A dog's growth is divided into 5 different stages

Many friends who keep dogs notice that their dogs often display some puzzling behaviors - such as frequently whining softly, relieving themselves everywhere, and constantly chewing up furniture and shoes. In fact, these are dogs' original behavioral instincts, not bad habits as we humans see them.

Because their original behavioral instincts often come into conflict with our modern way of life, causing us a great deal of inconvenience, and causing many dogs to be abandoned because of these behavioral problems, which is truly a great pity.

This is why, as we step onto the threshold of dog training, we must first understand dog behavior and their psychology. Only in this way can we better understand our own dogs' psychological and physiological behaviors.

Different stages have different behaviors

Dogs and wild wolves share nine innate behavioral instincts and five different growth processes, and in these five different growth processes some different behaviors will appear. The five different growth stages are divided into:

1. The period from birth to the thirteenth day (newborn period)

Newborn puppies can only live in the den and be cared for by the mother dog. Because their vision, hearing and brain development have not progressed much, their range and level of activity are low and limited. Only when they reach the thirteenth day after birth and enter the second growth stage do they begin to change.

2. The period from the thirteenth day to the twentieth day after birth (transition period)

Transition period means the stage in which a dog transitions from the first thirteen days of being completely cared for to beginning to have the ability to care for itself. Their motor nerves begin to develop, and they begin to react to the outside world, so their activity level increases. Therefore, at this stage one often sees puppies crawling around in the den.

Why do we say puppies begin to have the ability to care for themselves? Because when they are hungry they will crawl to the mother dog to find milk to fill their stomachs, when they feel cold they will crawl to the mother dog to warm up, and when they feel hot they will also crawl away from the mother dog to cool their bodies down.

3. The period from the third week to the twelfth week after birth (socialization period)

At this stage, puppies come into contact with many different things, which has a great influence on their future development, especially their character and temperament. Seven to eight weeks is the best period for a dog to learn about life and how to get along with its own kind. Therefore, experts produced a research report: if a puppy only comes into contact with people or other dogs from the fourth month after birth, they will have two different reactions.

(1) Fear; (2) Fierceness; therefore, the earlier a dog comes into contact with people and its own kind, the more helpful it is to their temperament.

4. The period from the twelfth week after birth to puberty (juvenile period)

During the juvenile period, wild dogs and wild wolves at this stage begin to learn to go out hunting with the pack and to learn to care for themselves. But our domestic dogs are fed food provided by their owners, so at this stage the behavior of domestic dogs is completely different from the instinctive behavior of their ancestors. Their foraging habits can be said to be entirely governed by humans.

But at this stage, remember to carefully handle the puppy's behavioral habits and learning process. If there is any mistake, the dog's nine major original instincts will reappear, and will create a great deal of trouble for our lives.

5. From when a female dog has the ability to breed the next generation and a male dog has the ability to mate, until the end of its lifespan (from growth period to end of lifespan)

At this stage, strong wild male dogs and wild [dogs] will become the leaders of the pack, replacing the older previous generation, and female dogs begin to breed the next generation. At this stage, whether male or female, they have already learned to fully care for themselves and the next generation, and male dogs begin to breed the next generation. At this stage, whether male or female, they have already learned to fully care for themselves and the next generation, but today's domestic dogs, when they reach this stage, still often need us to care for them.

The best learning time starts from two months

In fact, the best learning time for a dog starts from eight weeks. If you only begin training a dog after four months, many of the dog's original instincts will reappear, and will create a great deal of trouble for our daily lives.

But speaking as a friend of mine with experience in keeping dogs, starting to train your own dog from this time can still solve the problem. However, for some friends who are keeping a dog for the first time, it is very difficult, because they are still unfamiliar with how to care for a dog, so how could they manage to train the dog themselves?

So if friends who are keeping a dog for the first time really want to start training their own dog at this stage, please first consult experienced friends or a professional dog trainer.

Traditional dog training methods destroy a puppy's mind

The best training time for a dog is actually different from the theories we previously learned about teaching dogs. The instructors from whom we previously learned dog training suggested to us that the best training period for a dog is ten months of age, because traditional dog training methods were used before, and when teaching dogs a great deal of corporal punishment would be used, and only when a dog is ten months old can its body and mind accept this kind of training.

So twenty years ago many dog trainers often said that training a dog when it is younger than ten months old is destroying the dog. Because traditional dog training methods will completely destroy a puppy's mind and courage.

Only sent for training at five or six months old

Today's dog training techniques are very different from before, and in addition many experts have researched and developed many new dog training methods. If everyone can abandon traditional dog training methods, and the dog owner themselves has a certain understanding of dogs, then I also agree that the best training period for a dog starts from eight weeks.

But if the dog owner does not want to teach the dog themselves, and instead sends the dog to a training facility to receive training, I suggest still letting the dog first complete all vaccinations, and waiting until the dog is five to six months old before sending it to a training facility to receive training.