About Puppy Behavior

The Facts

• Your new puppy comes into your home with many behaviors that are already ingrained into his personality. He has been part of a small pack, his litter, for the last several months, and from those other dogs, he learned how to communicate, play, sleep and eat. The mother dog has been particularly influential. Puppies will often mirror the temperaments of their mothers. For instance, if a mother is extremely fearful of people, her puppies are likely to be timid, as well. The behaviors that your puppy already exhibits when you bring him in to your home will take time to overcome.

Features

• Understanding what is considered normal puppy behavior will help you better train your puppy as you teach him what is acceptable in your home. Your puppy is going to communicate through barks, whines, body language and biting. Biting and nipping is not misbehaving, but these are behaviors the puppy learned from his mother and litter mates. Other common puppy behaviors include jumping when excited, chewing, being awake at night, frequent urination, and mouthing objects and people.

Misconceptions

• Some behaviors are considered abnormal and may indicate a problem. Many owners mistake these for normal puppy behaviors and ignore them, which can create problems later. Abnormal behaviors include hard biting, extreme timidity, extreme aggression, excessive growling, being overly possessive, clinging to the owner at all times and barking without stopping and without reason. While your puppy may exhibit these behaviors once in a while, if they are consistent pattern, you may want to talk to your vet about potential problems.

Time Frame

• Most puppies are adopted or purchased between five and 12 weeks of age. This is an important socialization period for puppies, so they need to be around other people and dogs frequently. This is also the time that the puppy will learn an inhibited bite, which is the soft nip that puppies use during play. A puppy that is weaned before six to nine weeks may not have learned this behavior, and therefore may bite you painfully. From three to six months of age, puppies are learning where they stand within the pack. This is the time to teach your puppy that you are the dominant person in the household. This is also when the puppy is teething, and therefore chewing on anything he can find.

Significance

• Understanding these behaviors will help you tailor your training to your puppy's developmental level. For instance, when your puppy is teething at between three and six months of age, you need to redirect him to chew on something appropriate, like a chew toy rather than your favorite slippers. Between six and 18 months, your puppy will begin to challenge his spot in the pack. This is the time to reinforce that you are the dominant one, which you hopefully established between three and six months of age. Knowing that this challenge is coming will help you prepare for it properly.

Expert Insight

• There may be some "normal" puppy behaviors that you wish to discourage. For instance, puppies play by nipping their brothers and sisters, so they will try to bite and nip your hands when you are playing with them. You can discourage this by sternly telling your puppy "ouch" when he nips and then ignoring him. Another behavior you may wish to curb is jumping on people. You Your puppy is doing this for attention. When he is jumping on people, instruct them to turn away and ignore the puppy until he stops jumping. This will keep him from getting the attention he is seeking with the behavior, thus training him not to jump on people.