The age of six months is a transitional phase for any dog irrespective of its breed. This is the period where dogs are slowly making their progress towards adolescence from puppyhood.
Today, we are going to discuss training methods such as potty, crate, leash, and obedience of a 6 month old puppy.
Can a 6 month old puppy be trained?
Six month old puppies are old enough to understand commands. In fact, a six month old puppy will be considered as a mature teenager by most animal experts. But in their adolescence years, puppies can behave erratically due to the sudden burst of energy that occurs at this age.
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However, it is important to keep your six month old puppy on a leash both figuratively and literally. If the behavioral pattern of a six month puppy is not corrected at this stage, then it will drag this same behavioral pattern to its adulthood.
The brain and body of a six month old puppy are mature enough to be trained.
Tips to train a 6 month old puppy:
A puppy has to be properly trained at the age of six months. It is a crucial period for puppies as they can start showing erratic behavior. Obedience training will take care of these erratic behaviors. One will also have to potty train, leash train, and crate train a puppy at this stage.
Training a 6 month old puppy might come across as a difficult task due to lack of experience regarding the matter. However, there are some tips you can follow that will make the task easier. Let’s discuss in detail about some of them.
Address the chewing behavior:
At the age of six months, puppies can be seen developing a chewing behavior. They will start chewing and biting things and people without thinking about the consequences. The six month mark is a good point to address this behavior.
You can introduce chewing toys to control the chewing behavior of your six month old puppy. Otherwise, it will end up chewing other things in your house.
Address the barking behavior:
Another thing that has been noticed in six month old puppies is excessive barking. The barking pattern of puppies varies according to their breed.
But if your six month old puppy is barking without any break, then you will need to address this behavioral problem and try to rectify it.
You can start giving commands to your six month old puppy to control its excessive barking. It would be wise to let the six month old puppy know that it is not okay to bark without any cause and that its bark can create problems for others.
Address the jumping behavior:
Another behavioral pattern of the six month old puppy that has to be given importance is their jumping pattern. At the age of six month, puppies are full of energy and they start jumping on people as a playful behavior.
But you will need to train your six month old puppy to respect others’ privacy and boundaries.
You can do it by not encouraging its sudden burst of energy and giving commands to control its jumping behavior. It can be difficult to address this issue when the puppy turns into an adult dog.
Indulge it in exercise:
A six month old puppy can be taken out on long walks. A thirty minute exercise session is needed for the overall growth and development of a six month old puppy. Puppies are often full of energy and they need to release this energy in the form of physical exercise.
Long walks can be a good way of releasing that burst of energy.
A six month old puppy needs to have two separate exercise sessions everyday. Because it will need time in between sessions to regain the lost energy. Your six month old puppy will require regular exercise and its exercise schedule can be created after consulting a vet.
How long does it take to train a 6 month old puppy?
Puppyhood is an important phase in a dog’s life. Before the training that a dog receives during this period sets it up for life. By the time a puppy turns six months old, it has already received quite a few basic training.
So it does not take a lot of time to train a six month puppy from then on.
Ideally, a six month old puppy will have received adequate training by the time it turns one year old. One year is the maximum limit for puppies to learn all their training. After that, they step into adulthood.
Potty training for 6 month old puppy:
Potty training a 6 month old puppy is not as difficult as it seems. But you will need to follow the correct steps to potty train your 6 month old puppy. Let’s discuss in detail about some of them.
Make a feeding schedule:
You will need to make a proper feeding schedule for your six month old puppy. It will help with the potty training. If your puppy has its meals at the same time everyday, then it will need to release itself at the same time everyday too.
Select a place:
You will need to potty train your six month old puppy by taking it outside to the same spot everyday. It will create a behavioral pattern that a puppy will feel the need to follow. Your six month old puppy has to be taken outside right after meals and naps.
Shower it with praise and treat:
When your six month old puppy relieves itself outside at the selected place, you will have to shower it with praise and treat. It will encourage it to follow the potty training on a consistent basis.
Crate training for 6 month old puppy:
You will need to follow certain steps to create and train your six month old puppy successfully. Let’s discuss in detail about some of the steps.
Select a crate:
First of all, you will need to select a crate that supports the size of your six month old puppy. You can buy a crate that will be enough for the growth stage of your six month old puppy. But the crate should not be too big.
Otherwise, your six month old puppy will use it as a potty area.
Feed it:
You will have to feed your six month old puppy inside the crate. It will highlight the fact that the crate is a place that your puppy needs to adapt to. You can also give your six month old puppy occasional treats to encourage it to stay in the crate.
Take it outside:
Right after naps and meals, you will need to take your six month old puppy out of the crate. Otherwise, your puppy will start releasing itself inside the crate which is not a healthy practice at all.
Obedience training for 6 month old puppy:
Obedience training is an important part of puppyhood. There are some steps you need to follow to obedience train your six month old puppy effectively. Let’s discuss in detail about some of the steps.
Teach basic commands:
Six month old puppies are mature enough to understand basic commands. You can teach them basic commands by repeating the words and showering them with treats and praises when they follow a command accurately.
The list of commands includes sit, stand, and come.
Be authoritative:
At the age of six months old, puppies will need to understand that you are their owner and they need to follow your lead. So you will need to start ignoring them when they showcase erratic behaviors such as excessive barking, biting, and jumping on people.
It is a good way of letting them know that their behavior is not friendly and they need to control it.
You will need to showcase your ownership over your puppy at this stage. Otherwise, your puppy’s erratic behavior will be a permanent problem during its adulthood. Six month mark is the perfect time for obedience training.
Leash training for 6 month old puppy:
It can be hard to leash train a six month old puppy without prior experience. However, there are some steps and methods you can follow to leash train your puppy.
Select a comfortable collar and leash:
First of all, you will have to select a comfortable collar and leash for your six month old puppy. You will need to keep the collar and leash on inside the house as well. This will give your puppy the chance to get used to the feel of collar and leash.
While putting on the collar and leash, you will need to make sure that they are not in any way harming your six month old puppy’s body.
Give commands:
You will need to give basic commands such as “come” to teach your puppy to walk on a leash. If you can make your six month old puppy get used to walking on a leash inside the house, then you can take the puppy outside for a walk on leash for the next step.
Walking on a leash outside might be an overwhelming experience for your puppy at first. So you will have to be patient during the entire process.
Final Thoughts
A puppy needs to receive training regarding potty, crate, leash, and obedience when it turns six months old. If these training sessions are not started at this stage, then you will end up with an ill mannered dog in its adulthood. Regularly training the puppy keeps its behavior in check.