Puppy Development From 6 Months to 1 Year

During 6 months to 1 year of age, your puppy's physical changes will slow down a bit and their energy levels may increase showing you a newer side of your puppy's personality. At 6 months, your puppy is now considered an adolescent after their fast-growing juvenile stage from age 3 to 6 months.

Be prepared to adapt to your puppy's needs in this life stage since they may have several behavior changes that will need your reinforcement in training and patience. Remember to continue introducing your dog to different experiences with people and environments since they are still understanding the outside world.

Physical Development

Growth

By six months of age, your puppy's growth will slow down. Most small dog breeds will be nearly finished growing at this time, though they may continue to fill out over the next three to six months. Medium dogs often keep growing for a few more months, but at a slower rate. Large and giant dog breeds tend to keep growing until they are 12 to 24 months old. Between six and eight months, many puppies have a "lanky" and awkward look that is quite adorable.

House Training

Most dogs are house trained and in full control of their bladders and bowels by the age of six months. House training is mainly complete at this point. Some puppies will still have an occasional accident in the house, especially if there is a change in the routine. Continue to be patient and consistent; this is normal. If your dog is still having major issues with house training, contact your vet for advice. Your puppy may have a health issue that can be treated.

Teeth

Your puppy should have all of their adult teeth by six months of age. This means that teething is over and your dog may chew less obsessively. Remember that it is still normal for dogs to chew, so make sure you have healthy dog chews available.

Sexual Maturity

Dogs reach sexual maturity between 6 and 8 months of age. Pet owners should consider having their dog spayed or neutered by 6 months of age for small-breed dogs and between 9 and 15 months for large breed dogs, after growth stops.

If you have not neutered your male dog, he will begin to show an interest in female dogs, specifically those in heat. He will go to great lengths to mate at this point. Whether neutered or not, he will likely begin to lift his leg to urinate (if he hasn't already) and may begin marking areas with urine. Marking behavior can be curbed more easily if you stop it early. Catch your dog in the act and redirect him to an appropriate place. Marking behavior tends to be less severe in neutered dogs.

If your female dog has not been spayed, she will likely go into heat (estrus) between the ages of 6 and 8 months. She can easily become pregnant at this time if she is with a male dog. She may also try to escape the house to mate.

Behaviorial Changes

Your 6-month-old puppy is an adolescent now, and their behavior may show it. He may have an increase in energy and willfulness. The dynamic between other dogs may also change; adult dogs can now tell they are old enough to know better and will not go as easy on them if they step out of line.

Socialization

Just because your puppy is past the optimum socialization window, it doesn't mean that socialization should stop. Your puppy is still exploring his environment and learning new things. Continue to expose your puppy to new experiences, people, places, things, and sounds. Reward for calm behavior and ignore fearful behavior.

Destructive Behavior

It is common for adolescent puppies to exhibit some destructive behavior in this stage. This is often caused by boredom due to the increase in energy and confidence. Continue to provide plenty of exercise for your puppy.

Training

Puppies between 6 and 12 months of age may sometimes act like they "forgot" their training. Be consistent and firm. Continue to have regular training sessions, covering the old basics again, and mixing in newer, more difficult tasks.

Health and Care

Now that puppy vaccines are completed, your puppy will not need to see the veterinarian until adulthood (unless something is wrong). Be sure to watch your puppy for any signs of illness. Contact your vet with any concerns. You are still learning what is normal for your puppy. It is much easier to treat most health issues if they are caught early.

Food and Nutrition

Proper nutrition is an important part of your puppy's development. In general, you should continue feeding puppy food (dog food labeled for growth) until your puppy is done growing. Large breed dogs often need to stay on puppy food past their first year, but other dogs can usually start to transition to adult food between 9 and 12 months of age. Small breed dogs may transition even earlier.

Because your dog's rate of growth is slowing at this time, it can be easy to accidentally overfeed. Make sure your dog's growth is overall, not just in his belly. Obesity in dogs is a common problem. Ask your vet for advice about your dog's optimum weight. Your vet can also tell you when to transition your dog to adult food.

When feeding treats, make sure they are non-toxic, healthy, and not fed in excess. Dog treats should never make up more than 10 percent of your puppy's daily food intake.

Training

You are never truly done training your puppy. Even adult dogs need regular training to keep them sharp. By this time, house training should be basically complete. Now is a good time to fine-tune obedience training. Continue to practice basic commands like sit, stay, and down. Add more advanced things, like roll over. Keep working on the recall cue and add in an emergency recall.

As your puppy matures, you may notice new behavior problems cropping up. Address them as soon as possible. Don't assume your puppy will grow out of it. The longer you allow inappropriate behavior, the more difficult it will be to correct it. If the issues are too hard to manage on your own, seek assistance from a dog trainer or behaviorist.