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Before we do anything else, let's define what a puppy is. We will assign an age range but there will always be slower and faster maturing puppies. Typically small breed puppies mature the fastest and may be adolescents at 6 months and adults by 12 while giant puppies mature the slowest and may not enter puberty until 18 months and be considered adult around 36 months. Plus other things can affect maturity as well, things like maternal nutrition, puppy nutrition (especially appropriate amounts of the brain development fatty acid DHA), early puppyhood environment and learning, current learning, breed or mix, and current environment will each play a role in where your puppy is at developmentally and so behaviorally. So these are rough guides.

Puppy: A dog under the age of 4 months who is showing no signs of puberty.Juvenile: A dog between 4 and 7 months. During this stage puppies start to loose baby teeth, deciduous teeth erupt, and puberty starts.

Adolescent: A dog over 7 months with adult dentition that has started puberty.

Adult: A dog of any age who is sexually mature and has complete adult dentition.

Because all biting, chewing, and mouthing behaviors are developmental in origin, what stage of life our dog is in is extremely relevant. Rarely do 8 week old puppies bite for the same reason as 8 month old adolescent dogs, so how we consider both will be different. So, remember, developmental stage is important when we are discussing developmental biting, mouthing, and chewing.This is VERY important - puppy biting is normal! Often inexperienced owners are surprised that their puppy bites them, or the intensity or context of this behavior, and they fear their puppy is aggressive or will grow into a dangerous dog. So, always remind yourself that puppies bite, this is normal, and that it's genetics coupled with how WE respond to the biting that can derail our puppy raising train and lead to unfortunate or less than desirable outcomes.

Because I can't say this enough, puppy biting is normal, and while annoying and painful, it is generally very benign. Puppies and Juveniles are not fully formed adults, they don’t mean to hurt us, and they literally cannot help using the tool box nature has given them. We don't actually NEED to do anything, except avoid mucking things up, and our puppies will outgrow this behavior. However, the risk of mucking up is so high, and solutions so simple, that we have developed this course to help new puppy owners keep their puppy raising on track.

What is a puppy anyway?