Doggone Etiquette —

Stage Manager

By Bardi McLennan

A Word to the Dog:                           

Aren’t you dogs lucky! You don’t have to think about growing up, or growing old. If you are a puppy now, “now” is all you really care to know about. When you’re a teenager you may think you know it all, but by the time you are middle-aged, you really will know all you need to know. Old age can be a bit of a puzzle for some dogs, but any problems you may have will become the concern of your VIPeople, not you! Take good care of those people, and they’ll do the same for you at every stage of your life.

A Word to the Dog’s Owner:            

Dogs go through the various stages of life similar to ours, only they go from one to the next a lot more quickly. The life expectancy of dogs varies considerably and is somewhat based on their size at maturity. Most of the very small dogs are in the range of 13 to 15 years, but it’s not unusual to hear of one living as long as eighteen years! Very large dogs like the Great Dane or Rottweiler, on the other hand, may only live to be eight or ten. This means that all the various stages that we’ll look into are scrunched up for those biggies, or spread out for the wee ones.        

We expect all very young pups to be playful, active, curious, mischievous, naughty, (even disobedient) as well as amusing and adorable. Okay, that’s a given. Then they reach a peak of all that puppyhood, roughly between five and twelve months of age, and everything goes haywire. It is a stage that too often is unexpected, taking the owner by surprise. It’s referred to as the “teenage” spurt.                               

It can be quite disconcerting if you’re an unsuspecting new dog owner! Your pup has learned all the obedience commands, all the things he can and cannot do around the house, and suddenly he is trying to outsmart you. Or perhaps he experiments with ignoring you by an amazing use of “selective hearing.” You call him as usual, but he gives you no acknowledgement, just gazes off in the distance. Some of this nonsense will test your patience, but he’s just being a normal teenage dog full of his own importance and trying to impress you with it.                          

No doubt you’ve gone through it if you’ve ever raised a pup. Frustrating, to say the least, but don’t give up. Smile when you can, and when it’s necessary, be firm. Keep reminding yourself that it’s only a stage in a dog’s life. Dogs are individuals, and some will get through the teenage pranks in a matter of weeks, and others will take a couple of months. You need to indicate clearly when enough is enough, or the dog may try to stretch it out for as long as he can get away with it. (Terriers, I’ll admit, are good at this.) Regardless of what form it takes, or the extent of it, with your good management Rufus will move on to the next couple of “young dog” years that are pleasurable, fun, and a learning experience for both you and the dog.  

The next stage begins anywhere from three to five years of age. It’s the start of middle-age, the longest and often the best period of the dog’s life from everyone’s point of view. It’s when Rufus has settled down and knows what to expect of each day, and of the members of his family. Best of all, he knows what’s expected of him, whether it’s waiting for the school bus, hiking in the woods, or playing in the snow. The true bonds between the family and the dog are sealed during these years.                     

Manage these stages well and you’ll have the strength – and many wonderful memories – to let you cope kindly and peacefully with the final one.

Until next time – BE GOOD!

- Bardi

Bardi McLennan bred, trained and showed Welsh Terriers for 30 years, during which time she wrote a monthly column on canine behavior in Dog Fancy Magazine. In addition to contributing to numerous dog publications, she has written 15 books on dogs, the latest being Rescue Me!, which received the ASPCA Humane Issues Award in 2008.