# New Puppy - surviving the first 9 months



## cuddleparty (Apr 27, 2009)

This is an interesting article my sister sent to me. I compare Orville to it (he is 5 months now), and it seems to be right on track! 

Perhaps the biggest challenge for any pet owner is getting through the puppy stage. Not knowing what to expect and the importance of each stage in the first 9 months can lead to frustration, especially if the puppy is not behaving the way he's expected.
So what we'll do here is break it down into several age intervals. That way you'll know what to expect, and what your pet is learning and doing along the way. Armed with this information you'll make it through the puppy stage that much easier. And you won't get overly frustrated when things are not going exactly as you plan at each stage of puppy development.

0 to 7 Weeks: Unless you are a breeder, you should not even own a puppy this age. During this time he's experiencing his environment. He is ears and eyes are excited by the world around him. It's also a strong socialization period which is why he should remain with his mother and litter mates. These bonds lead to a well-adjusted temperment.

By day 10, he should be experiencing the touch of human hands and be comfortable with it. These first 7 weeks are critical for his physical and emotional growth. The mother passes on about 75% of her temperment to her pups. If she is calm, she will have a calming influence on a hyper puppy. The mother also passes natural antibiotics to the puppy through her milk during this time.

8 to 12 Weeks: Puppies during the third month absorb everything around them like a sponge. They will be curious and anxious to learn to play. As a new owner, it's time for puppy kindergarten. But more important than training is creating confidence. Training should be fun and not overly strict or aggressive. Any negative experiences at this age can create impressions and behavior that will last a lifetime. Keep in mind that this is a very impressionable puppy stage, so be positive when playing or working with your pet. Doing so will help him develop positive patterns in his behavior.

3 1/2 to 4 Months: Puppies are now starting to lose their baby teeth. With physical growth there is a hormone surge now affecting his behavor. That means if your puppy was hyper to begin with, he'll be about 30% more hyper during this period. If he is shy, he'll be even more shy. During this puppy stage you want to keep a consistent training schedule.

4 to 5 Months: Now is the age when you will feel baffled over your dog's behavior. He'll be housebroken one day, then urinate all over the floor the next. Realize he is not being defiant at this puppy stage so avoid punishment. They are getting a surge of hormones which confuses them. Step back, and reinforce the housebreaking patterns you have already learned.

5 to 6 1/2 Months: It's during the fifth month that your puppy will go through a noticeable growth spurt. Some people think they can slow this by spaying or neutering during this puppy stage, but it doesn't help. They will go through this transitional phase.

6 1/2 to 7 1/2 Months: Take a brief sigh of relief because your puppy will start to settle down. Notice I said brief, this doesn't last.

8 to 9 Months: Your puppy is experiencing his final hormonal surge and turns into an amatuer magician. Things around your house, the television remote for example, will begin to disappear. As a pet owner, this may very well be your most challenging puppy stage. Your dog's natural temperment will increase. He'll be about 50% more shy, hyper or aggressive. Male dogs will start to lift their legs when urinating. All the training you have done to this point will seem to go for naught. You'll likely get panicky and frustrated because you think he should know better. He does know better. Keep on with the consistant training and you'll come out of this final stage just fine.

Now you've survived the puppy stage at every stage of puppy development. No, your pet is not a full adult, but you are well on you way to having a loving and loyal companion and friend for a long time to come.

And something else my sister sent me:

Small Poodles in particular need to learn to use ramps when getting off furniture, right from the start. Never let the pup jump off furniture. You’ll save your dog a lot of pain, yourself a lot of money, and you’ll prevent a major risk to the dog’s temperament. If it hurts when someone touches you or picks you up, and you’re a dog, you will probably start telling people to leave you alone by growling and snapping. Dogs hide their pain, so people usually don’t make the connection between pain and this type of aggression.

Teach the ramp right from the start to protect your little Poodle. Teach your big Poodle, too—it’s good education for ALL dogs, and much easier for them to learn when young than in old age when the large ones need it most. The small ones need it urgently starting with growth, so their bones and joints can form correctly.

Poodles love to retrieve (of course, since they are retrievers!), so teach every Poodle a play retrieve. Retrieving provides exercise, an additional way to reward your dog, and a behavior management tool in a variety of situations. Be sure to keep the throws low so the dog doesn’t jump up to catch the toy and lands on just the hind legs. This landing causes injuries in dogs.


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## mandi (May 13, 2009)

Thanks cuddleparty! I had not seen this and Paulie fits the form exactly....I was afraid I had a mess here-I guess he is just a normal energetic puppy and will be fine-obedience classes for this afternoon for both.


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## Mercury's Mom (Dec 6, 2009)

Hum, since the boys are now 5 months old I wonder if I should be free feeding to make sure they they get enough food for their growth period. That's a great article.


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## taxtell (Sep 17, 2009)

How the heck did I miss this?
What a fantastic post...I even printed it out for a few new puppy owners today.

Thank you for sharing this!


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## TZel (Apr 3, 2010)

I realize that this is an old post but I wanted to say thank you for such great information!


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## schnauzerpoodle (Apr 21, 2010)

This is a wonderful article. Thanks for sharing.


