Adult dogs

The adult dog—the friend, the companion, the buddy! This is the much-awaited stage of your dog’s life.The season of “me” transforms into the season of “we.” It is the season of friendship and teamwork. It’s the one where he sits in your front yard while you wash the car, jogs with you offleash, sits quietly by your side in the yard while you lounge in your lawn chair sipping iced tea and reading. He is happy to simply be with you because you’re pals! This stage makes all of the other “raising” stages worthwhile. Age: Adulthood begins at roughly the age of three. Earlier than three years of age, your dog may have some good skills, but will not be fully mature.Adulthood ranges from three years of age to roughly seven or eight years of age.

GOALS FOR ADULT DOGS

 In your dog’s adult years, you have many pathways open to you both. You can pursue any of a number of advanced activities from Therapy Dog Work to Shutzhund Competitions. See the Appendix for details on some of these activities. Once the active part of your raising, teaching, and modeling is done, you can now enjoy the fun of your dog’s company! This is the stage of life where she truly enjoys doing things with you as opposed to having things done just for her. Take her places, do more walks, more swims, and more playing, and enjoy life with her. Reward her for all of her hard work and learning in her earlier years. In this stage, while you’re not actively teaching or creating manners (if you’ve already done your job!), you should pay special attention to maintaining your dog’s daily balance. Don’t set your dog aside simply because the raising is done. Keep the balance in check! Maintain your dog’s safety even in adulthood. Keeping your dog safe means keeping her listening skills, obedience skills, and respect skills tuned. When your dog is tuned in to you and your leadership, you should always have the ability to command her away from danger, as well as prevent her from getting into it. When the skills and responses of your dog remain sharp, not only will you maintain her physical safety, but her mental safety as well. A dog that remains well trained will not develop behavioral problems. Therefore your dog remains a safe being to have in society.