Puppy Development Stages And Your Dog's Behavior #218

07/14/23 • 21 min

Dogs experience seven developmental periods, from puppyhood to adulthood, and it's important we understand each. I'm covering the stages, what they mean for our dog's emotional growth and how we can build skills and confidence for the dogs in our lives. Knowing your puppy's or dog's current stage helps overcome behavior difficulties and guides your training choices.

In the episode you'll hear:

• The four criteria for deeper insight into a dog’s development phases. • How expectations of ourselves and our dogs should be distinct. • The three culprits of ‘dog training gone wrong.’ • The critical importance of understanding a dog’s motivations. • Why the environment you’re training in always wins. • The difference between a willing dog vs. dogs being labelled as wilful. • That dogs are always doing the best they can. • Stage 1 Dog Development: Neonatal (co-regulation from mother) • Stage 2 Dog Development: Transitional (2-4 weeks old) • Stage 3 Dog Development: First Socialization Period (4-7 weeks old) • Stage 4 Dog Development: Second Socialization Period (8-12 weeks old) • How mother dogs discipline their puppies through play. • Why it’s best to keep puppies together for at least nine weeks. • That the first ‘puppy fear period’ may begin at 8 to 12 weeks. • Why relationship games for bonding are critical when a puppy comes home. • How a puppy temporarily attaches themselves in a new or overwhelming environment. • Stage 5 Dog Development: The Juvenile Period (3mos -6mos old) • The importance of managing environments as a puppy’s confidence, independence and curiosity grows. • Stage 6 Dog Development: Adolescence (6 - 18 months old) • That the more informed dog owners become, the smarter the dog becomes. • Stage 7 Dog Development: Maturity Period (18 months - 3 years old) • Why focusing on a dog’s emotional well-being is as important as tricks, sports, and behavior.

Recallers: Contact us at [email protected] with the subject line My Dog Needs Skills

Resources:

1. Podcast Episode 197: Outsmarting Distractions: How To Use Environmental Reinforcement in Dog Training - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/197/ 2. Podcast Episode 176: Why Your Dog’s Emotions Are A Critical Element Of Dog Training - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/176/ 3. Podcast Episode 196: Why Mastering Reinforcement Is The Linchpin To Reinforcement Based Dog Training - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/196/ 4. Podcast Episode 24: Help for Dogs who Chase Chipmunks, Bicycles, and Neighbor’s Cats (Distraction Intensity Index) - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/24/ 5. Podcast Episode 159: Help! My Puppy Is A Bully And Plays Too Rough - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/159/ 6. Podcast Episode 127: Puppy Socialization: Playtime For Puppies And Permissions - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/127/ 7. Podcast Episode 48: Potty Train Your Puppy in a Week (Easy 3 Step Process) - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/48/ 8. Podcast Episode 199: Puppy Fear Periods: Help For Socializing Puppies Or Rescue Dogs Scared Of People - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/199/ 9. Podcast Episode 44: Using Coincidences and Positive Associations in Dog Training - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/44/ 10. Podcast Episode 217: Understanding Emotional Regulation In Dogs To Create Calm - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/217/ 11. Podcast Episode 204: Dog Behavior And Diet: Recovery For This! Beyond Dog Training Part 2 - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/204/ 12. Podcast Episode 107: Pedicure Please: 3 Steps To Dog Nail Trimming Or Grooming Success At Home! - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/107/ 13. Watch this Episode of Shaped by Dog on YouTube - https://youtu.be/BDmQBOA-bCA

Visit us at shapedbydog.com

In the episode you'll hear:

Recallers: Contact us at [email protected] with the subject line My Dog Needs Skills

Resources:

Previous Episode

Understanding Emotional Regulation In Dogs To Create Calm #217

Visit us at shapedbydog.com

Do you know how your dog or puppy self-regulates or dysregulates? Or how your dog self-soothes? Most dog owners don’t, and it could be the root of behavioral challenges around your home. Dogs show dysregulation or self-regulation much like humans. Your dog’s responses aren’t the same as choosing right from wrong but a reflection of emotional regulation. Today I’m breaking down what healthy self-regulation looks like and how to recognize and help your dog’s coping mechanisms for a happier, healthier co-existence.

In the episode you'll hear:

• What you need to know before a visiting dog arrives in your home. • How to recognize self-regulation and dysregulation in dogs. • The definition of canine self-regulation. • That dogs don’t choose right from wrong. • What dysregulation looks like in dogs. • That resilience to stress is a byproduct of healthy self-regulation. • That puppies or rescue dogs cannot self-regulate instantly. • The possible signs of dysregulation puppies and dogs display. • Factors that contribute to canine dysregulation. • About my own puppy’s and rescue’s dysregulation. • How environment impacts self-regulation. • About normalizing certain conditions to help dogs. • What “destructive” dogs are really communicating. • The ways puppies and dogs naturally self-regulate. • About canine self-soothing behaviors and coping mechanisms. • How co-regulation facilitates self-regulation for dogs.

