5 ways to stay sane with a puppy

You know your puppy will eventually grow up, but how do you get through the canine equivalent of the Terrible Twos? It takes patience, but the following tips can help you hang onto your sanity while your pup is growing up.

1. Frozen food puzzles and frozen chew toys are your friends. Gnawing on them helps to relieve a pup's aching teeth and gums and deter unwanted biting into items such as furniture, shoes and cords.

"These are great options to allow for mental and physical exploration as well as to direct happy chewing," says Fear Free lead trainer and Pet Connection contributor Mikkel Becker.

2. When possible, offer happy play experiences with social, vaccinated puppies or friendly adult dogs.

"This is an excellent way to allow pups to release energy while also practicing important life skills of using their body language and being gentle with teeth," Becker says.

3. Make sure they get enough sleep. You might want to wear out your pup with activity, but while it's growing, it needs 16 to 18 hours of sleep per day.

Minnesota dog trainer Denise Nord sees a common pattern: "When people complain about their puppy, the puppy is either home alone in a crate all day and probably all night and is under-stimulated, or someone is home most of the time and the puppy isn't getting enough sleep," she says.

4. Know how to calm your puppy. Nord's beagle is not quite 10 months old. It's clear when she's overtired, Nord says.

"Last night, after a busy show weekend, two days of me working from home and a sports foundation class, she was wild and crazy, barking at dogs on TV, running outside and barking hysterically. I knew she was overtired, but she wouldn't settle," she says. "Chewing is a self-soothing activity, so I dug out a new chewie and convinced her it was the best thing ever."

5. Prepare for independence. Don't take it personally when your once-snuggly puppy starts to buddy up to other people as well or has more interest in exploring the world around it.

"Increased independence and desire to explore is a normal part of puppy development," Becker says.

Use the time to strengthen the bond with your pup through activities you can do together that allow for exploration but still give you a place of significance in your pup's life.

You can start to give it a little more freedom in the home, while keeping an eye out to make sure they're not getting into trouble.

"They don't get into as many things, and it might be safe to leave your shoes by the door," says Nord. "They don't rush to investigate every new thing in their environment. They've learned to chew appropriate things and not the chair legs.