From Puppyhood to Seniorhood – How do Dog’s Personalities and Behaviours evolve?

Just like us, our four-legged friends show their true character when they feel most comfortable in the home environment. Our pets evolve the most as they become closer to us, their pawrents, as we help them gain more confidence with time. From a puppy to an adult – here we look at the common stages of changes in personality over the course of our dog’s lifetime.

Puppyhood

For the first few weeks a puppy is very much dependent on their mum – and rightly so. There is so much to learn; the puppy will experience exciting days of developing sight, smell, hearing and even regulating their body temperature.

Usually, any time after 8 weeks is the time when a puppy can separate from their mum. As anxious as this moment may be for both the mum and the puppy, this time is also best for making the transition easier for the pet. At 8 weeks, a puppy is fully aware of their surroundings, however, they still need a maternal figure. As a result, they tend to form a strong bond with us more quickly. At this stage, our puppy becomes very curious to learn about their new surroundings, pick their favourite spot, and to be potty trained.

The especially lucky puppies also get introduced to our Naturo Grain Free Puppy trays.

Adolescence in Dogs

Once a dog becomes more comfortable with their home, the fun begins! Just like us in our teenage years, a dog often is tempted to show teenage tantrums. Depending on how well their teeth have been sharpened, our dogs tend to make themselves at home and help us modify the furniture, or even get rid of unneeded cushions.

Often, they will make us aware that their bed is uncomfortable, with too much fluff inside the case, to the point they will completely sacrifice their bed! At their adolescent stage, a dog is already a DIY expert – making all the adjustments themselves. These refurbishments often depend on the number of seconds a puppy has been left alone unsupervised for – even if for a couple of minutes!

Sometimes our already-potty-trained dog could start marking their favourite spots again. However, as pawrents we should understand our adolescent pet by providing gentle training. If you are concerned about any behaviour, you should always consult your trusted vet.

“It wasn’t me, it was the cat”

Dog Adulthood

Into adulthood, tantrums become rarer of an occasion as our dog grows older, which means they require less supervision. At this stage, our dogs have already built a very strong connection with us, feel safe, and playful. Dogs tend to get used to our lifestyle and enjoy their daily routine, be it multiple walks, playtime, and of course, meal time (psst – check out our full Naturo Dog Food Range). As our dog fully develops, they enjoy activities stimulating them both mentally and physically, but of course, a nice nap as well.

Senior Dogs

At this life stage, with the timing depending on the breed, our four-legged friends tend to prefer a little more relaxed daily routine. They still enjoy their daily walks but may gently suggest that a little slower and shorter walk would be more enjoyable. Senior Dogs will often also let us know that a little more beauty sleep is desirable overnight (or during the day!).

After a long period of pawrenting, we often tend to notice even a slight change in our pet’s behaviour. Therefore, more frequent check-ups with the vet are very reasonable if our Senior Dog’s behaviour suddenly changes. You will also need to consider a change in diet. Our Senior Dog Food has added Glucosamine and Chondroitin to support aging bones and joints. However, seniorhood does not mean our dog has lost their spirit and will often let their hair down in a game of fetch!

“Someone say fetch??”

As our four-legged friends move through different stages of life, they develop a unique character, just as their pawrents. These traits are affected by nature and nurture but it is difficult to tell how much impact each factor has on different personality traits. However, no matter which one dominates the other, our life and theirs becomes unspeakably more fulfilled.