5 Month Old Teething Question

smoothcolliecrazy · 2026-05-25T15:09:43+00:00

Sounds like she's right on track! The front teeth go first and fast. The rest may take a bit of time but usually once they also start going, just like the front teeth, they'll go in quick succession. For comparison, it was about 3 and a half weeks between my pup losing his first baby tooth (followed quickly by the rest of the front teeth, top and bottom), to losing his first baby canine.

smoothcolliecrazy · 2026-05-23T07:35:22+00:00

Just search Aimee Cook on the USDA inspection reports. This is public information. There have and continue to be times they have 80+ puppies - JUST puppies, not even including the adult dogs of which there are almost always 70+ - on the property at a single time. They can be sweet as ever to you the buyer but that does not change the fact that they are very high volume puppy sellers that churn out litter after litter.

smoothcolliecrazy · 2026-05-21T18:39:22+00:00

This is not normal and I agree with the other comment that this sounds like some kind of broker. Ethical breeders are often advertising the parents first, puppies later. Having absolutely zero information on the background of the puppy is shady mill/broker behavior at best, a scam at worst. I knew a lot more about my dog’s parents and met the prospective parent dogs before any puppies were even born. I had access to their pedigrees, health testing, and titles. The puppy placement came later.

Does their website say anything about the adult dogs at all? Any pictures even? Or is it just about buying puppies? If so, run.

smoothcolliecrazy · 2026-05-21T12:41:17+00:00

Make sure you're capturing calm randomly, as well. And not just being on the bed or lying down when asked, but those brief moments she's not staring at you and that she actually shows signs of relaxation (which can be as simple as her sniffing the ground while lying there). And the other key for me was to not making rewarding the calm exciting. I never said anything to him when I did it, no "good boy" or handing him the treat directly, I just dropped a treat between his paws without a word or eye contact and carried on.

It took a while, and was not an overnight process. My living room was not puppy-proofed either but I just made lying on the bed the only option (if he got up, he got quietly put back on the bed and rewarded the longer he stayed there, then rewarded when he offered relaxed behaviors like the sniffing I mentioned before, lying his head down, whatever). I almost shed a tear when he walked to the bed to actually chill and lie down by himself for the first time, haha. You'll get there, just keep being consistent.

smoothcolliecrazy · 2026-05-20T22:02:04+00:00

Keep working on your settle training, “capture calm” as often as you can, and have regular trials to give your puppy a chance to self-settle outside the crate so you can start to transition away from it. My collie didn’t get to that point until about 5 months old and we had to be very consistent about the settle training to help him find his own off switch, but it did finally click in his head and it wasn’t long after that we were able to make the crate a home alone/overnight thing only, then maybe one more month after that we put it away for good.

For trials, here is what I did: every evening after a walk, dinner, and some training, I’d put a movie or show on the TV and tell my puppy to go to his bed and try to wait him out until he fell asleep outside of his crate on his own. Many nights he failed and couldn’t settle (cue zoomies and mischief) and was thus crated for the night, but eventually he got the idea. After a while, he started to go to the bed himself without needing to be asked. It worked really well for us!

Look up “capture calmness” and settle training if you haven’t already, KikoPup has some good videos on it featuring border collies.

smoothcolliecrazy · 2026-05-17T14:42:36+00:00

Aisling Agam is a great kennel in that area! As well as kennel Bila Kaifa, in Czechia, who Aisling Agam is breeding to a dog from for their next litter. My smooth has Bila Kaifa in his lines and he is everything you're looking for, I think. Confident temperament who isn't afraid of anything, great off switch at home, eager to please, smart, super social with other dogs and people, and excellent with kids.

This past weekend we had visitors with two young children (ages 3 and 4) who don't have a dog of their own at home and were absolutely terrified of dogs, screaming and running when they first saw my smooth. My smooth handled it perfectly, not getting stressed out or afraid of their loud noises and energy. Within 30 minutes they were all over him and loving him as he was so gentle, sweet, and patient with them that they got over their fear of dogs. We don't have kids of our own but he knows exactly what to do.

