"Just a Baby" ......! - Page 1

Cracked up at the image of someone referring to their small child as a 'puppy', but yes I agree with you, some folks
do that and it is often an indication of shall we say a 'lax' attitude to training and their responsibilities.

Hundmutter,  Very diplomatically described by you 

I think there is sometimes an emotional muddle between human and canine.  The dog as it sussed, but the human ...... oh dear 


Vixen

The current trend, spearheaded by people like Britney Spears, is to think of canines as surrogate children. The pet industry is encouraging it, because it can be VERY lucrative (lots of dog clothing, toys, etc.). One local doggie daycare/grooming salon even says on its webpage.."they're not dogs, they're kids with fur!"

And, of course, the trainers reap a fortune helping to correct the misbehaviour this sort of attitude has fostered...

Disagree, depending on maturity rate I consider a dog a puppy until 18-24 months.

You might be thinking of or envisioning possibly maturity rate mag? But I would say puppy till 12 mos.

O no, I'd agree 24 months, in GSDs and depending on breed quite a few others;  but that's not the issue.  If you have a 2 yr old, or nearly, and its still a pain in the a, don't use its youth as your excuse for not being in more control of it.
Someone I used to know, Army Royal Vet Corps background, would argue that Shepherds are not really grown up and out of all puppyish things until they are FIVE !  (And with some I agree with him !)

For us a "puppy" is a dog not older than around six months old, an older one is a young dog.
I often wonder about threads talking about "puppies", but the dogs are 8 months old or elder...
in my feeling a 15-17 months old dog is an adult.
Just Germany...

I fully agree.  Any dog, any age, going into the public should be well behaved (kids too for that matter).  If not, then it is time to go back to the drawing board, correct the issue, then go back out to the public.  Even during the socialization stage, I expect my puppies to already have some basic manners; all of mine know "sit" and how to walk on a leash without pulling my arm off or tangling my legs by their 2nd round of shots.

It is because of (I WILL say it) lazy owners, that more and more places are saying "no dogs."  There is a post somewhere on here about a family in Georgia who is struggling to find any place to take their dogs, even to the park or an outdoor market.  It does get very frustrating.

it really depends on the breed what age is considered mature........18-24 months is usually accurate, but not all, some breeds take 3-5 years to fully mature and get out of those puppy stages. HA, my friend had a lab that didnt fully mature until 4 or 5 years old! It just takes time and  patience and consistency is the most needed ingredients. :)