Development Stages
our doxies needs will change and evolve with every stage of his life. A good basic knowledge of development will help you to provide him with the care, attention, affection, discipline, food, and exercise that's appropriate to his age and condition.
In addition to this, knowing the rate at which your doxies learning abilities and personality develop will assist you in preventing some of the common behavioral problems (disobedience, aggression, dominance) that are associated with accelerated or delayed learning.
In short, you need to know the rate at which your dog will likely develop: asking too much of him at a young age would be like asking an eight year old human to attend college, while neglecting aspects of your doxies development (like socialization, housetraining, or obedience training) will result in a poorly behaved, insecure, and rambunctious doxy that doesn't know his own place in the household.
Your puppy's temperament and personality should be fully developed by the time he reaches around twelve weeks of age, and he will have become the doxy that you will hopefully be spending many happy years with. Below you will find the growth and developmental stages that he will go through to reach his full potential.
In order to understand why your puppy doesn't listen to you at times, you need to understand each stage of development a puppy goes through as it matures. Let's take a look at the different stages, but before we do, keep in mind that these stages are generalizations each doxy will progress at its own pace.
This is a very delicate time of a puppy's life, and a time when you should avoid over-handling or picking up the pup. Very soft strokes and speaking around him gently is fine, but other than this, you must let him get plenty of rest and let him stay close to his mother. The pups primary concerns during this stage will be warmth, food, and sleep, and his mother will provide the first two. The third is your responsibility, and you can ensure he gets plenty of sleep by keeping noise to a minimum and leaving the puppy alone with his mother, where he can enjoy rest and sleep without disturbance.
The Transitional stage generally lasts from age two to three weeks, and it's during this time that your puppy's eyes will open, and he'll slowly start to respond to light and movement and sounds around him. He'll start to recognize mom and his littermates, and any objects you might place in the box.He should start to walk during this stage, albeit falteringly, and he will start to use his voice for yapping, whining, etc. By this age, it is okay to handle the pup more and to expose him to everyday noise, but you should bear in mind that he is still very young and will need plenty of peaceful rest.
The Almost ready to meet the world stage lasts from 3 to about 4 weeks, and your puppy undergoes rapid sensory development during this time. Fully alert to his environment, he'll begin to recognize you and other family members. It's best to avoid loud noises or sudden changes during this period negative events can have a serious impact on his personality and development right now. Puppies learn how to be a dog during this time, so it's essential that they stay with mom and littermates. He can also start to wean at this age getting his first taste of puppy food.
During this stage of his life, your puppy will develop even more of an active interest in his environment as well as in playing and socializing with his siblings and with humans. You will find that your puppy's interest really peaks at this stage, and he will start to explore further and for longer. He should be walking now and you should therefore be vigilant, as he will be able to get in to a variety of places that he was not able to access previously.
The weaning process should be more intense during this period of his life, and this is where you will start to see his personality shine through. He'll also learn discipline at this point; Mom will start teaching them basic manners, including accepting her as the leader of the pack.
Continue handling the pups daily, but don't separate them from either Mom or litter mates for more than about 10 minutes per day. Puppies that are removed from the nest too early frequently are nervous, more prone to barking and biting and have a more difficult time with socialization and training. Puppies need to be left with Mom and siblings until at least 6 weeks of age - and preferably a little longer - for optimum social development.
Experts say that the best time in a puppy's life to learn social skills is between 3 and 16 weeks of age that's the window of opportunity you have to make sure your puppy grows up to be a well-adjusted dachshund. It's extremely important to leave your puppy with Mom and his littermates during as much of this period as possible. Don't discipline for play fighting, housebreaking mistakes or mouthing that's all normal behavior for a puppy at this stage.
The "I'm Afraid of Everything" Stage lasts from about 8 weeks to 3 months, and is characterized by rapid learning as well as a "fearful period" that usually pops up at around 8 to 10 weeks. Not all dogs experience this, but most do, and they'll appear terrified over things that they took in stride before. This is not a good time to engage in harsh discipline (not that you ever should anyway!), loud voices or traumatic events.
Delightlfully self-centered and curious, he's experiencing the outside world for the first time. Let him explore while encouraging positive behaviors and structuring your scedule around his needs. Like an infant, your puppy doesn't have the capacity to comprehend right from wrong.
Your puppy should be ready for some very simple and fun training at this stage - nothing heavy. You will notice that his socialization skills will develop more at this age, which is something that you should encourage, as you want him to feel comfortable around a variety of people. He will start to really get around at this age, so you should be watchful and make sure he does not get himself in to any trouble either inside or outside the house.
At this time your puppy's bladder and bowels are starting to come under much better control, and he's capable of sleeping through the night. (At last, you can get some rest!) You can begin teaching simple commands like: come, sit, stay, down, etc. Leash training can begin. It's important not to isolate your puppy from human contact at this time, as he'll continue to learn behaviors and manners that will affect him in later years.