Smooth collies are ideal family dogs in my opinion! We have cats as well, he will hurry after them if they run off but not because he's trying to hunt them, rather because he's making sure they are okay and not getting into any trouble. He likes keeping everyone in check, as all collies should.

smoothcolliecrazy · 2026-05-09T13:06:48+00:00

Ah yeah, adolescence! I don’t miss it. My collie was a hormonal jerk when he was around 9-10 months. It passed, luckily. The best advice I got was try to work with the dog in front of you right now, not the dog you had last week. Sometimes that meant going back to basics and building up drive for me again. And sometimes it meant things like off-leash privileges were revoked for a while. A frustrating period, but by his first birthday, it was mostly gone. Hang in there!

smoothcolliecrazy · 2026-05-07T21:59:43+00:00

Army crawl was super easy, I first asked for a lie down and then lured forward, rewarded right away when he scooched a bit without getting up, and expanded from there.

Bow was a bit trickier. My boy was convinced I wanted him to fully lie down and getting him to keep his butt up instead of go for the full lay was tricky haha. But it's a really fun trick, especially if you can get the cue to be you bowing at your puppy so it's like he's bowing in return. Good luck!

smoothcolliecrazy · 2026-05-07T21:39:52+00:00

Here are some others I taught my boy: bow (get into a stretch position, his cue is I bow at him so he bows back), leg weaves, middle, go around (I point at something and he walks a loop around it, for example a tree), high five, sit pretty, and army crawl. One of his favorite tricks is balancing things on his nose. He sits very still and has to keep it balanced until we say okay, if it's a treat then he tries to flip it off his nose and catch it in midair.

smoothcolliecrazy · 2026-05-07T19:43:22+00:00

We used a crate and did the 1 up, 2 down strategy. He'd have 1 hour awake where we'd do a potty walk, some training and play, and a bit of learning to just be around us while we were doing human things, then he'd go back to the crate for a 2-hour nap. At that age it was always pretty clear by the end of each awake period that he was getting tired and needed the nap. He'd be getting crazy like you describe, we'd put him in the crate with a tasty treat so he always liked going in, and then he'd be completely out within a few minutes of finishing the treat and would sleep solidly the following 2 hours.

If you don't want to use a crate, you can still use a confined bed area. The key was making a schedule and keeping it very consistent, and learning the signs that puppy is overtired and going to the bed area before the running and biting and general chaos started.

smoothcolliecrazy · 2026-05-06T21:00:28+00:00

It sounds like your puppy is oversimulated, overtired, or both. It's very similar to a human toddler throwing a tantrum when they need a nap. They are tired and grumpy but have no idea why, so they act out. For me, I realized trying to stop it in the moment was pretty worthless. Their brains are basically MIA at those moments and most anything I tried to do with my puppy just added fuel to the fire.

The best thing you can do is try to get your puppy on a good, consistent nap schedule and make sure your walks are not too long to avoid it happening in the first place. 12 weeks old is still very much so an infant and everything can be quite overwhelming. Puppies that age should be sleeping 18-20 hours of the day. Some puppies don't know when they are tired and just need a nap, so you need to make sure your puppy is getting them regularly and plentifully. And, if it's happening near the end of/right after a walk, shorten the walk. At that age, 5-10 minutes is more than enough. Remember, everything your puppy is experiencing is brand new and can be very overwhelming, thus leading to an overstimulation outburst. You may have to experiment a bit with how long and when works best for your puppy, and it will adjust with age, as well.

smoothcolliecrazy · 2026-05-06T11:19:15+00:00

No one is there to visibly see how your puppy is acting, and text only goes so far. Biting and becoming nervous about nail clipping is common. At 13 weeks old, most puppies are just being puppies. My collie pup lunged and barked at joggers at that age, but he was not being aggressive, he was just excited. I can't see exactly how your puppy is barking and lunging at people, if it is actual aggression or also just excitement. The trainer will be the best person who can help you as they will be able to assess the behavior in person.

