Do puppies suddenly stop being puppies? Or is it gradual?

[Istoletherainbow]

Hi,

Sorry if that is a dumb question, but I have an almost 7 month old lab x cocker spaniel and she's always been a handful. Very jumpy, bitey, growly, pulling on the lead....oh it's been fun, but then yesterday we seemed to have turned a corner, but to the point of being alarmingly good. I'm almost reluctant to say, in case I jinx anything

I've been trying to stop her doing all those things, with little to no affect. However, yesterday on the way back from a walk, my usually ignored command "walk" (as in NO PULLING!) seemed to just work. I praised and praised all the way back, to the point of sounding like an utter loon, but because it was working, I kept going with it.

Weirdly though, she's stopped with everything else naughty, too. Sounds stupid, but it's such a difference, I'm almost worried. She doesn't appear ill, but her energy has shifted. No jumping up, no biting, no growling at the cat, responding to "no".

Is this ever the way it goes? Honestly, this is not a stealth boast, I'm genuinely intrigued to see if anyone else has found this.

Thanks.

Mine went through a brief period (cocker spaniel) of being great then quickly transitioned into teenage from hell. Smaller dogs tend to mature quicker so with yours being crossed with a lab I would think that this might be the calm before the storm

😞

friend of ours saidthey were ready to trade in their 7 month old springer cross collie as it was such an idiot, then almost overnight the penny dropped with him. maybe you'll be lucky!

thesun, I hope so!

Mine did suddenly seem to stop the puppy madness.
But then you have the teen stage. Good luck!

Ours turned into a good sensible dog fairly suddenly. He was six!

They tend to stop one behaviour just to start another Our one is now 7 month and has recently started having a mad hour of humping in the evenings and started digging holes in the garden and barking at the neighbours...