Be honest.
If you had to leave town next week, would your dog handle it well… or would it be chaos with a cute face?
Spring break turns into summer trips fast. And every year, we see the same thing:
Owners scrambling to find boarding.
Dogs who have never practiced being away.
As our dogs grow, they move through distinct developmental stages, each with unique learning opportunities and behavioral changes. Knowing what to expect as your puppy matures can help you support them, manage common challenges, and make the most of their critical learning periods. Let’s take a closer look at these key milestones and ways you can best support your dog through each stage.
What’s Happening During the neonatal period, puppies are entirely dependent on their mother for warmth, nutrition, and hygiene. Their senses of touch and smell are active, but they are otherwise unresponsive to their environment.
Your Role At this stage, puppies rely on their breeder or foster caregivers, as they’re still with their mother and littermates. Handling should be gentle and minimal, as this early exposure to touch lays a foundation for human bonding and socialization later on (Lindsay, 2000).
The adolescence section really hit home for me. I have a lab mix who's about 9 months and the selective hearing thing is SO real right now. He knows "come" perfectly in the living room and then acts like he's never heard the word in his life the second we're at the park.
We actually just started him in a dog board and train program a few weeks ago mostly to work on impulse control and leash manners, and it's been a good reset for both of us. The structure seems to help more than I expected, especially with recall around distractions. Curious if others found the same thing worked well during this phase versus just sticking with regular obedience classes.
Appreciate the reminder that this is a normal stage and not just my dog being "bad." Makes it easier to stay patient with him.
When it comes to training, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure! Start training these important skills before the stress of the holidays sets in!
The holiday season is just around the corner, and for many families, this means a house full of guests, festive decorations, and bustling activities. While we humans look forward to these joyous events, they can sometimes be overwhelming for our dogs. New faces, different routines, and lots of excitement can leave your pup feeling anxious or overly energetic.
The good news? With a little preparation, your dog can be the well-mannered, calm companion that makes holiday gatherings enjoyable for everyone. Here are 10 key skills your dog should have in time for the holidays, along with some tips on how to start practicing now!
Dogs naturally get excited when someone comes to the door. However, greeting guests by jumping or…
Training your dog to follow commands and develop good manners is a rewarding experience, but it requires the right tools and techniques to achieve lasting success. One of the most effective methods used in positive reinforcement training is a technique known as luring. Whether you're working with a brand-new puppy or an adult dog, luring can be an excellent way to teach new behaviors while keeping training fun and engaging for both you and your dog.
In this blog post, we'll dive into what luring is, how it fits into positive reinforcement training, and how you can use it to teach your dog new skills while building a strong, trusting relationship.
Luring is a technique in which a treat or toy is used to guide your dog into performing a desired behavior. The treat acts as a "lure" to encourage the dog to follow your…
The crate thing really hit home for us. Our dog was "fine" in her crate at home but the first time we boarded her, she barely touched her food for two days. Turned out she'd only ever practiced being crated in a quiet house, never with new sounds or smells around her.
What helped us was doing a couple of trial overnights with a friend a few months before an actual trip. Not a full week, just one night to see how she handled it. She paced a lot the first time, way less the second time. That recovery pattern told us more than anything else could have.
I'd add one thing to your list: dogs can also struggle with routine changes around walks and feeding times, not just the environment itself. Ours does better when whoever's watching her keeps meals at roughly the same times we do. Small thing but it seemed to cut down on the stress diarrhea you mentioned.