What are 1 year olds like?

[Imsosorryalan]

We many be adopting a 1 year old terrier cross. She's very sweet but I wondered at this age what she can and can't do? I presume she's house trained and lead trained? Do they still chew, and is she classed as an adolescent?

You would expect her to be house trained and lead trained, and not to wreck the house. But it really depends on the dog and their background. Some are lovely, very well-trained, and being rehomed through no fault of their own. However some come from sad backgrounds where people haven't looked after them properly, or done any training, and are getting rid because they can't be bothered any more. In which case, may not be lead trained, can't guarantee they would be house-trained (if they've lived all their life on a chain in the garden), and may not know many commands beyond 'sit'. This is why we always recommend on here going through a reputable rescue that will have properly assessed the dog and be able to match it to you. But most things (even a devil dog) can be sorted with patience and positive reinforcement training.

Thank you, she was picked up as a stray and no one claimed her. She is now in a rescue and they are training her on the lead. I am happy to continue with training but was wondering about behaviour in the house and what to expect etc so thanks for your input

It is lovely that you are giving her a home :). It's best if you decide what the rules are from the beginning (e.g. is she allowed on the settee) and then just be consistent. A lot of bad behaviours will go away if you simply ignore them, and reward the good behaviours when they happen. It can be very rewarding taking on an adult dog. You might want to enroll her in a training class too which can be fun.

You will find it best if you start as you mean to go on. Train from scratch and make no assumptions. Hopefully you will be pleasantly surprised. All our dogs chewed when they first came to live with us. Either guard your things with your life, or have lots of alternative chewy things!