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Canine Life Stages & Behavior

Updated: Feb 17


Dog Life Stages
A Dog's Life Stages by Year

Learn about your dog's life stages, what to expect, and how you can influence canine behavior


We are frequently asked - "When is my dog over the puppy and adolescent stages?" Well, it depends. Progressing from puppy to adolescence, then adolescence to adult depends on genetics, breed characteristics, size, environment, health & more.


Some key things to remember:

  • Your dog will not be the same dog from birth to senior - dogs age and change as we do

  • Planning for changes helps smooth out rough patches

  • Being kind at every stage change (and at all times) will help prevent your dog from making unwanted associations between people, dogs, places & sounds and fear


Interested in learning more about what behavior patterns surface at different ages and stages? We did the research for you! We reviewed some well respected veterinary textbooks and assembled a chart to guide your expectations. We even added a column that calls out behavior problems that may occur during each period! Review this chart proactively to guide you through your dog's life stages.


It's free to download at the end of this post!

Enjoy!








Stages in Canine Development
Stages in Dog Development

Stages in Canine Development
Stages in Dog Development


2024 WBA Stages in Behavior Development
.pdf
Download PDF • 126KB



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