Terrible Twos?

Question
My 16 wk old dachshund puppy was doing great about a wk ago. She would go to the door to go outside and wouldn't go under the couch or under the beds. She even stopped mouthing mostly. This week she has begin to do all those things, she has even stopped going to the door. i have a crate and have read lots of dog books but I don't know what to do. Will she grow out of this? I just want a good. Dog how can I help her to do better?


Answer
"Terrible Twos" is the perfect name for your question. Baby puppies tend to be very compliant and stick close to us because it's a survival instinct to stick with the boss and do as told. Around 4 months, puppies start testing the social structure and rules. It's part of growing up. Training isn't a steady upward curve. Sometimes it is one step forward, two steps back. When she loses something she used to know, go back and retrain. If she needs more supervision, give it to her. Because she has a good foundation, she'll catch on much faster the second time. She just needs to be assured that the same rules apply as did last week. Best luck and I bet she'll be wonderful. Sandy Case MEd CPDT www.positivelycanine.com