Is a 1 year old dog considered a puppy? Here’s the Answer

When Does a Puppy Become an Adult Dog?

Your puppy wont reach maturity all at once. Like humans, dogs transition from baby to adult in stages, though the transition happens much more quickly for dogs. Heres what to look for as your puppy matures:

Sexual Maturity: Most dogs become sexually mature by 6 months when theyre still in the puppy stage of development both physically and emotionally. At this point, your pups sex organs are fully developed, making them capable of reproducing. Spaying or neutering your dog is recommended in order to avoid unwanted pregnancies and adverse behaviors, such as roaming or marking. While the traditional age for spaying or neutering is 6 to 9 months old, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) explains that healthy puppies as young as 8 weeks old can be eligible. Consult your veterinarian to determine the best age for your pups unique needs.

Physical Maturity: Physically speaking, dogs are fully grown by the time theyre 1 year old, although large breeds may keep growing until theyre 2 years old. When your pup reaches physical maturity, they may still engage in puppy-like behaviors but their physical needs, including the number of calories they need to consume and how much exercise they require to stay healthy, become that of an adult dog.

Emotional Maturity: Youll know your dog has reached emotional maturity when they stop acting like a puppy or an adolescent and fully settle into the role of an adult dog. Typically, emotionally mature adults are less distractible, better at listening and obeying and have a calmer and more settled demeanor. The precise timing of this milestone differs, but most dogs reach emotional maturity by their second birthday.

In puppy development, the time between reaching sexual maturity and emotional maturity is akin to human adolescence. This can be a challenging stage — at times your pups behavior might remind you of that of a rebellious teenager. While not all adolescent puppies exhibit behavior problems, it is extremely common. Its important to be patient, but firm and consistent when establishing boundaries and expectations for behavior.

Puppy Energy Levels Start to Plateau

Puppies are highly energetic, whether it’s the zoomies, an insatiable drive to chew or the seemingly endless curiosity. As fun (and occasionally exhausting) as that is, it may be a relief once their energy levels start to taper off.

This plateau in energy levels signifies your dog is becoming an adult dog. Just because they’re no longer puppies, however, does not necessarily mean they won’t still be highly excitable and energetic at times.

Puppies need lots of sleep. Sleep helps puppies recharge their batteries, and it also helps them grow while benefiting the development of the brain, muscles, immune system and central nervous system.

On average, a puppy will sleep around 18 to 20 hours a day, although it may not seem like it since theyre so active during their awake time. As they reach maturity, you may notice the quantity of sleep decrease, as the average adult dog will sleep around 14 hours a day. Since not all dogs are the same, there might be slight variations to your dog’s sleeping habits compared to the average.

As puppies mature into dogs, certain behaviors most often associated with puppies begin to taper off due to training, physical and emotional maturity. For example, a puppy may run at full speed to greet you when you enter the house and might even try to jump on you. A more mature dog will likely be just as excited to see you but knows that if they’re calm, they’ll still get all the attention and praise they desire.

Other signs your dog is reaching emotional maturity are better listening skills and obedience, decreased distractibility and an overall calmer demeanor. Being able to handle being alone while you’re out and about also indicates emotional maturity. If your adult dog has difficulty being left alone and engages in destructive or undesirable behavior, this could be a sign of separation anxiety and needs to be addressed.

Another sign of the transition to adulthood is the decline in chewing and teething. Puppies use chewing to discover the world around them, to ease discomfort during teething and because chewing on things is enjoyable for them. With the onset of adulthood, your puppy will no longer need to chew on anything and everything.

Puppies have small bladders and weak bladder control. Early on, accidents around the house are often caused by puppies not yet knowing where they’re supposed to relieve themselves or not yet having the bladder control to “hold it” until they can get outside. While they may be potty trained well before adulthood, it’s a sign they’re moving in the right direction and becoming physically more mature.

It is commonly held that dogs age 7 years for every year that a human does. However, this serves as only a rough guide when converting and calculating your dog’s age. Dogs grow up very rapidly in their early years and then slow down.

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It is commonly held that dogs age 7 years for every year that a human does. However, this serves as only a rough guide when converting and calculating your dog’s age. Dogs grow up very rapidly in their early years and then slow down.