The Juvenile stage typically lasts from 3 to 4 months of age, and it's during this time your puppy is most like a toddler. Before the terrible two's start, you may be convinced that you have adopted an angel. During her infancy, your puppy will follow you everywhere, sleep for hours, and run to you when you call. Then it will happen almost overnight: Your puppy will fall from grace. He'll be a little more independent - he might start ignoring the commands he's only recently learned just like a child does when they're trying to exert their new-found independence. As in "I don't have to listen to you!" Suddenly you'll be under slipper assault, the nipping will be relentless, and racing away from you will be the new game. Firm and gentle reinforcement of commands and training is what's required here.
A sharp "No!" or "No bite!" command, followed by several minutes of ignoring him, should take care of this problem. Continue to play with him and handle him on a daily basis, but don't play games like tug of war or wrestling with him. He may perceive tug of war as a game of dominance especially if he wins. And wrestling is another game that can rapidly get out of hand. As your puppy's strength grows, he's going to want to play-fight to see who's stronger and smarter even if you win, the message your puppy receives is that it's ok to fight with you. And that's not ok!
During the terrible two's you may fantasize about leaving your puppy on your neighbor's doorstep. If its any consolation, all her mischief is a wonderful sign of normal development. Your puppy is growing up. Knowing how to handle her behavior and how to control your own frustration is critical in getting through this trying time.
The Brat Stage starts at about 4 months and runs until about 6 months, and it's during this time your puppy will demonstrate even more independence and willfulness. By now you're getting a good glimpse of your puppy's personality. Is he needy, confrontational, strong willed, dependant, focused, obstinate? You may see a decline in his urge to please you expect to see more "testing the limits" type of behaviors. Your puppy is mastering faster than you can keep up with. Bear in mind that cooperation at this age is not apart of his emotional repertoire. Adolescents naturally test the limits of thier guardians - No matter the species. Exploration and curiosity also come into bloom during this stage. Matched with a puppies spiking hormaonal and energy levels, its a wonder they behave at all!
He'll be going through a teething cycle during this time, and will also be looking for things to chew on to relieve the pain and pressure. Frozen doggie bones can help sooth him during this period.
Though you may dream of a puppy hwo comes consistently, don't put too much pressure on him now. Mindful obedience isn't a realistic goal for one so young. The best approach for this age: prevention and playful lessons that highlight his focuses and successes!
He may try to assert his new "dominance" over other family members, especially children. Continue his training in obedience and basic commands, but make sure to never let him off his leash during this time unless you're in a confined area. Many times pups at this age will ignore commands to return or come to their owners, which can be a dangerous, even fatal, breakdown in your dachshund's response to you. If you turn him loose in a public place, and he bolts, the chances of injury or even death can result so don't take the chance.
The Young Adulthood stage lasts from 6 months to about 9 months, and is usually a great time in your doxies life - he's young, he's exuberant, he's full of himself and yet he's learning all the things he needs to become a full-fledged adult doxy.
Experiencing puberty with your puppy may prompt a quick midnight phone call to your parents to apologize for your quirky behaviors during puberty. Random defiance, running off for hours, ignoring direction: Don't take any of your puppy's frustrating behavior personally. Your puppy must challenge you in order to grow up. Through this age appropriate behavior, she's testing your authority to ensure that she can trust your judgement. It's simply a part of nature.
Managing yourself is the most important concentration during this stage. Anger and frustration will spell your ruin - your puppy will view your loss of control as a weakness, and she'll either assert her control or become unsure and manic.
During this phase, you have the perfect puppy - devoted, responsive, and mindful. Well, most of the time. Sometimes your almost-adult puppy still tests his independence; sometimes that incorrigible 3 month old puppy re-emerges and he's up to his old tricks. But, for the most part, you can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
As your doxy grows up, you should remember that his needs are going to change in many ways. As a puppy, he will need plenty of rest, but as he grows older his need for rest will be replaced with a need for play, exercise, and interaction with humans. You must never underestimate the amount of attention a doxy needs, and some people do start to pay less attention to their doxies once they have reached adolescence. However, older puppies and adults actually need more attention from humans than younger ones. Young pups are more concerned about where they are and what is around them; your attention and strokes are just an added bonus. By the time your doxy grows out of puppyhood, his main focus is on you as his owner rather than on his environment.
Also, remember that your doxies dietary needs will change, as he grows older. The type of food and the frequency of his meals will need to be adjusted according to his age, and his nutritional requirements for optimum health will need to be monitored.
Be realistic in your expectations of your doxy at this time just because he's approaching his full growth and may look like an adult, he's not as seasoned and experienced as you might expect. Gradually increase the scope of activities for your doxy, as well as the training. You can start more advanced training during this period, such as herding or agility training, if that's something both of you are interested in. Otherwise, extend his activities to include more people and other animals. Allow him to interact with non-threatening or non-aggressive dogs.