Four months old is a wonderful milestone for your puppy. Around this time things begin to fall into place. Potty accidents around the house rarely happen if at all, crate training is a breeze, unruly barking starts to subside. If you have a new puppy here are the milestones your pup should achieve around this time. Keep in mind that every puppy is different so if your pup hasn’t reached these milestones don’t feel as if you’ve done anything wrong. Patience is key with raising a young puppy.
• Vaccinations
Your puppy gets his rabies vaccination which also signals the time when your puppy’s immune system is well developed. Naturally you will feel more inclined to take your puppy on outings and allow him to interact with other dogs because he is less likely to become ill. If your dog does happen to get sick or show irregular behavior such as lethargy or vomiting a visit to the vet is important because despite this milestone a young puppy doesn’t have the strongest immune system and may need help to overcome a sickness.
• Feeding Schedule
You can change your puppy’s feeding schedule to 1 cup of food 3 times a day. Since your puppy is growing they will need more energy to play all day.
• Teeth
Your dog’s baby teeth start to fall out and as the teeth disappear so does the puppy’s bitey, nippy, mouthy behavior
• House Training
It’s around this time that your puppy has fully grasped potty training. If not, they are usually very close with not much more than 1 accident per week.
• Crate Training
Your pup can usually sleep through the night without incident. They can also tolerate a stay in the crate for short periods during the day without barking, crying, howling, etc.
A few other training milestones that typically occur at 4 months are:
• Good House Manners
• Stays off the furniture.
• Usually not 100% at this age, but your puppy is allowed more freedom around the house.
• Can sit/down and wait for food for 30+ seconds until released.
If you puppy is fast approaching or has reached the 4 month old milestone you can enjoy a new level of freedom as you puppy can showcase these skills.
