[Crazy Daisy]

Hi, my pup is now 5 months old. She is a good dog and there are no major problems. Just the usual things, nipping at clothing and hands, jumping up on people,eating everything she sees, general puppy stuff. thankfully, potty training is not an issue for us. My question for those who have raised puppies before (I haven't) is: what kind of behaviors does a dog "grow" out of, and what needs to be trained out? I have read everything there is, I am just looking for experiences. I realize most things will be a combination of both, but, for example, when people on the forum ask what kind of puppy they should get, they are very often told to adopt and older dog without all the puppy craziness(even coming from less than perfect circumstances),so what can I expect to start petering off, and when? Again, I have done my homework, I don't have a problem dog, she really is great and I am putting in a lot of effort,but just wondering if\when things will get a bit simpler. Thanks for any insights you guys can give me!

 

[juliemule]

With consistent training and maturity, comes good behavior. Seriously, it will improve, hang in there.

 

[hanksimon]

Only the bad behaviors stay with the dog as the pup matures

1. Teach the pup Bite Inhibition, b/c most people don't want a dog that playing by biting.
2. Continue to socialize the pup to other dogs and people, and the pup will mature into a calmer companion.
3. Depending on the breed, the dog will be less excitable in new circumstances and with new people. However, a little training helps.
4. A dog is usually more focused for training, and less dis tractable.
5. I have found that adult dogs tend to be cleaner and much more careful about house training than puppies.
6. A socialized dog has a more even temperament, not overly happy ... but not overly fearful.
7. Pups want to wander, dogs are more patient on walks.

And with the wrong environment, each of these may be reversed...

 

[doxiemommy]

I don't know if I'd ever count on "growing out of" the puppy problem behaviors. Some of them do decrease with age, naturally, it would seem. But, I'm not sure if it's really naturally growing out of them, or the fact that your hard work and training starts kicking in, and you start having more success.
For example, for us, the biting/nipping got better at about 4-5 months of age. It seemed like, BOOM, all of a sudden it was better. In retrospect, we put a lot of work into it, but the work started seeming like second nature, and not such a big deal, just part our routine, so that when the biting got better, it SEEMED to be out of nowhere, ya know?

So, I guess what I'm saying is, "growing out" of puppy behavior isn't really a guarantee....
Although, the one thing I'd say that does get better with age is the zoomies, and puppy craziness...

 

[Roloni]

. I realize most things will be a combination of both!

Thats basically what its all about...The puppy matures and your training skiils develop.
The puppy may make mistakes , and you might also make mistakes.

 

[Amaryllis]

Well, I don't think dogs really mature out if things on their own so much as they learn and with maturity come greater attention span and impulse control. Chewing everything in sight does tend to fade with age, but if you never taught the dog appropriate things to chew, ie, toys, you'll still get chewed up shoes, just not as many.

 

[gspcrazy]

Like others have already said, in my experience they don't magically grow out of it. The way I look at it is that as puppies, everything they are doing is testing the world around them to see what they should keep doing the rest of their lives. Eat something and get sick, don't eat it again. Get in the trash and find a big steak bone, keep doing that. They learn what they are taught, either by you, by another dog, or by some other experience. If you con't continue to consistently correct behavior that you want corrected, it is not likely to go away. Granted as they mature they go through stages and as they do, things start to "click". Is it maturation or did it just take 100 repetitions for them to get it? Who knows? Who cares? Same net result, a dog that behaves to your expectations.

Keep at it and enjoy the little victories. They add up and they pay off for years.