Puppy Phases
This Page describes age appropriate goals for your puppy
2-4 Months Safe Phase
Puppies need a sense of security during this stage. Doing things such as allowing them to sleep in the bed or near you will help make them feel safe after the transition of leaving their mom.
Safety
Training
Potty training and playing the name game should be your main focus at this age.
Exercise
Your growing puppy will need a lot of rest, so just playing when the puppy wants to is advised.
4-7 Months Chewing Phase
At this stage you can compare them to two-year olds. They cannot be expected to undertsand consequences,
so patience is the best thing you can give them.
Brain
Chew Toys
They are going to have the urge to chew so providing healthy options is key.
Exercise
You can start to take them on relaxed walks and outings.
9-12 Months Exercise/Exposure Phase
They can begin to understand consequences and you can start to expect more from them when correcting behavior.
Brain
Training
Try to keep the training light and the day to day essentials.
Exercise
They now have a higher energy level and will need more committed walks and mental stimuli.
Exposure
This is the beginning of their fear period and light socialization in addition to taking your puppy to new places will help them to be confident dogs.
1-1.5 Years Training Phase
Their brains have now fully matured and they are able to understand consequences and their hyper teenage energy is dying down.
Brain
Training
This is the time to take training seriously, as the dog can understand consequences, and can mentally handle corrections. Work on perfecting recall, leash pulling, and obsessive barking.
Exercise
They need regular physical and mental stimulation.