# 4 month naughty phase?



## sophiebonita (Jul 10, 2012)

Okay I've had my mpoo Sophie since 9 weeks; yesterday was her 4-month birthday. She's been good as gold til now, and is getting better with some things, but... She is in a naughty phase, big time!! Her favorite new target is the toilet paper!!! Among many other things...

Is this a normal time to start a rebellious phase? Thanks!!


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## sarahmurphy (Mar 22, 2012)

oh yeah - search the threads for phrases like, "My dog ate WHAT???" and MY Dog did THAT!!???" 

I think the phrase is curious rather than rebellious - just like human babies, they develop a greater sense of their surroundings and are exploring. Just like parents of human babies, you have to set the limits, draw the lines, and keep them safe. Power cords seem to be universally interesting to every young creature, by the way... 

I put the toilet paper up for about a week and the interest disappeared. 

Spike still steals and eats a lot of stuff, but he learned very quickly that MY glasses are off limits, while my husband's are not really... (mine are Rx, his are dollar store readers...)

I am sure there are things I picked up and put in a high place, out of sight, that I'll never find again... There are things I still take and put away, and hope I remember where I put them when I need them....

sarah


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

As I recall it was around then that waste paper baskets began to live on high shelves, cables were looped up high, and loo rolls left on the floor were fair game... as Sarah says, not rebellious, just gaining confidence in exploring the manifold wonders of the world. Pity it has to be with teeth and paws, of course!


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## MaryLynn (Sep 8, 2012)

Sounds about right! All you can do is puppy safe your house, watch the silly little thing find stuff you never even would have imagined was fun (books at my house), and give positive reinforcement when they're chewing proper things. Keep 3 toys out that are different, and rotate them every few weeks. Too many toys on the floor sends a "everything" on the floor is a toy message! 

Have fun, and enjoy it


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## sophiebonita (Jul 10, 2012)

Thanks for the tips guys. It's weird... At the same time, especially today, she's been acting very skittish. It's like she's seeing everything in her environment for the first time and is scared of it. Has anybody experienced this with their 4-month old? All she wants to do is be on our king sized bed, I guess which she considers her 'safe place'.


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## MaryLynn (Sep 8, 2012)

Sophiebonita, 

Check out this website, it was the best closest thing to a behavioral dog book I read a couple years ago when I was dealing with my first puppy. I believe the time frames are fairly accurate, and I do find that most puppies tend to go through these phases as they progress. Definitely sounds like you're going through the flight instinct and possibly the second fear stage? I am sure if this brief outline interests your interest you could find something more complete online or in a library!

Developmental Stages


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## sarahmurphy (Mar 22, 2012)

oh yeah - all of a sudden, the sofa is big and scary, people are new and scary, the dog food is new and scary - really - we spent a few weeks, at least, re-introducing almost everything in the house to the dog - "Okay, silly - that's the bathtub, remember??" we almost wondered if he's stroked out in the middle of the night without our noticing or come down with some form of amnesia, but we asked other puppy owners, and it did pass with theirs, and it's mostly passed with ours (10 mos now)...

sarah


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