Puppy Sleep Patterns
Puppies need more sleep than dogs as they grow, which is between six and twelve months. According to Dr. Brian Evans, DVM, your puppies will require approximately 18 or 20 hours of sleep each day for proper growth. Indeed, a lack of sleep has been shown to negatively affect their well-being. By the time they are six months old, however, puppies tend to start sleeping like adults, averaging about ten to fourteen hours per day. It’s great having a new puppy at home but it also comes with some challenges like toilet training.
Behavior and Development
Even though at 6-7 months your puppy might physically resemble an adult dog more than anything else yet you should know that there are other developments taking place inside him/her. At that stage of life they want to learn about everything including you and this is a good moment to add in some more training lessons for them as well. During life stages like these be ready to adjust yourself accordingly depending on the behavioral changes that may come up in your puppy hence requiring your reinforcement even in terms of patience.
Physical Development
The physical changes of one’s puppy slow down a bit between six months and one year and their energy levels may increase showing you a new side of your puppy’s character. For instance by the time your dog reaches 6 months most small breeds will have almost completed their growing cycle but could continue filling out over the next three to six months. Medium dogs often keep growing for a few more months but at a slower rate. This is mainly complete house-training at this point so it is important that you remain patient and consistent while there are only occasional accidents remaining for some puppies.
Training and Socialization
Socialization shouldn’t end just because the optimum socialization window has closed off with regards to your young puppy undergoing his developmental phase anymore now he/she continues exploring its environment and learning at the same time. You should also take your new puppy to places, persons, sounds that she has never experienced before. Ignore fearful behaviour and reward calm behaviour in this regard. During this period puppies between 6-12 months may sometimes regress in their training but you must stay firm and consistent, ensuring the old basics are reviewed again through regular training sessions interspersed with newer harder tasks.
Exercise and Walks
Most pups will be able to walk around for about 30 minutes by the time they are four months (16 weeks) old. When your puppy is six or seven months old increase it to 45 -60 minutes. Allow your pup short walks on a loose leash – if you can make it grassy or sandy better still. So let her take her own sweet time as she explores the world around her. As she ages, her ability to handle longer walks will grow. Since their muscles and bones are still developing though, excessive walking of almost an hour could be too much for growing puppies.
House-Training and Bladder Control
As a general rule of thumb, puppies can hold their urine for the number of hours equivalent to their age in months plus one more hour. In other words, a six-month-old puppy should be able to hold his or her bladder for about six hours at a stretch up from five hours when he/she was five months old.Teaching your dog how to do toilet properly is therefore one of the very first lessons that you may want to introduce them to so that they get used to peeing outside as opposed inside the house where most times we spend our lives with them. If you find your puppy is constantly going pee pee in the house; don’t yell at him/her rather use positive reinforcement by praising them when they manage not only holding onto their bladder until being released outside but also excreting fluids successfully out there.Promise
Veterinary Care and Nutrition
Don’t fall behind on your puppy’s food. Ensure that a check for internal parasites is done on your puppy and consult the veterinary staff about the possibility of neutering him/her. The quality of nutrition a pup receives is important in its growth and development. In most cases, you should feed them with puppy food until they stop growing. Although large breed dogs will still need to continue getting puppy food past their first year, others can usually begin moving to adult food by 9-12 months.
Being Home Alone
By three months old most puppies can hold it in for an hour per month they have been alive for. Six months are enough time to allow a dog to stay without using a bathroom. In any case, even an adult dog shouldn’t be left alone at home without having opportunities for urination if more than six or eight hours have gone by. To learn how being alone feels like teach your dog while you are still around.
Final Thoughts
Getting one man’s best friend could be a great idea but think about whether or not you have enough time in your day to do so as well as what kind of help is available at home before going forward with this decision. Make sure you understand their needs at every stage of growth and development. Take good care of it, train it well, and give the patience that it deserves; soon enough, that 6-month-old puppy shall become a mature dog who fits in the society quite well.