Maturity at different ages

What are you thinking?????

I don't know how many times I have thought this about my dogs. It seems like just when they get something down pat, some alien swaps out their brain for another untrained dog. This occurs regularly in puppyhood, and occasionally in adult dogs...mostly due to uncommon distractions.

I have found 2 ages of puppyhood to be the most trying on my patience. These occur at about 4 months of age, and also around 6 to 8 months of age. I always said if you can get through these phases (and YES, they ARE just phases...they will go away) you will have the dog you wanted. Wait...let me add to that...If you can get through these phases with PATIENCE, CONSISTENCY, and TRAINING you will have a good dog.

Around 4 months of age, we notice puppies starting to feel more independent. They are exploring and getting into anything they can find-good and bad. This age bracket is similar to a toddler. It is imperative to keep a close eye on your pup during this time! Although for the first few weeks or months you may have developed the impression that you have the most well-behaved puppy out there, and they never go too far from you, you will soon be surprised and possibly dismayed at how adventurous your little one is becoming. The chewing generally gets worse, partially due to the exploring and also because this is around the time most pups start teething. Be sure to have PLENTY of different toys, of different textures, and stimulate your pup to play with them by interacting. If you leave your pup to their toys hoping they will entertain themselves you are running the high risk of your pup getting bored, and moving on to shoes, furniture, kids' toys, and other items which are not only frustrating to you but could be very dangerous to your pup. This is also a time when we see a regression in potty training. Your pup's adventurous nature will guide them towards new and fun things and not towards remembering to go out...until it is too late. I like to keep a leash on my puppy if I don't have them in their crate and am not actively playing or training with them. I will hold the leash, or attach it to my person, and limit the amount of space my puppy has. This will help avoid finding your puppy in the corner with a forbidden object or a mess to clean up.

We see a lot of 8 to 14 months old dogs in rescue. This is when the dog is labeled "not good with children", "not good with other pets (especially dogs)", "very sweet but needs a strong leader". These things are NOT EXCLUSIVE TO RESCUE DOGS!!!!! Every dog goes through a period when he or she is trying out their budding maturity. It is commonly known as the teenager phase. Hormones are changing, drives and instincts are kicking in, and in many cases the dogs are not given the proper guidance through this challenging time. It is important that we, as leaders, realize why these behaviors are suddenly appearing and respond to them correctly. The most important way to deal with these behaviors is to remain consistent in your training. You may have to back up the level a bit by reducing distractions to help your dog succeed at the exercise, but do not give in to the "out of mind" experience your dog is displaying. Training can be very frustrating at this time, and it is a good idea to shorten training sessions and have more of them throughout the day. Also realize the behaviors you have chosen to be acceptable and continue to reinforce them, while correcting unacceptable behaviors.