22. Puppy Development Month By Month: So You Know What's Coming

Raising a great dog is a team sport. You need to find your team.

The first 6 months of your puppy's life set the scene for the rest of your life. If you lose control in the first 6 months, you have a serious uphill battle to contend with.

Why Preparation Matters

Here's what we hear constantly from owners on our adult dog behaviour training: they wish they had known everything they were learning BEFORE the issues got out of control.

This guide exists because it aligns with one of The Toe Beans Co's core missions: to reduce the number of dogs given to shelters for avoidable problems.

The most common reasons dogs are given up: financially unprepared, incorrect lifestyle, incorrect breed, and unstable home situations.

The more educated owners can be before they get a dog, the better.

The Complete Development Roadmap

Months 1-2 (8-12 Weeks)

What happens: House training foundation. Crate training. Name recognition. Basic handling. Early socialisation.

What's normal: Lots of accidents. Mouthing and biting everything. Needs constant supervision. Sleeps 18-20 hours. Very mouldable and eager.

Support you can get: Online puppy programme. 1:1 dog training and coaching. Pre-puppy school.

Months 3-4 (12-20 Weeks)

What happens: Basic commands. Lead training begins. Socialisation in full swing. Bite inhibition training. Independence building.

What's normal: "Teenage" puppy emerges. Testing boundaries. More energy. Losing puppy teeth. May regress in training.

Support you can get: Puppy school. Behavioural training. Online training programmes.

Months 5-6 (20-28 Weeks)

What happens: Solid basic obedience. Distraction training. More independence. May begin basic sports/activities.

What's normal: Adolescence hits. May "forget" training. More wilful. Adult teeth coming in. Sexual maturity approaching.

Support you can get: Adolescent schools. Specialised training. Online training support.

Months 7-12

What happens: Continuing consistency. Advanced obedience. Real-world practice. Addressing adolescent challenges.

What's normal: Selective hearing. May be reactive to dogs. Challenging authority. Growth spurts. Eventually... maturity!

Support you can get: Specialised training. Online training support. Behavioural consults.

The Biggest Mistake Owners Make

There's a lot of help out there. We don't know how many training organisations there are anymore, but it must be in the hundreds with thousands of individual trainers.

You can also choose to go it solo (we wouldn't recommend that, but absolutely no judgement).

There are pros and cons to everything. The important thing is that you decide to do something.

The biggest mistake? Doing nothing. Hoping problems will magically resolve themselves.

They won't.

Not sure what support you need at your puppy's current age? Our community has stage-specific guides and can help you understand what's normal versus what needs intervention. You'll also find recommendations for age-appropriate training.

What Each Stage Actually Looks Like

The first 2 months (8-12 weeks):

This is when you're laying foundations. House training, crate training, name recognition, basic handling, and early socialisation.

It's normal for there to be lots of accidents, mouthing and biting everything, and needing constant supervision. Your puppy will sleep 18-20 hours. They're very mouldable and eager.

Months 3-4 (12-20 weeks):

This is when basic commands start. Lead training begins. Socialisation is in full swing. You're working on bite inhibition and independence building.

It's normal for the "teenage" puppy to emerge. They'll test boundaries. They'll have more energy. They'll lose puppy teeth. They may regress in training.

Months 5-6 (20-28 weeks):

This is when you're working on solid basic obedience, distraction training, and more independence. You might begin basic sports or activities.

It's normal for adolescence to hit. They may "forget" training. They'll be more wilful. Adult teeth are coming in. Sexual maturity is approaching.

Months 7-12:

This is when you're continuing consistency, working on advanced obedience, getting real-world practice, and addressing adolescent challenges.

It's normal for them to have selective hearing. They may be reactive to dogs. They'll challenge authority. They'll have growth spurts. Eventually... maturity!

The Timeline Nobody Tells You About

At 12 months, your puppy is the equivalent of a 14-year-old teenager.

They go through a huge amount of physical and emotional change which determines their personality for life.

The first 6 months set the foundation for everything that follows.

Get Ongoing Support For Your Puppy Journey

Understanding development stages is just the beginning. Having support at each stage as you navigate challenges makes all the difference.

That's why we created our free Skool community - to give you continuous support every step of the way.

Inside the community, you'll get:

• Weekly live Q&A sessions where you can ask about YOUR puppy's specific developmental stage
• Complete puppy courses broken down month by month
• A supportive community of owners at every stage sharing experiences
• Development roadmaps so you know what's coming next
• Troubleshooting help for age-specific challenges
• Updated resources including milestone trackers and stage-specific guides

Best part? It's completely free. No subscription. No catch. Just dog owners helping dog owners.

Join The Toe Beans Co community today and get the ongoing support you need to navigate every stage of puppy development and raise a well-adjusted adult dog.