When you bring home your puppy, life tends to slow down and speed up all at the same time. There are unexpected accidents and chewed up table legs. There are missing socks and snacks stolen. But with every crazy doubtful moment comes a moment of happiness and love. Your puppy is just learning his environment and being a puppy - even if it is frustrating! This is why training is so important. It gives you the tools to help communicate properly with your new pet.

As you begin training, your puppy will go through several milestones that you may want to document. Each training milestone is worth getting excited over - as is each typical age-appropriate milestone!

Puppy Milestones You Shouldn’t Miss

Every puppy is different, of course, but they all tend to meet milestones around the same time. The following are the most fun milestones to celebrate:

Name Recognition: By 3 months old, your dog can recognize his or her own name!

Basic Commands: Around 16-18 weeks of age, your dog is capable of understanding basic commands such as “come,” “sit,” and “wait.”

Training Begins: Training classes, facilities, and home trainers typically enroll dogs beginning at 5 months old (after vaccinations are administered).

Potty Training: Between 3-6 months of age, your dog should master potty training.

Spay/Neutered: Anytime after 6 months old is appropriate for your dog to be spayed or neutered.

The End of Teething: Puppy teeth begin falling out around 3-4 months old, but they continue to fall out until 7 months of age. At about 7 months old, your dog exits the crazy ‘chew on everything’ stage! Hurray!

Training Graduation: Most dogs graduate training courses around 9 months old.

First Birthday: Celebrate with a party and a puppy cake!

Social Maturity: By 18 months old, research states that dogs reach their social maturity. This can be argued against though, as most dog owners say their pups don’t calm down until well after 2, 3, or 4 years old!

Your dog will have a personality all of his own, and throughout every milestone, you will see more and more of that personality shine through. Make sure to document your furbaby’s milestones with pictures because you will want to look back and remember just how small he was. Those floppy ears, giant paws, or tiny bark don’t last long. One of the most fun keepsakes you can own is a My Furbaby’s Heartbeat Bear to capture that puppy-sized bark. It’s something that you will forget, and being able to squeeze your Heartbeat Animal and hear it - even after your puppy grows into an adult - and after he crosses the Rainbow Bridge, is a keepsake you will cherish forever.