Puppy’s First Year

Puppy’s First Year

Written by Lori Miller Co-founder of Animal Behavioral Consultants

 

You have a brand new member to your family and even though you have not known each other very long from the moment you first held that adorable little ball of fur and it licked your face and fell asleep in your arms, you started planning all of the amazing things you and your new baby are going to do. But before you get frustrated and start regretting your new pal you need to know that like human children puppies will go thru developmental stages. Obedience is not achieved overnight . Training starts when you pick up your pup and progresses in stages , and like human children your puppy needs to embark on this journey of learning slowly and in age appropriate stages. It takes two ( YES TWO) years of patience and consistency on your part to have a fully trained dog. But I assure you that if you stay patient , and consistent you will have a happy companion that will give you back ,in its lifetime 100% Loyalty, love and obedience daily.

You have brought home the new puppy , and cant wait to start training it. But wait before you do you should know that like a human child you need to be patient and not over estimate your puppies ability to know what it should be doing. If your expecting your puppy to know all it needs to know, to be a welcomed addition to your home ,without your help and guidance, think again. Expecting without Directing is a recipe for disaster, and not understanding your pups learning limits can also bring about frustration and not only damage your pet /owner relationship but can create huge behavior issues in your puppy as it develops into adulthood. Slow and steady wins the race . You cant rush the development of your puppy so try to enjoy its puppy hood, have fun but be prepared so that you can go thru the learning stages with little to no frustration, and be able to really enjoy all the time you will be spending with your dog. Each dog develops differently and some breeds are known for quicker or slower development time, but most breeds develop as follows.

 

8-12 Weeks- Infancy- This is when they are ready to leave mom and the other pups and start becoming a member of your family. This is the stage where they seem  to sleep alot and explore their world. Everything is new to them and they want to know all about everything they come in contact with. how it smells , tastes, can they eat it?, play with it?, what sounds can it make?.  Remember puppies don’t have hands so they use their mouths to do most of their exploring so while its important to allow some mouthing you need to say when enough is enough to promote your puppies respect of skin. This is not the time to formally train your pup, but you can start praising when your pup does something good, put a name to sit ,down,wait,and no bite. Start setting a schedule, try not to interact with the puppy during times you wont always be home (work hours,sleeping) . Set feeding and pottying schedules . Your pup can’t be housebroken yet ,but puppies like routine, and this will help in housebreaking later on your pup wont really start housebreaking until 4-6 months but what you do now sets the routine and lets your pup know what you want so when its physically ready it can hold it until you let it out or until it gets to the we we pad, You can guide your pup by redirecting behaviors you don’t like into ones you do, then praise, praise, praise…Your puppy does not know right from wrong at this stage and you should never reprimand it . It may look guilty or ashamed like it knows, but that is really only a response brought about by fear and confusion as to why you are unhappy with it.

 

12-16 weeks the terrible two’s- This is one of the times you know why a person would just drop off a puppy on a doorstep or at the local shelter. Your little darling will now nip at you with ultra sharp teeth , destroy all in its reach with gusto, jump on everyone, and everything , and act like some crazed beast. This is where the patience we spoke about comes in. That little scamp has no clue what it is doing is anything but fun, and it is really a natural stage in its development . You puppy is not trying to drive you to the breaking point, its just practicing natural skills it would need if it where roaming the woods with its ancestors . (Yes even the tiniest toy dog is descended from wolves, and has instinct to practice normal dog behavior) This is when a behaviorist can help you understand the reason for all of these so called bad behaviors and help you to redirect your puppy. At this stage training should be more like a game. Keeping the sessions short, and fun. Your pup may not always want to participate, but again this is setting important ground work for later learning and is not meant to frustrate . If you loose your cool around your puppy it will not only cause fear but can have your puppy see you as weak and unable to lead . This will cause you huge problems in your pups next developmental stage.

 

6-9 months – PUBERTY- Not unlike puberty in human “TWEENS” Your pup will be testing authority, and trying to figure out who is in charge, Your pup will try running off for hours and to establish itself in the family, it will also challenge guests who come into your home. Again this is a important stage for your dogs development and they must go thru it. Try to keep your pup on lead and confined for its safety and sign up for puppy classes to socialize, and to start training commands to your pup. Also talk to your vet if you have not done so yet about spaying or neutering your pet .

 

9-12 Months- Angst Ridden Teen- You can see the light at the end of the tunnel . At this point your pup should be housebroken , and enrolled in a class, or part of a social group. Devoted, and well-behaved , well most of the time. Your puppy will look like and adult , and act like an adult ,but still show you glimpses of the pup still inside.

 

1-2 Years – The young adult- This is where you are going to see a calmer and if you have done your stages of development a well behaved dog. It is important to continue with working on your commands and to continue getting out and allowing your dog to socialize with your guidance . Your sessions should no long be like school but more about reinforcing all your dog has learned by using the commands in day to day life.

Your dog is now a loving ,loyal and obedient member of your home, and you should be proud of the work you put into raising him .

 

Remember to keep in contact with your veterinarian for regular health check ups, follow his guidelines for inoculations , feeding and parasite protection. Consult with a professional trainer and behaviorist as you would with a human child’s teacher. We are here to help and give you the information and training tools you need to get the most out of your dog, as well as support and guidance to reassure you when things seem tough and your not sure if what your doing is correct. But most of all have fun with your dog, After all what is a companion and friend for.