Growth phases of your Cobberdog puppy

As your Cobberdog puppy grows and develops it will go through many stages. After you take your new little puppy home you may be surprised, frustrated or even freaked out at the behavior he/she is exhibiting. In this article I will lay out the different growth phases of your Cobberdog puppy, and hopefully it can be a reference for you to fall back on when you are not sure why your puppy is acting the way it is. It’s important to remember that a lot of the puppies misbehavior can be distasteful and obnoxious, but you are the person that must lead him to the proper ways of behaving.

Foundation – Three to Eight Weeks

At this stage between three and eight weeks it is important that they are with the litter, and mom is close at hand, so they always have a secure place to retreat to if they are frightened or startled by the great unknown. Sometimes training problems in dogs can be attributed to removing puppies from the litter to early, so being with the litter for eight to ten weeks is important. Your puppies mother starts by building the foundation. It starts from day one during the nursing process and ends around eight weeks when the puppy is weened from mother. At the very beginning they quickly learn to efficiently compete with their siblings for a place at the dinner table, mother lets them compete and keeps them clean and warm. By around three weeks of age they find their legs and start to venture out of the nest into their surrounding environment. The first lessons they learn are specific patterns of dog behavior.

Several of these are:

• different postures, what they mean, and how they affect their mother and litter mates.
• how to establish and maintain social relationships with other dogs.
• what barking and other vocalizations mean and how to use them.
• how to bite and what it feels like to be bit.

By around five weeks, vocalization and tempered dog manners are learned. Puppies learn how to be submissive to the pack leader as well as refine their posturing, vocalization, and acceptable interaction behaviors. During this phase their mother may growl, snap or snarl at unacceptable behavior, and with a few very clear signals, the young puppy learns quickly. At this point, miss behaviors are swiftly corrected by a glare or low growl from the mother. This is all happening at the same time as litter mates are learning to clearly communicate with each other.

Socialization – Seven to Twelve Weeks (First fear and imprint period)

This period lasts from around seven to twelve weeks and is characterized by rapid learning that will have a lasting impact on your Cobberdog puppies life. Dogs that are denied socialization (with humans and other dogs) during this critical period can become fearful and aggressive, making it hard to predict their behavior. Its during this time that your dog needs lots of positive experiences , and is introduced to many new situations. This will continue the process his mother, and we as breeders started for your puppy becoming a happy, well adjusted dog.

Starting at seven weeks your puppy will experience:

• short attention span.
• learning will be permanent.
• eagerness to learn.
• temperament and personality will blossom
• educators will transition from its mother to us humans.

By eight weeks the puppy enters what we call the imprinting stage, and this period lasts until roughly eleven weeks. During this phase traumatic, painful, or frightening experiences can have lasting implications for your Cobberdog puppy. Introduce your puppy to new experiences, and environments. Provide confidence for your puppy by being confident yourself and make the experiences as positive as possible for your puppy. Don’t push your puppy to hard into situations that are fearful, but gradually get him used to and adjust to the situation he finds fearful. This will help your puppy you are there to protect and lead, and he will trust you and want to go where you go and do what you are interested in.

Who will lead? – Cobberdog puppy growth phase Twelve to Sixteen Weeks

The puppy has been in your home now for a few weeks. She has been watching you and the family very closely. She is picking up on your behaviors and reactions. She is learning the pecking order of the pack. As she observes and learns, she will then attempt to figure out where exactly she stands in the pack order and to also see if moving up in the pack will work. She has learned where the weaknesses of her hierarchy are and will start at the bottom and try to move up the pack.

At this stage of puppy development:

• Puppy will question authority.
• Puppy will try to move himself up in the pack order.
• Puppy will try to dominate.
• Puppy will grab and chew leashes.
• Puppy will try to dictate what activities happen and when.
• Puppy may bite on you.
• Puppy can often become over excited.
• Puppy may growl.

To deal with these changes of behavior, you must learn how your actions and body language communicate to your dog. Do not play aggressive games like tug or wrestling during this phase. If puppy becomes over excited, growls or mouths or bites you, stop all activity. Be aware of how the puppy interacts with children and attend when children interact with the puppy. Enroll your puppy in a puppy class to redirect some of the energy. Look at the whole family’s interactions and corrections and ensure that all are consistent and clear. Your puppy will quickly learn if the front is unified and the rules for him are the same everywhere in the home. You and the other humans in the house are at the top, and if you establish firm boundaries as the puppies mother did, he will obey and love you for it.

Flight to Independence – Cobberdog Puppy Growth phase Four to Eight Months

Your cute little puppy has been following you around for weeks now. He has been aware of where you are and stays pretty close. During this period that same cute little puppy will decide that he is ready to go solo and take off running quicker than lightening. Teaching the puppy, in this phase, that he must stay close by or come when called is critical. The failure to do this will result in a dog that will not be reliable to come or to stay close by as an adult and very well could lead the dog into a life or death situation.

