Puppy Behavior & Puppy Development - Age 16-19 Weeks Old

This is the point in your puppy’s development and behavior that you need to understand and recognize specific traits that your puppy may start to show. Although you should have now developed a strong bond and relationship with your puppy and you have managed to conquer any behavior problems – it is very important that you don’t become too relaxed and let bad behavior creep back in. During the age of 16-19 weeks it is not uncommon for your puppy to start rebelling against some of your previous training.

Expect your puppy to be quite well behaved one minute and the next quite ignorant and even ignore commands that you thought he had already mastered. Your puppy may even show his own individual personality type whether this is dominant or even a nervous disposition, it is important that you don’t become too over indulgent and remain in control and the pack leader.

You may see your puppy develop nervous or even aggressive behavior and this may even depend on the breed or genetic predisposition of your puppy. Fear is a behavior trait that is often quite evident between the ages of 16-19 weeks. Don’t be afraid to seek professional help from puppy training classes. It is often a misconception when dog owners feel that they have failed when they take their puppy to training classes. This is really not the case as it is a fantastic opportunity to seek expert advice, socialize your puppy with other dogs of different ages and sizes and you ask other owners questions that you may not normally have the opportunity to ask.

Although you started puppy socialization during the ages of 8-11 weeks you may see your puppy develop a fear of objects, traffic, people or other animals that he seemed fine with before. You need to remain a strong leader and be fair and consistent in all of your puppy training. Expect your puppy to find ever more increasing ways to misbehave especially when he is left on his own in the House. Your puppy may become destructive and bark when you are out of the House. These are all early warning signs of anxiety and even separation anxiety. To help conquer this you need to make sure that you start leaving the House for short periods during the day. If your puppy sees you leave the House at the same time everyday he may develop anxiety every time you leave. Stop jangling your keys or making a big deal about it when you leave the House – by leaving the House little and often you will get your puppy more used to being left alone. A good tip is to ignore your puppy for up to 20 minutes before leaving the House.

A quick summery of the puppy behavior to expect during the ages of 16-19 weeks include your puppy misbehaving when he is with you and when he is left on his own. He may dislike being groomed or looked at and examined by your vet. Expect your puppy to develop new fears or even start being frightened of things that he was quite happy about before. It is important that you don’t allow your puppy to get away with naughty behavior, so keep him stimulated and be consistent and fair with all of your training commands. Make sure that your puppy has been deflead and wormed again and his nails have also be clipped (if they are too long.) It is also quite common for your puppy to lose some teeth - don’t panic as they are what is called deciduous teeth and will be quickly replaced by his adult teeth. It is important to keep enjoying your puppy but that you don’t become complacent with your training. Although, it is not set in stone that your puppy will develop any of these behavior problems, if you are ready and able to anticipate that he may develop these problems you are much more able to cure training resistant behavior issues.

Puppy Training Tips
Learn how to train a dog or puppy from home with simple dog obedience training techniques.