Talon and other dogs

[lizzybeth727]

Originally Posted by Babyblue5290

Like I said in my reply to Lizmo, some day's he is absolutely fine and other days he is just a demon! >_< I'm wondering if it's just a "teenage" rebellion stage for him, IDK. :/

I think you hit the nail on the head here!

5+ months old is, IMO, a little too old to be in puppy playtime with other puppies. If your trainer is ok with it, fine, but hopefully she'll stay on top of his behavior and not let him annoy the other puppies too much.

The reason I say 5+ months is too old is that this is the age most dogs start going into adolescence; they loose their "puppy license" that lets them get away with doing rude behaviors. And on top of that they become "know-it-alls" and are pushy and demanding in general.

So, a pushy adolescent who hasn't quite figured out what's rude and what's appropriate, is probably going to be overly pushy and rude when in a play group with a bunch of baby dogs.

This also explains why he does better in a dog park - because there are confident, adult dogs who can appropriately teach him the rules of dog behavior in a way that he can understand.

I think it was a good idea to move him into the big dog group at puppy class; IMO it would also be a really good idea to find him an adult playmate who is confident enough to tell him when he's being rude, and appropriate enough to tell him that without escalating his behavior.

Good luck!