Developmental Growth Stages Of Your Australian Labradoodle Puppy

Neonatal Period (1-13 days). Well developed sense of smell. Nuzzling against warmth. Development of sucking response and motor skills. Sleeping, eating, Pooping... sleeping, eating, pooping etc... During this period, mild stress to the puppy is helpful in creating a stable personality. (Mild Stress: handling by a human, thermal stress)

Transitional Period (13-20 days). Eyes begin to open. Increase in sensory capacity and motor skills .Beginning of sociability. Puppies prefer to remain in their group and with their mother, rather than alone even if external conditions are favorable. Toward the end of this period, the puppies will show increased in inquisitiveness and the emergence of their upper canine teeth. Also at this stage the puppies will experience the very beginnings of play. Again, subjection to mild stress is extremely beneficial to the puppy’s development

Socialization Period (4-12 weeks) Increase of activity. Much more play and exploration of the outside world. Development of fear and avoidance of strange situations. Sensitivity to the outside world. Subjection to humans is paramount during this phase. If social contact with humans is kept to a minimum, your puppy never really becomes comfortable with people and never develops a sense of trust. Socialization with other dogs is also extremely important during this period, as well. Understanding of the canine social system, behavioral posturing and responses. Eating of solid foods and weaning by their mother. The puppy's sensitivity increases; the puppies can run, wrestle and play.

When your puppy comes to your home at 8-9 weeks of age, he/she is similar to a 9 month old human child. He/she will have minimal control of their bladder and bowels. He/she will sleep a lot and have minimal attention span. He/she will enjoy social interaction with people.

At 12 weeks of age, your puppy is like an 18 month old child. Inquisitive, responsive to verbal language, but still is not sure of what is being requested of them. Your puppy's attention span increases, energy level increases. Social responses increase. Your puppy desires longer contact with a social system, human and dog, and longer periods of play.

At 6 months of age, your puppy is comparable to a 13 year old child. Your puppy's energy level increases dramatically. He/she sleeps much less, almost adhering to the same schedule as his/her human pack. Independence is a land mark change in your puppy's behavior. Refusal to comply with simple requests to go outside or to come inside. Your puppy may begin to resist physical dominance. Between 6 months and 1 year of age is when he/she is trying to establish his/her position in the social hierarchy of the family. Early on this positioning takes the form of play. As your puppy matures, this juggling for position may become more aggressive as your puppy tries to insure his/her social position. Growling over the food dish and favorite toys may take place.

At 1 year to 18 months of age, your young adult dog is similar to a 16 to 17 year old, ready to take on the world. If the background training has been done, your young dog should be fairly well behaved and consistent in his/her responses to your commands. If the foundation is lacking or nonexistent, you will have a juvenile delinquent on your hands. If training begins at this point in your dog's life, you may be up for a knock -down-drag -out battle. Depending on the dog's basic temperament, you could end up with a well mannered member of society or a dog that will consistently challenge authority, walking around with a chip on his or her shoulders. At 2 years of age, your dog is finally an adult. Physically, he/she has done all the growing, he/she is going to do .Mentally he/she is capable of more complex learning and he/she has the capability of a long attention span. Emotionally, he/she has calmed down from the turbulence of youth. The training program that you have established throughout has paid off. He/she should be a well liked/loved member of the family.

Dogs usually experience a testing period at about two & a half years of age to three & a half years of age. Tasks that were normally performed in a heartbeat may be thought about a little longer. This is the perfect time for a refresher course in the basics, if you allowed them to slack. This “midlife crisis " is more pronounced in dogs that are not consistently trained throughout their adulthood. I will normally hear that the owner took his/her furry friend to obedience school when he/she was 6 months old and he/she did very well. The owner will say they kept up the training program for a period and then began to let it slack. The owner will tell me that their dogs seem to have forgotten everything. Dogs don't forget.......just pick up the leash and collar and find out how quickly they recall the basics with just a couple of refresher lessons. Remember, you have an adult (now), not a puppy ... so give corrections and praise accordingly

At about 10 years and up ......., your older dog may experience physical failings that will require special attention on your part. Arthritis, sight failings, hearing loss to name a few. He/she will also tend to regress mentally, senility, if you will, creating mischief, that he/she may not have done since he/she was a puppy. Tolerance is the key here since correction is not warranted. Just like us.... the more mental stimulation that you provide for your dog throughout his/her lifeand into his/her older years, the less senility takes place. Light obedience, if nothing else, is a good program for your older dog. Most dogs enjoy the special one on one time that obedience training provides and older dogs are no exceptions to this. As with all stages of growth and development give him/her lots of praise for a job well done

We tend to take our older guys for granted; they have been so good to us for so long they are our faithful furry friends.