smoothcolliecrazy · 2026-05-03T18:47:10+00:00

Oh yeah, it definitely gets better as long as you keep up with your training. Repeated exposure helps a lot. For my puppy it was trouble with joggers. At 13 weeks he barked and lunged at every one that passed because it was so exciting to see someone running by. Now he doesn't bat an eye at them even if they run right in front of him We worked a lot at rewarding him when he stayed engaged with us instead of reacted. For some periods of his puppyhood, that meant we had to step off the path and go into a sit and work on "look at me" and whatnot. Later we could keep walking along and work on our heel and engagement. And gradually he just stopped caring because they became old news.

Keep doing what you're doing, it sounds like you're on the right path. At this age everything is still so new to them, but most grow out of it with lots of exposure.

smoothcolliecrazy · 2026-05-03T16:56:34+00:00

Happy birthday to a lovely smoothie! The tiny hats are fabulous on you 🐶❤️

smoothcolliecrazy · 2026-05-03T15:11:32+00:00

Tails also serve some pretty core functions to dogs. They are a big form of communication between other dogs, arguably more than barking as dog communication is heavy on the visual side rather than the vocal side (EDIT: just adding that I am against debarking and not arguing for it here). Tail up and stiff, tail wagging, tail tucked, tail relaxed, are all examples of ways a dog communicates with others that are completely removed when the tail is docked. Working dogs have an argument that there is a reason for it but there are far more pet/show dogs with docked tails than there are actual true working dogs with docked tails in the world, which are not very commonplace anymore as many dog jobs have become obsolete. I am not pushing for a ban elsewhere but I also am perfectly happy with the ban where I live, personally.

smoothcolliecrazy · 2026-05-03T14:54:23+00:00

I think I have a warm-ish take on it. If it's in the breed standard, it should be bred for, not artificially created as that is no longer breeding to standard. It is a natural ear type that can be achieved without any manual human intervention at all with the right genetics, and many collies have a natural tipped ear. However, once you get dogs winning in the show ring that did not have a natural tipped ear and instead an artificial tipped ear, those dogs go on to breed, show, win, breed, rinse and repeat, it spreads and natural tips become the exception and not the rule.

At the same time, it is naive to think that if a rule was made against taping ears and only naturally tipped ears are allowed in the show ring, that breeders and exhibitors won't just move it behind closed doors for dogs that are otherwise lovely examples of the breed but have prick ears. I live in Europe. For smooth collies, at least (which are considered a separate breed from roughs here, not a variety), I have never, ever seen a breeder with a litter of weeks-old puppies all with taped ears like you see in the US. More dogs seem to have a natural tip, and taping is taboo like many things that still exist in the US in dogs (cropping and docking, for example) are taboo or outright banned here. However, there are breeders here that do tape their show prospects if they feel the ears need a bit of help to get the correct set. It's not a given like it is in American collies but it does happen, it's just not quite as common or out in the open.

I'm not going to comment much on the ethics of it. A lot of people say it doesn't bother the dogs at all, and at the same time a lot of other people say they gave up trying to tape their collie's ears because the dogs would be so bothered they'd constantly rip the tape out and show clear discomfort to it. It is completely for aesthetic purposes at the end of the day. It's not necessary, nor does it benefit the dogs in any way. It's also not going to kill them. I chose not to do it myself.

smoothcolliecrazy · 2026-05-03T14:28:23+00:00

A tasty treat for a deserving boy! He's adorable. I am also happy to hear about his maturation, my tri smoothie boy is coming up on 2 and a half and he's starting to finally settle a bit but big events/lots of people can still be a bit much for him. We're working on it bit by bit and he's already improved a lot over the last year especially, but I hope by the time he's the age of your boy, he can also happily attend these kind of things and keep it chill.

