Puppy licence - really works but how long?

[INU]

I would like my dogs to get along with this pup even after she grows up.

[Allie+Tess&Kipp]

I believe the puppy license generally expires around 16 weeks old. That was my personal experience with Tess (about 1-1/2 years old when we brought home Kipp as a pup) and that was the general experience of the people on the SPT list ("start puppy training" on yahoo) as well.

 

There are some dogs that just don't like puppies and I used to always ask if a dog was good with puppies before allowing my pup to go near another dog.

 

Allie + Tess & Kipp

http://weebordercollie.com

[Kat's Dogs]

I know a dog (actually a BC) who doesn't really like other dogs, but was fine when he first met with Dazzle (who at the time, was only 12 weeks old). Dogs (IMO) DO know the difference. Otherwise wolves would have died out because they kept attacking and killing pups. But a wolf really wouldn't attack a puppy because, well, it is a puppy - and most wolves (if the pups are young enough) just love puppies! Same with most dogs, if the pups are really young dogs will growl or even air-snap (to teach the pup) but otherwise not harm the pup in any way. But for the same behaviors in a adult dog, there would more likely be a fight.

 

 

From what I have seen, I think the 'puppy licence' goes away at about 5-7 months.

[Tassie]

Suzanne Clothier tells a lovely story about how the puppy licence on one of her puppies ran out in the space of one day - sometime between breakfast and dinner, her senior bitch (these were GSDs) suddenly decided that what had been tolerable up till then was no longer OK - much to the pup's surprise! I would guess that about 16 - 20 weeks is about right in general - varies of course.

[2 Devils]

The puppy license running out depends on the dog.

 

Tempe is now 8 months old. My acd who is great with pups normally bit (not hard) Tempe 3 times in a course of a week and now Tempe is very submissive to her and Tempe does not cause issues with her at all. Aspen, toy poodle, gave her until she was about 3 months of age and since then has a Tempe butt kicking every night. Riot, borderjack, is a timid dog and just recently started sticking up for himself and Tempe was about 7 months old at the time.

[juliepoudrier]

I would guess that when the license runs out depends on both the adult dog and the behavior of the pup (as in more tolerant dogs and less obnoxious pups would mean a longer license and vice versa).

 

My pup is about 5 1/2 months old, and even my old "puppy-eater" dog is still tolerating her pretty well (though I must say that Lark rarely, if ever, messes with her, which probably shows intelligence on Lark's part), even though Lark can be rather obnoxious.

 

J.

[Deb Mickey]

Hey Julie... any more Lark pixs?

[flrpwr52]

Ari's license expired when she hit 7 months. That's when the fights started and that's when I became more dominant than I ever thought I could.

 

I had never had to females fight like these two did. After they figured it out that I would not put up with it they stopped and resorted to snarling. That was also short lived and now they might do a lip curl but that's it.

[Lunar]

I find the whole thing very fascinating.

 

Now Oreo actually really hated puppies - she apparently didn't accept puppy licenses. But she did accept Tess into the house.

 

I never noticed Zeeke changing his attitude towards Zoe at all. He still gives her a lot of leeway that I never would have expected from him, and Zoe's over a year old now. Maybe it's just because she's so submissive? Not sure.

 

Very interesting question.