Adult Dog Stage of Life

The denominated large adult dog breeds (Mastiff and Dogo) do not reach their adult stage until they are 18 to 24 months old, which could be considered as a stage of transition which takes of between the puppy's 12 months and 18 to 24 months. This explains that many of the samples have an immature behavior and sometimes even surprising in some circumstances. Nevertheless, the samples of toy or miniature and medium breeds reach their adult stage sometime between 8 to 12 months in function to their size. We can therefore say that dogs are not considered adults just because they have reached their sexual maturity (the development of the first estro in females and the production of semen in males), since it does not necessarily coincide with the moment of the acquisition of an adult behavior in the psychological point of view. It is as if psychology and physiology are against each other. In any case, when the adult stage is met, the animal will stop growing and developing and it will enter a phase of maintenance which will be prolonged until the animal is 6 to 7 years old –when a time of transition into the old age- during which a specific nourishment will have to be offered, their tendency to obesity will have to be controlled and enough chances for exercise will be provided for the dog to be in optimum physical conditions.

NOTE:The dog's quality of life determines how long it will live. That's why it is important for the dog to receive abundant affection, and it is convenient that it is fed with an appropriate diet in function of its sex, age, weight and other circumstances, that it lives under a shelter and that it has the opportunity to exercise daily.

The Senile Stage:No matter what the dog's physical condition is when it reaches the age of 7 years, it must be considered an individual that has reached the golden age. Therefore, we will have to take the dog to the vet constantly in order to anticipate any complications that could arise. The Dog's Welfare