Puppies are born deaf, and this is the last of their senses to fully develop. They can't hear until they're about three weeks old. Once their hearing kicks in, they hear about four times better than most people, including hearing a wider range of frequencies.
Puppies are capable of learning basic obedience commands from as early as eight weeks old, essentially the moment they're through your front door they can begin their training.
This stage occurs most often between 6 and 18 months. What is going on? For dogs that are not altered, this is the time of sexual maturation and the hormones and drive that go along with that create a dog that is less inclined to listen to his owner.
Some reasons dogs don't come when called include distraction, confusion, or fear. Gradual training and positivity are ways to help build a reliable recall so your dog will come when called.
6 months to 18 months
All of a sudden, your pup seems to digress from a well-trained pup to a pup with no training at all! This is a time of sexual maturation and hormones are raging, especially if the pup isn't neutered yet. This results in a pup who is less inclined to listen to your commands.
Approximately 35% of owners and trainers voted 8-9 months as the toughest age citing new challenging behaviors associated with their puppy's now larger size such as pulling on the leash or counter-surfing.
Perhaps the biggest challenge will be getting every member of the household to follow the same rules and routines with a puppy. The only way dogs really learn rules is through consistency. It is easy for a puppy to never quite get the training down when different family members treat the puppy differently.
Your puppy likely won't understand this right away, so it's essential to do it many times over an extended period — perhaps weeks or even months. Once the dog understands that “no” means it can't have the treat in your hand — and it has learned not to take the treat from an open fist when you say no — you can move on.
Appropriate, frequent, and regularly scheduled exercise sessions, providing appropriate outlets for normal behaviors, along with an early start to training can go a long way to preventing most unruly behaviors. Waiting to train your puppy until it is 6 months of age can often let these disobedient behaviors take hold.
When a dog doesn't listen to or follow commands, it's not typically because he is hardheaded or untrainable. The problem is often that normal dog behaviors simply don't conform to human standards of good manners, and changing behavior that comes naturally to a dog can take time and effort.
In conclusion, one can learn things about a puppy's temperament as early as 4-5 weeks, although the older they get the more you can learn and the more reliable a temperament test. By 6-8 weeks, a breeder should be able to tell you many details about your pup's personality.
The first two months are the most difficult and the following months also bring their challenges. So the answer is, it will get easier and easier, depending on how much effort you put into educating your dog. You should therefore remain hopeful in the process during the first year.
But most dogs tend to bond to the person who gives them the most attention. For example, in a family with two parents and two kids, the dog may favor the parent who fills their bowl every morning and takes them for a walk every evening. In addition, physical affection solidifies the bond between dog and person.
The first things a puppy needs to learn are basic manners, his name, potty training, and not to bite your hands with those sharp teeth. A puppy needs to learn socialization skills, including people, places, and things.
According to The People's Dispensary for Sick Animals, a good good starting point is to aim for 5 minutes of exercise, twice a day, for each month of age. For example, 3-month-old puppies should have 15 minutes of exercise twice a day, then 20 minutes twice a day at 4 months, etc).
Generally, most puppies will start to settle between 6 - 12 months, but as mentioned above there are a few other factors that can impact puppy energy levels. Some might say that female dogs are calmer dogs due to the fact they mature quicker than males, however a more impactful factor to consider would be their breed.
Behavior Changes
She may be less eager to please and more likely to test the rules. She's also enjoying a big dose of hormones that may cause willful or rebellious behaviors — just like a teenager. Your potty-trained puppy may start having accidents in the house. Be patient and consistent, and reinforce training.
Puppies can be taught to sit, lie down, wait, stay, leave it, and other such useful commands that will stay with them for the rest of their lives. Once these behaviors have been learned they should be reinforced periodically throughout life.
First, stop your dog in the act of whatever he's doing, then give him a different, pet parent-approved option. For example, if you walk into a room and notice him chewing your shoes or hairbrush, swiftly tell him "No!" and take the item out of his mouth. Once your dog is calm, present him with an actual chew toy.
Move your fist up and down in a very slow motion so he moves his head up and down watching the motion and then give him the treat. Repeat a few times. Next, practice without the treat in your fist and give him a treat from your other hand. He will learn that the fist is the signal for “yes.”
However, experts have explained why you shouldn't shout at your dog, and that shouting can actually do more harm then good when trying to teach your pup to be well behaved. In fact, not only is it likely to make them naughtier, it can even lead to even stress and depression.