Puppy is in the House

After 8 or 9 weeks, the big day finally arrives: the arrival of a puppy is imminent, and it's incredibly exciting. You're full of anticipation, having spent so much time preparing for the arrival, with the breeder explaining everything you need to know, and then the big day finally comes.

Now it will be decided how this period unfolds and how consistently one can deal with the circumstances.

Here I'd like to give you a few examples of the difficulties you might encounter, especially at the beginning, and the challenges a puppy brings. This information is based on my experiences over the last 10 years and refers specifically to the Lagotto Romagnolo breed, and therefore to the working dog variety. There may be variations with other people/breeders; this is purely based on my experiences with my puppy families over the past few years.

A puppy explores everything, and very often with its teeth.

The "crazy five minutes" (zoomies) in puppies are completely normal, usually afternoon/evening bursts of energy during which they run, jump, and bite. These bursts are often caused by excess energy, overtiredness, or overstimulation. Stay calm and let the puppy be. Some puppies will lunge at their owners during these episodes; their legs, feet, or trouser legs are then "attacked" like the worst enemy with fierce growling and sometimes barking.

Dr. Astrid Schubert, a veterinary behaviorist at the Animal Health Center, sees many such cases: "Inexperienced owners often begin to doubt the animal's mental state, and sensitive people can even become genuinely afraid of their new family member. It becomes problematic when the animal can't be stopped even after five minutes, or when the children themselves flee from the dog in tears and panic. But there's nothing wrong behind it."

Where does this behavior come from? Where do the "crazy five minutes" in dogs come from?

Puppies are playful and practice all their innate behaviors while playing with their siblings. This includes hunting behavior, sexual behavior (mounting), and playful wrestling, so that later, in a serious situation, they know how to resolve conflicts without life-threatening injuries. Bite inhibition, by the way, is not innate. It is learned through play with other puppies of the same age.

These instinct-driven actions are therefore subject to so-called drives and are discharged, depending on the stimulus situation, meaningfully in a corresponding situation (the mutual chasing in the dog park) or seemingly senselessly in the living room or in the garden, and even when there is no other dog to take on the role of the hare.

Basically, this behavior is normal, and most owners are usually not afraid of their wild child when it runs around in circles on the sofa and tables and seems unresponsive.

Inexperienced owners and sensitive people are frightened by this behavior. And if children, for example, scream and run away, they only attract the dog's attention even more: nothing is more delightful than a squealing, fast-moving child who squeals even louder when you jump on them or nip their legs!

The solution to the mystery is: rest and activity.

A puppy's development is never complete without these bursts of energy. And that would be a shame, because knowing that these "crazy five minutes" are perfectly normal and will disappear with age allows you to sit back, laugh until you cry, and simply enjoy these times.
If the "five minutes" last longer than 15 minutes, or if an attack on the owner is always immediately called for, help is needed.

What 15-week-old puppy really gets enough exercise from three 20-minute walks? And if you just use common sense, it quickly becomes clear: if we didn't separate the puppies from their mother and littermates, if they stayed together, would there really be a supervisor standing by with a stopwatch at 15 weeks old, holding up a stop sign after 30 minutes? "Stop, your playtime is over! Everyone lie down in the corner immediately, and please, no more roughhousing for the next four hours! Running, playing, jumping over stones and logs is strictly forbidden!"

Let's be honest – nature doesn't follow these man-made rules. Quite the opposite: these rules are unnatural and often lead to behavioral problems, because the under-stimulated puppies find an outlet in ways like chewing things or chasing children.

Of course, you shouldn't overexert a puppy. Half an hour of continuous running is too much. Even a short hike in the Munich hills lasting over an hour is too much. A long stroll through the city is also unsuitable for little ones. With common sense, careful observation, and a little common sense, you'll quickly know when it's too much, and also when it's too little.

Here are the most important points:

• What happens? Puppies run around in circles like crazy, chase invisible things, bark, or bite leashes, furniture, or people.
• When? Often in the evening, when the dog is tired or has had to take in too many impressions during the day.
• What to do?
• Don't take it personally: Biting is usually not aggression, but play behavior.
• Keep Calm: Don't yell at the puppy, that will only excite it further.
• Secure yourself: Remove dangerous objects.
• Redirect? Use a chew toy, a filled Kong, or a flirt pole to channel the energy in an orderly way.
• Cancellation: If things get too wild, often the only thing that helps is a short throw-out into the garden (if possible) or a short, quiet time-out in the kennel.
• Duration: Usually 10 to 15 minutes, then they often fall asleep, exhausted.

Attention:

 Lagotto is a workingdog

The education and utilization of a puppy require neither excessive rigour nor laissez-faire, but an attentive observation of his individual needs