At this phase of development:

• Your puppy will become more independent.
• If he/she would previously never go very far, now will start to venture off.
• The puppy will ignore commands to stay close or come.
• How you handle being ignored, and refusal to come or stay will affect future reliability off leash.
• Puppy will be clever in getting his/her way, and attempt to run around loose whenever it has an opportunity.

There are a bunch of ways to deal with this kind of behavior. First of all, keep your Cobberdog puppy leashed all of the time they are not in a confined area. Let me say this again, Do not allow dog loose in an unconfined area. Being off leash outside of a confined area is for puppies/dogs who have been well trained. Enroll in a training class that teaches positive and balanced training techniques. We have found Baxter and Bella (order code AL25) a valuable online training resource, if you cannot get your puppy enrolled in a physical training class. Reinforce and continue to train your puppy “come”. Make coming a very positive experience by using lots of praise and some treats.

Adolescence – Cobberdog Puppy Growth phase Seven to Ten months

This is one of the most difficult times for first time puppy owners. They are so surprised when their puppy turns into a “Terror”. This often is a time when many families start to worry that maybe they made a bad decision in getting a dog. You will get what you put into it. If you take the time right now, to teach good habits, you will have the dog you always dreamed of for many years. This work will payoff.

At this stage of Cobberdog puppy development:

• The puppy will become a free and independent thinker.
• The puppy will continue to review the pack order.
• The puppy will be very energetic.
• They will delight in learning new and fun things.
• They turn into clowns with teeth.
• The puppy will be exuberant and enthusiastic.

To understand and deal with this stage, I have come to appreciate the humor of it all. Despite the behaviors it is still your time to continue to train and reinforce the things you want her to do. Keep the family pack order consistent. Also it is Important to be realistic about your expectations, your puppy is now in a dogs body, but often acts like a puppy! Do your best to channel that energy into positive learning experiences. And if you have the time, The Dog Listener by Jan Fennell, is a good investment.

Second Fear and Imprint Period – Six to Fourteen months

You have a puppy that is full of energy, he runs around like a clown in search of his next show. But then, suddenly he refuses to walk down some stairs, he is shaking in the car, or he growls at his shadow. This is normal, and its your job to help your dog figure out how to deal with his fears or concerns. With your help, he will learn how to shake it off and keep going, this skill will be valuable to him for the rest of his life. It will also reduce the chances that the things he fears will not be permanently imprinted for life.

At this stage of development:

• The puppy that was so confident may become reluctant to try new things.
• This period can go unnoticed if you are not paying close attention to your dogs behaviors.
• This period can cycle several times over this phase.
• It may appear to be unprovoked or not related to any specific incident.
• This time can become frustrating to owners.

To work effectively with your puppy during these episodes, use moderation in your responses. Don’t become angry, or over comforting. Try to be patient and understanding without compromising the rules you have for your dog. Be aware of the surroundings and potential fear triggers, and work on desensitizing her with gradual introductions and rewards, but avoid to much coddling and reassurance, because he will see it as a reward for his/her behavior. Don’t over react or correct the fearfulness, just make light of it and encourage him to deal with his fear, and praise him with grand rewards for his attempts to deal with his fear. Being confident yourself, will help your dog to overcome his fright or concern.

Mature Adulthood Development Period – One to Three Years

Your puppy is no longer a baby, he is pretty much full grown in height. He will still fill out some, and develop more muscle tone. Mentally, the dog is still working out some final details of his life and what it means to him. He is a member of a pack and now begins to find that his turf is worthy of monitoring and protecting. It may sound nice to have your dog be protective, but don’t fall for it. You do not want you dog to take over these responsibilities because in no time, you too will be under King Dog’s rule. This can lead to aggressive behaviors, protective to the point of creating fear or actually harming someone or another animal as he protects. This is not good news, and often the reason for a dog to be taken out of a home or destroyed. So, don’t allow your dog to be the King of the Castle, instead give him the role of Joker, he, and your family will be happier.

What happens is:

• The dog may become more turf protective, like hoarding toys, or guarding a room in the house she thinks is hers.
• Strangers may be greeted with barking.
• Barking at noises, birds, cars, butterflies, pretty much everything he believe worthy of attention.
• Playing with other dogs may escalate to fighting, a dominance challenge.
• Same sex confrontations of other dogs can occur.
• Continual checking the pack order to see if he can move up.

During this final stage of development there are several thing you can do to help your dog transition into a content and happy life. Reinforce how to welcome strangers into your home. Teach your dog to ignore other dogs that are obnoxious or dominant. Continue to socialize your dog with other non threatening dogs, to reinforce good dog manners. Learning how to read your and other dogs behavior…walking on toes, circling, and stiff, erect short tail wags, can be signs of a dominance dispute. At this point its good to rally your family and review that the pack order is clear and everyone is consistent with training and corrections. Continue to reward him for good behaviors, and give your Cobberdog work to do that he or she enjoys, therapy work, obedience classes, or agility, will keep them occupied and happy.

Luke Erb