# puppy changes by month



## 4loveofadog (Mar 3, 2010)

what are/were changes that your puppy went through from month 4 thru month 8. explain by month. thanks.


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## Lobo dog (Sep 19, 2014)

WIll from 4 to 5 months Lobo finally started to calm down, and got more affectionate toward his family members. Also at 5 months he past the 60 lbs mark  from 5 1/2 to 6 months, he has started to be more dominant toward the people in our family unit that hadn't dominated him when he was a little puppy. 

Now at 6 months he has hit the 7 lbs mark, and his fur is coming in thick and glossy (although his coat is changing mainly because of the weather I'm sure). He is great on walks now, and is perfect during grooming sessions. I guess all of the training we have been doing up until this point is finally starting to show  he has been switched to an all life's stages food by "abundant life" he is doing really well on it  he's only 6 months now so I can't go all the way to eight months, but what I've heard is at 8 months to get more cuddly and affectionate I guess we'll see...


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## Lobo dog (Sep 19, 2014)

Also between 5 and 6 months he really started to show us who his favorite people in the "pack" are, and it is the 2 people who spend the most time with him, my mom, who goes to training with him once a week, and me, because I take him on 3 walks a day and do all of his grooming


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## Debanneball (Aug 28, 2014)

My little gaffer is 4-1/2 months, can hardly wait for those changes... Calm down, not yet; affectionate, more often now.. Weight was 47 lbs a week ago..tail dragging on ground..feet ginormus!


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## Moriah (May 20, 2014)

Simon went from a land shark I couldn't pet to a very loving dog. He will be nine months old tomorrow. I now see the incredible bonding that GSDs are famous for. I also see that now we are more a partnership, where at four months, I was the care taker for a baby.


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## 4loveofadog (Mar 3, 2010)

thanks for your answers. i was hoping for more responses. but, i appreciate your answers. my pup is 4 1/2 months and is so very into everything. i understand what you are saying debanneball, but i love him to pieces as i'm sure you do yours. have you started any puppy classes? if so, how are they going.


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## Debanneball (Aug 28, 2014)

Classes, yes, but not as well as I had hoped. The attention span is not there.. However, I know the tools, and will keep them up. Its just basic obedience.
I want to be able to walk him, not him, not him drag me...


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## KayDub (May 4, 2014)

I'll try my best to give you another response. Hard to quite mark things by each month though lets see...

4 Months: Had some of the basics down was entirely potty trained. Could alert me to when she needed to be let outside. We were at the height of the landshark phase where everything must be bitten. Ears had been fully erect for just a bit and from this point on stood erect.

5 months: Began teething slowing down the landshark phase that had been going on a few months. Started to become even more rambunctious. Developed an even bigger love for tug games and playing with the flirt pole.

6 months: Teething was over the biting had took a complete 360 and personality changes were slowly turning around. Still just as rambunctious and active. Started developing a more loving relationship and becoming obviously super friendly with others. Anyone that came around had to be a playmate. At this point she went in for a six month vet check, finished her shots and weighed in at 66lbs.

7 months: Although she's had super strong love for playing with my other dog she now exhibits signs of wanting to be part of her pack. Must follow her everywhere must back her up with anything she alerts to, must aggravate her to death trying to play fight and chase. Though the other dog at this point tries to turn the game around into a "Hey, let me chase you a bit." she still doesn't understand the concept of being the chased one.

8 months: Her loyalty is strong, she has an obvious human picked as her slightly higher preferred companion. She's became a treasure hunter dragging in junk I didn't knew existed on the farm and digging trenches to chase the ground moles underground. Her recall has developed and is incredible at this point I couldn't be more proud of the resistance she has to stop what she's doing or going for and return to me at my call. She's now learned the kitty cats don't mess around and they'll give her a smack if she gets in their face. She's became super alert to what's going on and what isn't right making her guard skills really shape up. Her curiosity at what's going on and how things work has hit its all time peak for the next few months I feel she will become quite the learner of all around her being taught or not. 

Luckily you only asked for descriptions up until 8 months because my girl hasn't hit 9 months yet. Hope this helps a little bit more since you didn't get as much feedback as you'd have liked. Enjoy these next few months. Before you know it your dog will be a independent, intelligent, strong companion. Who will be there to take care of you instead of vice versa.


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## Hineni7 (Nov 8, 2014)

Great response! 

Let me try... Hmmm.. 4mos, forget landshark, she was TOTAL shoeshark!! I can't even recall how many shoes I went through... Ugh... Very playful, very unfocused, very loving. She was cautious of strangers, especially children but not scared. 