Resources:

1. YouTube Playlist: The Emotional State of Dogs with Susan Garrett - https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLphRRSxcMHy29pv3_9b7DZdMFJL9ZJPMy 2. Podcast Episode 64: Help! How Can I Tell My Dog He’s Wrong? - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/64/ 3. Podcast Episode 78: How to Train a Rescue Dog with Behavior Problems - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/78/ 4. Podcast Episode 48: Potty Train Your Puppy in a Week (Easy 3 Step Process) - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/48/ 5. YouTube Playlist: Puppy Essentials with Susan Garrett Dog Training - https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLphRRSxcMHy2hywpv3Md3HbWWPPbVF8W5 6. Podcast Episode 204: Dog Behavior And Diet: Recovery For This! Beyond Dog Training Part 2 - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/204/ 7. Podcast Episode 112: Stressed Dog? How Trigger Stacking Might Be Putting Your Dog Over Threshold - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/112/ 8. Podcast Episode 200: Solve Your Dog’s Separation Anxiety With FRIDA: Expanding Calm With Functional Relaxation - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/200/ 9. Watch this Episode of Shaped by Dog on YouTube - https://youtu.be/p1fFwp14aLE

Next Episode

Self-Regulation Helping Shy, Hyper, Anxious Or Fearful Dogs To A Better Life #219

Visit us at shapedbydog.com

Have you ever wondered why some dogs can walk down a path with their owner, encountering many dogs, but remain completely unfazed? Yet, other dogs see one single dog off in the distance and absolutely lose it. We’re talking about why this happens, the ability of dogs to regulate their emotions, and how we can help them. Plus, what you need to know about habituation and how dogs can grow the capacity to tune things out.

In the episode you'll hear:

• The stages of a dog's emotional regulation from reactivity to white noise. • About deconditioning triggers from reactivity through habituation. • If non-reactivity is possible for all dogs. • The difference between inhibited biting and true aggression in dogs. • That humans also have healthy and toxic ways of emotional self-soothing. • Why expecting more of our dog's emotional intelligence than our own is unfair. • 10 tips on helping your dog overcome stress and anxiety. • Examples of dysregulation in dogs and why it's not the same as reactivity. • To gauge expectations of your dog based on your own animal behavior education. • How to be aware of your dog's communication via their behavior. • How to co-regulate your dog's emotions in the heat of the moment. • A plan to move from co-regulation to self-regulation. • The reason why every sport dog I've owned has won a national championship. • The key data to record during dysregulated episodes. • How to teach your dog to make good choices. • The roles of skill, will and environment in your dog's decision making.

Recallers and Home School the Dog: Contact us at [email protected] with the subject line My Dog Needs Better Choices

Resources:

1. Podcast Episode 217: Understanding Emotional Regulation In Dogs To Create Calm - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/217/ 2. Podcast Episode 218: Puppy Development Stages And Your Dog’s Behavior - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/218/ 3. Podcast Episode 82: Resource Guarding in Puppies: When Your Puppy Biting Seems Aggressive - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/82/ 4. Podcast Episode 29: Understanding and Preventing Reactivity and Aggression in Your Dog - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/29/ 5. Podcast Episode 157: Dog Body Language: Understanding Canine Communication Signals And Emotions - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/157/ 6. Podcast Episode 172: How To Teach Your Dog Anything With My Training Plan - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/172/ 7. Podcast Episode 203: Reactive, Unmotivated and Fearful: Finding Resiliency For This! Beyond Dog Training Part 1 - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/203/ 8. Podcast Episode 204: Dog Behavior And Diet: Recovery For This! Beyond Dog Training Part 2 - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/204/ 9. YouTube Playlist: Exercising Your Dog's Body and Mind: Tips and Games with Susan Garrett - https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLphRRSxcMHy1ISzbaoCNh0NyLg3qgDG58 10. Podcast Episode 189: All The Things That Influence Your Dog’s Behavior And What Behavior Tells You - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/189/ 11. Podcast Episode 191: Get Your Dog To Calm Down With This Common Sense Protocol For Relaxation - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/191/ 12. Podcast Episode 200: Solve Your Dog’s Separation Anxiety With FRIDA: Expanding Calm With Functional Relaxation - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/200/ 13. YouTube Playlist: Mastery of Positive Reinforcement Based Dog Training with Susan Garrett - https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLphRRSxcMHy20_Ko8p2SaE6B2IT4o6g6K 14. Podcast Episode 198: What Does “Positive Is Not Permissive” Really Mean In Dog Training? - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/198/ 15. Podcast Episode 98: Puppy Home Alone: Are You Creating Chaos or Calm? - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/98/ 16. Podcast Episode 71: Pro Dog Trainer’s Secret to Help Your Naughty Dog - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/71/ 17. Podcast Episode 133: Become Your Own Dog Training Coach With This Video Strategy - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/133/ 18. Podcast Episode 197: Outsmarting Distractions: How To Use Environmental Reinforcement in Dog Tr...