What should your puppy know and be learning at 5 and 6 months.

Your puppy is going to be going through their second fear phase between 5 and 6 months old. They are going through a lot of different changes during this time. So, try to make this as stress-free as you can.

Read more here: https://www.amysmtndogtraining.com/post/fearful-and-teenage-pup

Plus, you have now entered the teenage stage, also called adolescence! This phase usually starts around 5 to 6 months and can last up to 1 ½ years- 2 years old. By this age, the dog has reached maturity. Socialization during this stage is very important so they don’t develop any signs of reactivity towardother dogs or people. This is usually when the reactivity will set in. They also need your love and support now! Lastly, they might act like they have forgotten everything you have learned and taught them. Just keep teaching things that they already know. Don't worry!

Your puppy should be almost potty trained all the way. If your puppy has an accident, just return to the basics. The teething still might be going on. It should be getting better.

Another behavior you might start experiencing as your puppy gets older is jumping up on people. Please read more here on how to deal with this and correct the behavior.https://www.amysmtndogtraining.com/post/jumping

Your puppy might also start counter-surfing. Ensure everything is pushed back on your counters so your puppy can’t get ahold of anything. Teach your puppy to stay off the counters by telling them to go lay down on their bed. If your puppy does jump up on the counter, say off.

Basic Obedience: your puppy, by now, should be able to sit, lay down, stay, come, leave it, and pay attention to you. You are ready to start advancing to some next-level training, such as heeling on the leash, listening skills, and distraction training. If you aren’t quite sure how to do these, we have just the right class for you to do!

This is a great age to do the Next Level puppy class with your puppy.

Classes can be found here: https://www.amysmtndogtraining.com/groupclasses