Important Developmental Stage: Giving Your Puppy the Right Start
The puppy goes through many different developmental phases from birth to adult dog. One of these phases is the developmental phase, which starts at 16 weeks of age and ends around seven months of age. This period brings new challenges and needs.
Up until now, you and your puppy have focused on your relationship, house training, environmental training, and socialization. Your puppy has learned a lot during the socialization period, and now it is time to let it all sink in. Your puppy's focus is turned from the outside world to an inner, more personal development.
Rest and recovery are important for your puppy
During the development phase, your puppy's activities should be carefully selected. Low stress levels and time to recover are essential. Your puppy needs personal and emotional development time, which requires peace and quiet. Getting dragged along too much or being subjected to too many impressions can stress your puppy. During this phase, the stress standard set in this stage of life can affect your dog as an adult.
A "trigger" sets off a stress reaction in your puppy. You don't want your puppy to experience too many or intense triggers too often. The triggers your puppy associates with stress can persist and also stress the adult dog.
Change and security: 16 weeks to 7 months
The developmental phase demands recovery time and is part of pre-puberty. Your puppy enters a hormonal development (half puberty) that can alter your puppy's emotional life, behaviors, and reactions. Therefore, you should adapt puppy life to give your little friend the right circumstances to ground a confident, secure, and harmonious adult dog.
Most problem behaviors (reactivity, fear, separation problems, unwanted chasing or biting, etc.) debut during this phase. Dog parents often don't understand what is happening with their puppy and how to handle it.
The puppy development period involves:
1. Boost security and start solitude training
Your puppy depends on his/her family. Bonds and trust are deepened, and your puppy will need you to become confident and secure. It is also essential to start with home-alone training.
2. limiting intense experiences for the puppy
Your puppy is very susceptible to triggers, and the influence of the environment is strong. Therefore, you do not want to expose your puppy to too many stressful experiences as they can easily be frightened/stressed. Do things in moderation!
3. Allow time for the puppy's identity development
Your puppy's awareness of his/her identity develops. Allow time for this to take place. Maybe cut back on socialization and environmental training. Your puppy is busy finding his/her core. By reading about the different stages of puppy maturity, you can get a better insight into what is normal during this time.
4. Keep activities moderate for future balance
Your dog's stress/activity level (for the rest of the dog's life) is influential during the development phase. So set your routines for activity, rest, and alone time you expect your grown dog to handle. Practice things you want in your adult dog: contact/compliance, leash work, recall, and invest in your relationship. Do not create high expectations around other people, environments, or dogs.
5. Use your puppy's increased desire to cooperate
The desire to cooperate increases. Use this to your advantage. Practice things that will be important in the future. This is also important to consider in the context of training tips for puppy owners to help you get off to a good start.
6. The influence of hormonal development on puppy behavior
Hormonal development is gaining momentum. It affects your puppy, who can seem more or less sensible from day to day.
7. Choose safe spaces for social development
Social development peak. Your puppy becomes aware of its social status and surroundings; some will test boundaries and try out different social roles. It's normal, so there's no need to make a big deal. But you may want to limit your puppy's social network during this period.
A few socially skilled dogs who can manage and develop your puppy's social skills are good. Your puppy doesn't need numerous canine companions and should not be allowed to greet unknown dogs when on a leash, as this can cause high expectations and stress around other dogs.
8. Practice calling and giving your puppy a role
The desire to hunt develops with curiosity. Therefore, it is time to practice recall and reward staying close to you in distracting environments. Use rewards of high value and vary them to keep motivation high.
During this phase, your puppy starts looking for a given role in your pack, so stay ahead of things and give your dog a rewarding job before one is taken.
9. Respect the integrity of the puppy when handling
Integrity develops and increases. The formerly socially open puppy may now frown upon being carried or claws being trimmed. Integrity has evolved, more or less, depending on breed and individual.
Your puppy needs to feel in control of him/herself - respect that. Don't create conflicts around healthcare and handling. Teach your puppy in a friendly way that your handling is safe. See Petlis training Fear-free handling. Respect, consent, and encouragement, short training sessions are the way to go.
Enjoy the phase you experience together
Don't see this life phase as something complicated. It is fun and developmental for both you and your puppy. You now set good routines and lay the critical foundation for your future together!
Written by: Sandra Tellström
Sandra is a dog psychologist and founder of Hundsteg, one of Sweden's largest training programs for dog trainers. She specializes in puppy development, pack management and behavioral therapy.
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