Physically- He is entering adolescence. It may be a
period of awkwardness and rebellion or of graceful growth and
learning. Most adolescent dogs go through an embarrassing stage of
making indecent advances to children, pillows, chairs, and human arms and
legs. This is quite common, especially with animals who have been
raised without the company of the opposite sex and who must discover for
themselves their proper sex object. He may indulge in nipping as an
outlet for his burgeoning sex drive.
Females at this age will come into heat for the first time
and every six months thereafter. They must be spayed or safely
confined, on average for 21 to 30 days to avoid mating. A Belgian
female is not considered mature enough to have a litter until at least two
years of age.
Psychologically - Your Belgian has gained so
much self-confidence that he has begun to get ideas of his own, and
sometimes thinks his ideas are better than yours. You need to be
quite firm at times to maintain your authority.
He has already become attached to his old habits, but is
still very quick to form new ones. he tries to understand everything
you say and even attempts to communicate with you, telling you he would
like to go out, or that he is hungry or bored. He sense of property
and territory is well-developed and he has learned to respect others'
territory, too.
His intuition is developing. He recognizes friends
before they have rung the doorbell and is at the door to greet you
whenever you come home. Male pups feel the urge to roam and may find
confinement and restraint irksome.
What he needs most-He
needs kind, firm handling, nourishing food, lots of exercise and activity
to keep him out of mischief, and frequent displays of affection to make up
for all the scolding you have to do.
