Everybody wants a puppy. Puppies are so cute! Typically, when we get puppies, we get them in the sweet, moldable phase between 8-10 weeks old. At this age, puppies want to make you happy. They follow you, they are so much fun! Potty training, kennel training, starting obedience. All good things. When teething starts, the velociraptor stage, that's usually when I get phone calls first. HELP!!! My once sweet puppy is biting everything! Well yes. Puppies go through teething just like kids do. When they are losing their puppy teeth and getting adult teeth in, that can be a challenging time. The good news is that most puppies outgrow the biting once their adult teeth come in.
Now. It's important to remember, that this cute little tiny puppy, will some day be an adult dog. They grow FAST! It's really important that you instill the habits in your puppy that you want as an adult dog. So, if you don't want that adorable little lab puppy jumping on your chest and licking your face as a 100 lb dog, I suggest you set those boundaries now, while your puppy is young. If you don't want your cuddly great dane puppy taking up your whole bed, I suggest you set that precedent now.
Puppies will go through stages of development, much like kids do. They go through two fear phases - one somewhere in 12-16 weeks, and a second one somewhere in 11-16 months. They go through teething around 5 months old. They go through adolescence where they test EVERYTHING you have taught them up until this point. They don't actually grow into their adult brains and become sexually mature until they are around 2 1/2 years old. Most dogs are rehomed around a year old because they become so ornery - much like pre teen kids do. Stick with it. Keep training and working. The time you put in now will produce great results.
The best piece of advice I can give people - limit freedom as a puppy so you can give more as an adult. If you give all the freedom in the world to a puppy, they learn to chew carpet, they pee and poop in the house, bark at everything, dig holes in the back yard, push the other dogs in the household around, they will continue to do that as an adult dog. If you set rules and boundaries now, stick with your crate training, keep a leash on your puppy, supervise like a hawk, stick to your rules and boundaries, your puppy will grow up to be the adult dog you want them to be. START NOW! DON'T WAIT! That's why I help owners with puppies so much. I WANT you to be successful. Starting off right is so important!
If you need some place to start with training, check out my YouTube Channel (Linked below)! It's FREE advice! I started it with my puppy, Peter, to help people that needed it. I hope it helps you! Thanks for stopping by my blog. Happy Training!
Johanna Kumm
Follow Me K9 Training
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