5mos,well the shoeshark stage is still active although a bit more discerning. Very playful, very unfocused but trying.. Learning scent search and find games, not totally sure what she should be doing but happy to try. Learning to carry items in her mouth and bring them to me, very devoted to me and trying to dominate the affection and steal what was being given to her brother (a 5 week older GSD /malamute). Starting to alert if somebody knocks on door, etc

6mos...less chewing, although she is still destructive, just not shoes anymore... Moved on to other things (yay-NOT). Definitely understands the hide and seek game and LOVE it. Very focused and unwavering when on the scent (although her brother can sometimes bump her off it because he uses his eyes more then his nose most of the time). Very loving, devoted, confident. Happy to greet new people but not have them fawn over her unless she knows them. More focus but still a handful. Puppy coat was gone around 4.5mos of age, but her coat is slowly thickening and getting her tufts. Tail is still thin. She is 24" and 72.8lbs as of yesterday and next Wed begins her 7mos b-day. She is very very athletic and I can't really tire her out (and believe me, I try!) she will start doing short trail rides with me on easy rides (nothing to demanding). 

Hope this helps a little more  

God bless, 
Misty


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## brembo (Jun 30, 2009)

Hmmm...

4-6 months. Wow. Okay, take a skil-saw, tape the trigger down and plug it in. Leave the room for 15 minutes. Come back and assess the damage. There ya go. A mouth with a life support system tied to it.

6-9ish months. Level of destruction dropped from F4 tornado to about a F1. Still curious and very apt to naughty if left unattended for more than 2 seconds. Bonding began in earnest, the idea that attention and play happen when naughty levels drop.

9/10 months to current 1.5 y/o. Still impish, lymbic urges still have some priority in her actions. Better controlled, not a tornado anymore but a blustery summer thunderstorm. Bonding has become epic. Allie now pretty well makes contact with me 24/7 and looks to me for direction. I have a furry growth on my right calf that wants nothing more than to be a part of whatever is going on. I dig it.

I only see bigger and better things for her. When her attention span for singular tasks firms up I cannot think of much she won't be able to do. She wants to now, but is often sidetracked by her extreme curiosity and desire to "do it all".


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## ChouMaKen (Apr 28, 2014)

Just wanted to chime in to say Thanks for everyone sharing in this thread. My boy is 4.5 months old and it's good to have an idea what to long for


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## Debanneball (Aug 28, 2014)

brembo said:


> Hmmm...
> 
> 4-6 months. Wow. Okay, take a skil-saw, tape the trigger down and plug it in. Leave the room for 15 minutes. Come back and assess the damage. There ya go. A mouth with a life support system tied to it.
> 
> ...


OMG, you had me in stitches.. Can't wait for 6 on.. Also, I promise never to cook bacon naked! OUCH


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## 4loveofadog (Mar 3, 2010)

i thank you for your answers. my pup is surely a landshark, too. bites and jumps on everything, but, still has the kindest little heart. found the jumping he does, is being done because he is hungry. the problem is he is always hungry. can't wait for teething to stop and maybe the biting will stop. he knows most commands but does not like to do them all the time. he, too, gets distracted easily. but they are little treasures and well worth the stages we are going through with them. these stages shall pass. since our pups are so close in ages, maybe we can keep this thread going and compare our little tigers. chou ma ken tell us about your little guy. what is he like?


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## Hineni7 (Nov 8, 2014)

This is Areli. She is 7mos come next Wed. And with her 8mos old 'brother' a GSD /malamute cross


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## 4loveofadog (Mar 3, 2010)

beautiful pups. must be lots of fun to have almost the same age. enjoy them!


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## 4loveofadog (Mar 3, 2010)

debanneball love your puppy classes. mine went to orientation class and was the only student. given too many toys to play with. talk about attention span, was funny to watch. given too many treats. he loved them. he loves to eat everything. will have to see how training classes go. have to wait til they get a group together at times i can make with them. should be interesting


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## Hineni7 (Nov 8, 2014)

Thanks! It is fun to watch them play, although it is a FULL TIME job! I had just lost my 8yr old boy in May, which was going to help teach Areli and show beer the doggie ropes. Having 2 young ones is great for the playing, but they also feed off each other and can be a handful, lol. They are being very well socialized though so that's good


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## 4loveofadog (Mar 3, 2010)

hineni7 sorry for your loss of your 8 yr old boy. i know that's difficult. it's amazing how God helps us through some bad times. he gave you two young pups to take care of and your 8 yr old is looking down from above being happy that you are happy with your new family. again, enjoy them, they are a Blessing.


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## Hineni7 (Nov 8, 2014)

Thank you... It was a shock and extremely hard to go through, but God IS GOOD, and He has definitely gifted me with 2 awesome pups  They are both maturing into wonderful and loyal friends. I know my boy Dunamis is smiling, he is joined with my other passed and cherished 'kids', probably running the hills in Heaven


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