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Dogs reach maturity at different
times, ranging from one year up to four years depending on their size. The
smaller the dog, the sooner he enters each phase of maturity. Until dogs are
four months old they all follow pretty much the same growth patterns. After
that the periods of development vary slightly, with smaller dogs graduating to
the next phase of development before the larger ones.
Once a dog reaches full maturity,
there is a reorganization of the pecking order: during this final phase of
growth the dog tries to show her identity within the pack once and for all. The
way your dog reacts when she reaches full maturity will be the sum total of how
you and she have handled issues and perhaps confrontations in the stages that
led up to full maturity. If you have allowed a dog to reach a “high rank”
during the first stage of classification (twelve to sixteen weeks), then you
now face the ultimate test: any challenge between you and the dog over who will
ultimately have “alpha status” can become aggressive.
The alpha figure in a wolf pack
disciplines all lower-ranking individuals who try to take benefits they did not
earn. If your dog acts aggressively when you challenge him and you have had him
since puppyhood, his personality is a result of how you allowed him to mature.
Whether or not there are confrontations between you and the dog at this
juncture depends entirely on the type of dog you are dealing with and how you
have responded in the past to his demands. If your dog’s instinct is to be
passively defensive, then when you confront him he will display total
submission—or he may display silly puppy behavior.
If you have a dog who, when challenged,
responds with aggression, don’t think of him as being a “bad” or “difficult”
dog—he is a high-ranking dog behaving in an aggressive style, protecting his
turf. But if he respects you as the pack alpha figure, then you’re home free.
Copyright © Tracie Hotchner – Originally appeared in The Dog Bible: Everything Your Dog Wants You to Know by Tracie Hotchner
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