Around 6 months to 1 year of age, your puppy’s physical changes will slow down, and energy levels may increase, showing you a new side of your puppy’s personality. Your puppy is now considered a juvenile at six months after a rapidly growing juvenile stage at 3 to 6 months.
Be prepared to adapt to your pup’s needs at this life stage, as they can go through many behavior changes that will require your reinforcement in patience and training. Remember to continue introducing your puppy to different experiences with people and environments as they are still perceiving the outside world.
Physical Development Of 6 Months Old Dog Puppy
Growth
By six months, your puppy’s growth will slow down. Most small dog breeds will be nearly weaned by this time, although they may continue to fill up over three to six months.
Medium dogs often continue to grow for a few more months but at a slower rate. Large and giant dog breeds continue to grow until they are 12 to 24 months of age. Between 6 and 8 months, many puppies have a “lean” and strange appearance that is quite adorable.
House Training
Most dogs are house-trained for six months and ultimately control their bladders and bowels. Home training is mainly completed at this point. Some puppies still have the occasional accident in the household, especially if there is a change in routine.
Continue to be patient and consistent; It is expected. If your dog still has significant problems with house training, contact your vet for advice. Your puppy may have a health problem that can be treated.
Teeth 6 Months Old Puppy
Your puppy dog should have all of his adult teeth by the time he is six months old. This means teething is over, and your dog can chew less obsessively. Remember that it is still customary for dogs to chew, so make sure you have healthy dog chews available.
Sexual Maturity
Dogs reach sexual maturity at 6 to 8 months of age. Pet owners should consider spaying or neutering their dog after growth has stopped, between 6 months of age for small breed dogs and 9 to 15 months for large breed dogs.
If you haven’t neutered your male dog, he will begin to show interest in female dogs, especially dogs in heat. He would go to great lengths to cohabit at this point.
Neutered or not, he will begin to raise his leg to urinate (if he hasn’t already) and may start to mark areas with urine. Marking behavior can be curbed more quickly if you stop it early. Catch your pup in the act and redirect him to the appropriate location. Marking behavior is less severe in neutered dogs.
If your female dog has not been neutered, she will likely go into heat (estrus) between 6 and 8 months of age. At this time, she can quickly become pregnant if she is with a male dog. She may even try to run away from home to have sex.
Behavioral Changes Of 6 Months Old Puppy
Your six-month-old puppy is now a teenager, and their behavior may show this. He may have increased energy and willpower. Mobility between other dogs may also change; Adult dogs can now tell that they are old enough to know better and will not be as easy if they step out of line.
Socialization
Just because your puppy is past the optimal socialization window doesn’t mean that socialization should stop. Your dog is still exploring his environment and learning new things. Continue introducing your puppy to new experiences, places, people, sounds, and things. Reward for calm behavior and ignore pup’s fearful behavior.
Destructive Behavior
It is common for teenage puppies to display some destructive behavior. This is often due to boredom due to increased energy and confidence. Continue to provide exercise for your puppy.
Training
Puppies between the ages of 6 and 12 months can sometimes behave as if they “forgot” their training. Be consistent and firm. Continue regular training sessions, re-covering the old basics and mixing in new, more complex tasks.
Health and Care 6 Months Old Pup
Now that the puppy vaccinations are complete, your puppy will not need to see the vet until he is an adult (unless something is wrong). Be sure to watch your doggy for any signs of illness. Contact your veterinarian for any concerns. You are still learning what is general for your puppy. Most health problems are very easy to treat if they are caught early.
Food and Nutrition
Proper nutrition is a good part of your dog’s development. You should continue to feed puppy food (dog food labeled for growth) until your puppy has grown. Large breed dogs often need to be on puppy food past their first year, but other dogs can begin to transition to adult food, usually between 9 and 12 months of age. Small breed dogs can get the infection earlier as well.
Since your dog’s growth rate is slowing, it can be easy to overfeed accidentally. Make sure your dog’s development is holistic, not just in his stomach. Obesity is a common problem in dogs. 1 Ask your vet for advice about your dog’s optimal weight. Your pet vet can also tell you when to switch your dog to adult food.
When feeding, make sure they are non-toxic, healthy, and not overfed. Puppy treats should never make up more than 10% of your puppy’s daily food intake.
Note: When giving chew treats, avoid bones, horns, hooves, hard nylon dog toys, or other hard chews. Even though adult teeth are inside, they can be easily damaged by chewing too hard.
6 Months Old Puppy Training
You’ve never really finished training your puppy. Even adult dogs need daily training to keep them sharp. By this time, home training should be complete. Now is an excellent time to get the obedience training fix. Continue practicing basic commands like sit, stay, and sit down. Add more advanced things, like rollovers. Keep working on the recall queue and add in an emergency recall.
As your puppy matures, you may notice that new behavioral problems emerge. 3 Address them as soon as possible. Please don’t assume that your puppy will grow out of it. The longer you allow inappropriate behavior, the harder it is to correct it. If the issues are too challenging to manage on your own, seek help from a dog trainer or behaviorist.