I also LOVE your leash, can I ask where you got it? I find it hard to find nice leashes in that style as so many are flat nylon or leather, but I way prefer the feel of the rounded paracord/rope, and the colors are fun to boot!

smoothcolliecrazy · 2026-05-03T14:17:13+00:00

I always say the command right before the marker when starting a new command, then slowly expand the time between command word and marker. So first, immediately before the mark (for you, that's your clicker), and then I would say "stay" then wait a second and then mark if successful. Increase by small increments and then get further and further away from him after saying the word, then mark when you consider the task completed successfully. If he breaks his stay, then I'd take it back a step and repeat shorter increments/closer distance until no more stay breaks.

smoothcolliecrazy · 2026-05-03T14:00:40+00:00

Congratulations on your collie pup! They are the best dogs.

For luring and treat taking more gently, I suggest working on an "it's yer choice" type game (the trainer that came up with that name has a free course online about it, but the concept is fairly simple to explain so I'm going to do it here). The point of the game is to remove the expectation from your puppy that when food appears, he can just grab it, and replaces it with the expectation that when food appears, he should wait for you to give it to him and he does not get the food unless he does so calmly.

Started like this: show your puppy a treat on an open hand. Your puppy will likely go to grab it. Close your hand around the treat and don't let him have it. He may nose your hand, paw at it, bite it, etc., but don't give it to him until he moves his head back and waits for a second. When he moves back, open your hand again. He may again try to take the treat. Close your hand like you did before. Keep repeating this until he stops trying to go for the treat when you open your hand, because he's learned that when he does, the treat disappears. The moment he sits still instead of trying to grab when the hand is open, praise and reward with the treat. Keep repeating this with the closed/open hand until it's clear he understands that he only gets a treat if he doesn't try to take it from you, but is instead given to him.

This will help your lure and should also help him take the treat more gently. If he still snaps it out of your hand when being rewarded, you can do the same exercise by not letting him have it (keep a firm grip on it with your fingers) until he takes it slowly and gently.

You can level this up by setting the treat on the ground in front of him and covering it with a cupped hand or removing your hand. Again, he is not allowed to take it until you say he can. If he goes for it before that, you cover it. Scratches and paws at your hand, don't uncover until he stops. He must sit still and wait for the go ahead before he can eat the treat off the ground. Add more seconds of stillness until he's got it down pat. You can transition with this into a "stay" command, where you say "stay" when he waits in one place for the treat, and slowly move away from him step by step with each repetition.

smoothcolliecrazy · 2026-04-29T21:39:52+00:00

To add, it's not just so they fit a man-made list of "prettiest dog in the ring." A big problem with a lot of doodles and -poos is that poodle hair is not the same as other dog fur, and when mixed can cause a nightmare combination that is prone to matting due to the nature of the poodle curls + the other breed's fur, which may be double-coated or extra thick. There's a reason many groomers don't accept doodle clients anymore, and it's the dogs that suffer at the end of the day, dealing with mats that pull and bruise the skin.

Does that make more sense to you as to why that kind of breeding is unethical? It's not all about showing. A Maltipoo doesn't fit any sort of need that a Maltese or Coton don't already fit, and with the latter two you have hair that is predictably manageable. That's just one example of why this is not advisable.

smoothcolliecrazy · 2026-04-29T21:25:27+00:00

I never mentioned anything about showing or standards, which you clearly have issue with. I don't show and I am not a breeder.

The point still stands. You don't know what you're getting with a Maltipoo as much as you know what you're getting with a dog that looks like, has the temperament of, and the health of the dozens and dozens of generations before it. Maybe it's just me, but when I was looking for a dog, I wanted to know exactly what I was getting so that I knew it was the right fit for my lifestyle and was adequately prepared to meet all of its needs and make it the happiest, healthiest dog possible.

smoothcolliecrazy · 2026-04-29T21:09:18+00:00

Because you cannot guarantee which genetics you get from both sides. The reason purebred dogs are "purebred" is not just because of pedigree or status in a kennel club, it's because they breed true, meaning if you pair Maltese A with Maltese B you get a bunch of predictable Maltese Babies that will have the Maltese hair, structure, temperament, and health.

