Puppy Phase??!!

[Denise, Winnie, and AngelAbby]

Ok, so Abby is smart - she would sit before you even had the whole word out of your mouth! Stay and come were close behind. But NOW at 12 1/2 weeks, she has a serious case of selective hearing!!! Is this a phase all pups go thru? Or is she just getting so spoiled that she thinks she rules the roost around here?! LOL She thinks everything is a game right now , even trying to force her butt down for a sit command. She thinks I'm playing with her. So I think I will just ignore her for the next few days - no treats! That will show her who's boss!!! heehee Please tell me it's a phase!!???

[Kathy Brady]

Hi Denise,
My Tully (17 weeks) does the same thing these days. He could sit and down within the first 2 weeks we had him, but now he deliberates before he responds to any commands. At puppy kindergarten, he's the smartest dog (definitely smarter than a 5th grader!) but he can be so obstinate at home. I have to believe that it's a phase, for my own sanity!

[Sandy]

Toby is 17 1/2 weeks, and he went through a "let's see who's really boss of this house" thing about a week ago. He and I had a bit of a showdown, and I do believe I won. He respects me much more since then, anyway. :) He used to walk right into his crate when I said "Crate time", but now he's wandering away. We're working on it.....

[Lynne, Bonnie and Teddy]

Yes I had this problem too. Bonnie is now 11 months and still sometimes thinks for a while to decide if she is going to obey. I think that at about 12 weeks they are testing the boundaries as suddenly they realise that they don't have to do what we want them to and perhaps they are in charge not us! I found obedience classes really helpful as it just re inforced commands and helped me when I had a bad week. They are so bright as dogs I guess it's not surprising but persistence does win through from someone whose been there!! Good Luck x

[Adina P]

Because she's ONLY 12.5 weeks (a baby) everything IS a game. Don't expect to have stay and come down pat before a year old...at least not reliably so. It takes MONTHS of work to get those to be strong around distractions...if not longer =) Keep practicing...do it when she's tired...do it when she's hungry so she will WANT to pay attention to earn her treat rewards. The MAIN issue here is not an "issue" at all but simply a VERY YOUNG puppy learning what her bounderies and freedoms are...she's not knowingly "testing" you necessarily..just wants what she wants.

[Ali]

http://www.doberman.org/articles/puppy.htm

This is a link to a page that talks about puppy stages. Adina is right, your puppy seems to be challenging your authority. It is important to remember that this is normal behavior in all dogs, and to get through it increase your authority. If your pup may seem to be challenging you, have her do a few puppy push-ups (lots of downs). A down position for a dog is submissive, it reminds them of their ranking, that they are not the leader. Don't worry you will get through this phase, and the other challenging phases that are in the near future. If you feel like you need more information on developmental stages, I suggest the book, Puppies for Dummies. It goes through all the developmental stages and suggests obedience objectives for each stage. It helped me a whole lot.

[Denise, Winnie, and AngelAbby]

Thanks Ali - we are working thru this stage and it is going pretty good. She seems to have settled down again - and I love the idea of having her do the lay command - I wouldn't have thot of that. Thanks. Have a Merry Christmas!