Will my puppy's good personality stay permanent as he turns 6 months?

It's normal for puppies to become more independent and less focused on you as they reach adolescence. The best way to handle this is by simply "going back to basics" and reminding Bear of what you want him to do. Make sure to reward generously when he does what you ask. I agree that getting some hands-on help from a trainer would also be a good idea, so I would get started with this as soon as you can. You can search for a qualified trainer or obedience class instructor in your area here: www.ccpdt.org

You are doing a good job so far. I would go to puppy classes and then a group obedience class or two when he’s six month old or so. The more training you do the better behaved dog you will have. This is a large and head strong breed so I’m glad you are taking the socialization and training seriously. In addition I would have it neutered by eight months to prevent any change of behavior due to adult hormones. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for your dog.

I would recommend increasing physical and mental stimulation for Bear. Aim for working up to an hour of walking and 3-6 ten minute sessions of training/mind work during the day. By mind work, I mean finding hidden treats in the house, working on eating a frozen kong, or working on another food toy. You can actually feed him all his meals in a food toy if he's highly food motivated. Secondly, I would encourage you to think very specifically about what a well mannered dog means to you and work on actively encouraging those behaviors and ignoring/redirecting bad behaviors. If a he's not listening, he either doesn't understand what you want, can't (due to fear or physical pain), or isn't sufficiently motivated (ie you want him to "come" and then give him a piece of lettuce as a reward - he's going to be less likely to do it in the future, unless he's a dog who is super motivated by praise from you. But many dogs need the food motivation for a long time as well). I hope that helps! I know it's a difficult time.

Hello. It is never too early to start some very basic training & advocating for good manners in a puppy. Discourage any chewing or rough play using hands or feet. Gentle reminders & plenty or other things to chew on are the key. If your pup is already on a solid, but soft diet, then do not let her charge over & eat her food in seconds. Make her sit as quiet as possible for 10-15 seconds before allowing her to eat. Begin some basic obedience with her. Sit, stay, shake a paw are all possible for her to begin to understand at this age. While you can not take her out to associate with others, as soon as she has had all of her puppy shots, begin to socialize her with other pets & people ( as long as it is safe to do so with this pandemic ). If you treat her well, with a firm kindness, she should respond well to you. We will just have to wait & see how things progress with this virus, but the more professional training help you can get, the better a canine citizen your pup will be. Chances are she will do just fine. Thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Congratulations on adding Teddy to your family! Puppies can be frustrating at times. The behavior described is consistent with a frustrated puppy. It is not unusual for a puppy that is frustrated to bark, growl or completely ignore things that you say. He is not trying to exert dominance he just may not really understand what you are asking. Your best bet for getting Teddy to follow your directions is to have a consistent training plan and use high-value rewards. When you tell him no, he doesn't really understand what you want him to do. You will likely have better luck telling him what you would like him to do. For example, if you want him to walk nicely on a leash it's better to teach him a look command rather than just yank on the leash to get him to go where you want. Using a look command will tell him what you want him to do which is keep his eyes on you rather than what's going on in the neighborhood. This is a great resource for starting a training program with your puppy: http://www.patriciamcconnell.com/store/The-Puppy-Primer.html

Thanks for visiting Petcoach. We don't mind follow-up questions, in fact they are encouraged! In my experience it isn't normal for a puppy to be really shy, because this is not a behavior we would want or expect; however, we do see this in pets with anxiety issues. I would bet that Sie has some degree of anxiety. Your trainer may be able to work through these issues with you; however, in most situations you need a certified behaviorist or experienced trainer iwho can work with Sie one-on-one. It can be done, so stay the course and consistency is key to helping Sie through her fears. Here is a website link for finding certified animal behaviorists in your area, if needed. http://www.avsabonline.org/resources/find-consult I have seen many puppies who were successfullly converted into outgoing social dogs, as they gani their confidence over time. So there is hope. Best of luck with Sie and I hope that things continue to improve. Take care.

What you are describing may be normal puppy behavior for Bear because some puppies respond very poorly to dominance type of behavioral training. However, I would be concerned with the behaviors that you are describing. I would recommend contacting your veterinarian or the foster organization for a recommendation on a trainer to work with to have someone else observe Bear's behavior to help you decide where to go from here. The longer this behavior continues, the more serious it will be become, so this needs to be dealt with immediately. In the meantime, I would not reprimand or challenge Bear since that seems to escalate the situation. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.