Pet Pal Animal Shelter

It’s funny-what was adorable behavior in your puppy at six weeks, is downright annoying at 6 months. So what happened? Well, for lack of a better term, their “puppy license” expired. Puppies are given a puppy pass because well, frankly-they’re adorable. Nature is no fool- it does this for a reason. Then, sometime between 5 and 6 months, your dog begins to experience adolescence and you’re left asking, “Who is this monster and what have he done to my dog?” Suddenly, your dog won’t come when called or possibly he begins to exert his authority just a bit too much. Take a deep breath and realize that this is a normal part of your canine’s development and not a reason to surrender your pup to the nearest shelter. Our best teachers for how to deal with this actually comes from our adult dogs who understand this behavior and react accordingly. When dealing with puppies, an adult dog will tolerate an occasional gnawing of the ear or body slam but begins to set clear boundaries when this same behavior is exhibited by a slightly older, slightly larger dog. If you think about it, it’s not much different from how humans handle adolescence; a baby grabbing a fistful of hair will be tolerated more than a 12 year old doing the same act. This is mainly because they have developed the capacity to receive instruction on appropriate behavior. Because of this, clear consistent boundaries must be set and adhered to and, before you know it, that “little monster” has grown up to become your well behaved pal.

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