppy's must learn that being handled by humans is a good thing and scary things really aren't that scary.
If you've had a puppy you know what I'm talking about :)
This stage is where your puppy's hormones really start raging, they are coming into adulthood and important things in life start changing from gently playing and following you everywhere to rough housing, ignoring you and taking out household items because they are unaware that they're not tiny anymore. Even with training you still do see much of the ignoring behaviour, it's natural, the dog's brain is telling him to do what his impulses say, "sniff, sniff.....you can bark......you can reach that counter now ect". It's important to not take what the dog is doing, personally because the dog is being a adolescent, he's not out to get you no matter how much it seems like it.
This age is when your training needs to be highly reinforced and clear cut rules need to be given to all humans in the household so they can all implement this to the dog. Bad behaviours stem from this age, this is the hardest stage of raising a puppy because they push our frustration to the limit.
You will have wonderful days where the puppy listens to your every cue and you will have days where the puppy doesn't know his or her name or who you are. Take a breather and hold on to your sanity that day...... it passes.
Important training to be done: Impulse control training - this is very important at this age, your puppy is reacting to everything by impulse "that looks fun so I want to do it" and they go into tunnel vision (I like it to call it) they see what they want and they ignore everything else. Impulse games teach the dog to listen while in high arousal.
My Sweet Dog - 10 months - 1.5 yrs
This is where all the training starts to pay off, all those months of house training and obedience training all comes together and you're proud of what your dog has become, a well balanced and obedient pooch. Training at this age is enjoyable beyond belief, if you've been consistent with training since a young pup, your dog will love training and bonding with you and constantly learning new things.Yes they will still have their days "Every dog has his day" but don't look too much into it, be consistent with your rules and training and things smooth over quickly.
After 1.5 years old it's smooth sailing, you've set your dog up for the best possible life with you and your family, enjoy him or her and continue training until the last days of his or her life, they will love you for it.
"Training isn't just teaching, training builds a strong bond between dog & handler that is envied by many"
