Find out more about your dog

12 Weeks

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS CHANGES

Becoming stronger and use this new found strength and coordination to engage in robust activities
Play fighting should be avoided or they will think this behaviour is acceptable
Around four months of age they will go through a teething cycle
Sexually matures and you will see this by the way he/she becomes increasingly rebellious
Puppies may be desexed from this age, but more commonly this is done at about 6 months of age.

Like a toddler, may start ignoring the commands they only just learnt
Will often try to assert new found independence
Prone to nipping humans in a playful manner
May pose a threat to young children they aren’t familiar with and who don’t understand they are just ‘playing’
Only allow off the leash in confined areas
Prone to puppy “mad moments”, where they will, perhaps with little encouragement, get excited, run around and be particularly boisterous for several minutes
Persistent and consistent obedience and behavioural training required
Pay extra effort to respond positively to good behaviour
Keep training fun and positive with short sessions
Once your puppy is fully vaccinated, extend your pup’s activities to include more people and more animals, and let your puppy socialise with other, non aggressive, dogs.

Still need to feed 3-4 times a day
Because of teething, may become choosy with food
May even appear to lose their appetite
Give them food that relieves the pressure of teething e.g. frozen raw chicken necks
Weigh each week to make sure they are growing sufficiently. A drop in weight may reflect teething problems or even illness

At 10-12 weeks a second vaccination may be required. Depending on the vaccine protocol used by your veterinarian, a third vaccination may also be required at around 16-18 weeks of age. Puppies should be on a heartworm preventative by now
Worm your puppy now every 3 months (every season) for the rest of their life.