It’s midwinter and we are now fully in the throes of “puppy season” at Sirius Puppy Training. More people get puppies during the holidays than any other time of year, and by February, new puppy parents are seeking advice as their sweet little balls of fur turn into increasingly larger roly-poly rogues. I don’t see this as a bad thing. I love raising and training puppies. However, it certainly is quite an undertaking; not for the faint of heart; nor for over-scheduled folks.
It is very easy to fall in love with a puppy. They are adorable and they sleep a lot. The infantile look of puppies draws us in like a siren song. We are hardwired to fall in love with babies. Their soft fuzzy fur, round torsos, thick stubby legs, large heads, eyes, and ears are very attractive to people and are even said to produce nurturing and calming hormones in humans. In a sense, a puppy’s cuteness lures us in, convinces us to care for it, and doing so soothes our soul. At least for a short while … But what happens when a puppy grows up a bit and becomes an adolescent?
Dogs hit adolescence around 18 weeks of age. That’s right. Your 5-month-old pup is actually not a puppy anymore. As soon as you can see half of an adult canine tooth, say goodbye to puppyhood and hello to tweens. The adolescent phase of a dog’s life runs from approximately 18 weeks to 18 months of age.
Ironically and not unrelated, most dogs relinquished to shelters are between 6 months and 18 months old. This is not surprising to me. By the time a canine is 1 year old, it looks like a full-grown adult dog, even though it is just a teenager who has poor impulse control, sometimes makes bad decisions, and still requires lots of guidance. Yet gone are the long naps and adorable babylike features that first drew us in. Now you are not only dealing with a lot more energy, but literally a lot more dog, too. Just like human teens, adolescent dogs become more independent; less following mum around everywhere, hanging on her every word, and more exploring and mischief-making. The world is their oyster, and their brain is full of competing interests. It’s all part of the learning process, very natural, yet people have little patience for a young dog brain in an adult dog’s body. As soon as a dog’s puppy-cuteness fades, so do those same hormones that made us feel so tolerant and warm and fuzzy inside, and this is where the love affair may start to sour. Puppy cuteness goes out the window, and soon after, the pup goes to the shelter.
I recently read an article entitled, “Why We Returned Our Adorable Puppy to the Breeder.” The first thing I noted in the article is that this family didn’t return their “puppy” to the breeder; they returned their 5-month-old adolescent dog. Right on time with national statistics.
The article goes on to outline all of the problems and frustrations the family had with their new pup in the mere three months she lived with them. They lamented the usual things that one would expect from a new baby and burgeoning preteen, the sort of things one must work through to get to the other side of living with a stellar canine companion. However, this family had had a dog before, and she had passed away at the ripe old age of 14 years, just a few months before the family brought their new puppy home. Another common pitfall for new puppy owners is that they haven’t lived with a puppy in so very long. An elderly dog lives a much calmer and quieter existence than a young’un, and it’s fascinating how many people create a soft-focus film sort of narrative or get amnesia around the memory of their former dog’s puppyhood.
In the all too common case of the family in the article, they were not prepared for how much having a puppy would impact and change their daily lives. Young puppies need frequent feedings and several outings to an appropriate toilet area, even throughout the night. Young pups cannot be left home alone for large chunks of time while the family goes about their daily business and chores. Also, quality time with a young dog looks very different than life with an older adult companion. Time you are accustomed to reading or watching TV with your dog calmly cuddling up by your side will surely be disrupted frequently as you supervise and redirect a pup to chew on appropriate items rather than the table leg or the corner of your rug. Instead of vegging out, you’ll be forced to go on walks in the evening or come up with games to feed your young dog’s mind and channel her energy.
Bottom line, having a young dog in your home is a lifestyle choice, but it can be a very rewarding one. Stick it out. Early training creates a love that lasts long past the first blush of puppyhood. Invest the time now, and you’ll have many years of good behavior and making fond memories that will help you forget your puppy’s challenging early days, too.
Kelly Gorman Dunbar is director of the Center for Applied Animal Behavior, where she recruits and trains instructors for the Dunbar family business, Sirius Puppy & Dog Training. She is the creator of the Sirius Sniffers scent-detection program. Gorman Dunbar is also founder and president of Open Paw and consults on various matters.
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