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## Stella (Apr 6, 2010)

This is a great article. Thanks for bumping it *TZel*!


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## meehkim (Sep 11, 2009)

wow, I have never read this article until today. Wish I had seen this when Titan was still a pup...it would have been such a stress reliever...


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## brittwink21 (Jan 3, 2010)

I read this before when Jazzy was in the teething stage and it was dead on.

Now she is in the last surge of hormones at 8-9 months. So glad it was bumped, it's a nice reassurance that she isn't trying to make me crazy. lol. Glad to see there is light at the very near end of this tunnel. lol


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## joyous (Apr 16, 2011)

This is a great article that has helped me navigate Magnum's puppy challenges! It should be a sticky.


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## BellaRose (Feb 16, 2014)

*Puppy Development*



cuddleparty said:


> This is an interesting article my sister sent to me. I compare Orville to it (he is 5 months now), and it seems to be right on track!
> 
> Perhaps the biggest challenge for any pet owner is getting through the puppy stage. Not knowing what to expect and the importance of each stage in the first 9 months can lead to frustration, especially if the puppy is not behaving the way he's expected.
> So what we'll do here is break it down into several age intervals. That way you'll know what to expect, and what your pet is learning and doing along the way. Armed with this information you'll make it through the puppy stage that much easier. And you won't get overly frustrated when things are not going exactly as you plan at each stage of puppy development.
> ...


THANK YOU FOR YOUR POST...found this through Google just in time my Rosie is almost 12 weeks.


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## PoodleRick (Mar 18, 2013)

Zombie thread resurrection but it does have some info in it.

Rick


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## patk (Jun 13, 2013)

PoodleRick said:


> Zombie thread resurrection but it does have some info in it.
> 
> Rick


i was kind of surprised nothing was said about biting and nipping. that's one that people can really have a hard time dealing with in a non-harmful manner.


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## PoodleRick (Mar 18, 2013)

Yeah, Penny is quite the nipper/biter. We just did the yelping like a littermate and ignoring her for a minute or so. She is getting better about it. She doesn't do it nearly as much. Takes longer this way but you're not being harsh or aggressive. My neighbor told me to grab her jaw and hold it till she struggles to get away. Nope not doing that. 

Rick


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## Alicesmom (Jan 26, 2014)

Alice was a bit of a biter too, surprisingly what helped was sending her to daycare. I tried the yelping noise and ignoring her and even going to another room but nothing worked. After she went to daycare for a week she quit biting totally. I guess being around the other dogs helped her learn.


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## BellaRose (Feb 16, 2014)

*Doggie Day Care*

I too have been thinking about doggie day care. Our vet does it at his office, but it is in such demand that starting next month they are doing a "Lottery" and they only have it 3 times a week. The are looking for a new location, but no luck yet.


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## Samantha_ (Mar 11, 2014)

This is wonderful! Not looking forward to the "poodle magician" period... :tongue:


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## Wild Kitten (Mar 13, 2014)

Funny, I got Lucia when she was 7 months old and she was a little angel at all times...... she was just the friendliest, sweetest best behaved dog I could ever have wished for, no magician here


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## onceagain (Jan 28, 2015)

Thanking/bumping this post - I like the summary of each stage!


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## Naira (Jan 9, 2015)

Great read! The 4 to 5 months stage is where I'm at and it's definitely spot on. Luckily, potty training is still pretty solid but loose leash walking is good some days and shaky the next day. And we aren't doing any off leash activities until she's calmer outside. (Naira was off leash for the first month I got her outside) Still...she's the calmest puppy I've ever had by far. Looking forward to the next stages!


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## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

Thank you! Buck is almost 9 months and has been such a trial lately. Helps to read it's normal.


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## Coco86 (Oct 23, 2014)

Sammy will be nine months old on March 29. I've noticed that his growing has slowed down, and he's starting to fill out more. While he acts stubborn at times, his training is improving, and he's starting to settle down more. His potty training is going excellent.


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## realrellim (Dec 12, 2014)

Thanks for the bump! Midnight hits 4 months next week and out of the blue, he only comes when he feels like it. Good to know there will be more of it and we just need to keep working on training.


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## Nikhil (Sep 20, 2021)

It’s 2021, 11 years after you wrote this and helped someone on the other side of planet.

my toy poodle is about 8 months now and he seem to have forgotten all toilet training and it’s driving me crazy
This is the assurance I was looking for to make sure I didn’t do anything wrong and things will return to normal eventually 

thanks


cuddleparty said:


> This is an interesting article my sister sent to me. I compare Orville to it (he is 5 months now), and it seems to be right on track!
> 
> Perhaps the biggest challenge for any pet owner is getting through the puppy stage. Not knowing what to expect and the importance of each stage in the first 9 months can lead to frustration, especially if the puppy is not behaving the way he's expected.
> So what we'll do here is break it down into several age intervals. That way you'll know what to expect, and what your pet is learning and doing along the way. Armed with this information you'll make it through the puppy stage that much easier. And you won't get overly frustrated when things are not going exactly as you plan at each stage of puppy development.
> ...


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