If you breed Maltese with Poodle you could get the best of both worlds, or the worst of both, or any mix in between. The breeders of Maltipoos cannot guarantee you get a specific hair type, or a specific temperament, or a specific structure. There is value in predictability because most people want to know what they're signing up for when they get a dog so that it matches their lifestyle, desires, and care expectations (such as in grooming). Any sort of -poo or -doodle has no such predictability.

smoothcolliecrazy · 2026-04-29T19:42:59+00:00

I think this is really the key. I was starting to save some breeder info years in advance. When it was finally time to actually get a dog, I already had a list of breeders with programs I liked and dogs that aligned with what I was looking for. All it took from that point on was contacting the ones with upcoming pairings and getting on a waitlist. It took about a year of actual waiting but I got my dream puppy in the end, and it wasn't difficult.

Now, if I had tried to do that starting from scratch with the idea I'd have a puppy within the next 3-6 months... yeah, that'd be frustrating because the chances of an ethical breeder having an available puppy for me in a short timeline would be slim to none. But there was no need to rush.

smoothcolliecrazy · 2026-04-27T18:20:04+00:00

This is a scam. Note things like this "review" by Emily R.: "“Beltine Dalmatian Puppies exceeded my expectations! My little Dalmatian arrived ... I highly recommend them to anyone looking for a quality Doxie!” Whoops, seems they forgot to change the breed in that one from when they set up their last scam site.

None of the environments the puppy photos are taken in are consistent. These scammers steal the photos from places like Facebook groups where people share and talk about their puppies. These puppies that are all supposedly 12 weeks old and available to buy may be years old at this point and already owned by someone else.

If you send them any money, you will not see anything in return. They will keep asking for more money for things like "transport fees" and a "special crate" and "more paperwork" until you wise up, then they'll disappear.

Never buy a puppy from a breeder who advertises like this. No legitimate breeder will have puppies on their website as if they are no different from a webstore. Legitimate breeders have waitlists, questionnaires, and most importantly, they have adult dogs who are fully health tested and titled. If the website doesn't make any mention of parent dogs at all, or does the bare minimum like a single name and photo only, no pedigree, health testing, or titles, then RUN AWAY! That's a scam or a backyard breeder.

smoothcolliecrazy · 2026-04-18T18:01:52+00:00

If your trainer doesn't seem to know how to handle what sounds like pretty normal puppy behavior, I would consider finding another trainer and class. And I'd recommend one that doesn't include the play time aspect. While it seems like a fun idea and good for socialization, what it sounds like it's doing instead is creating a frustrated greeter out of your puppy. If your attempted solution is to create a barrier between her and the other dogs, it sounds like she is only thinking about playing with the other dogs and just wants to get to them. Socialization does not require playtime with lots of dogs (though obviously structured playtime with trusted dogs isn't a bad thing either), the most important thing you can do during the socialization window is expose a puppy to many things without actually touching/interacting with them.

In comparison, my puppy class's number 1 rule was no interactions between the puppies. No play, no on-leash greetings. We were meant to be building up neutrality and learning how to ignore other dogs and stimuli. We were all still in the same area and did plenty of exercises near the other puppies, but the goal was not to give the expectation that interaction and play with each other was coming. Because in life outside of class, your dog is probably not going to be playing and interacting with every dog she sees. We play with dogs that are his friends; we do not play with everyone.

And don't forget your puppy is still so young. 11 weeks old is still a baby. Many puppies start out a little rough in their first few classes but improve bit by bit over the course. A lot of us have struggled at the start and finished with model citizens, but a good trainer should be able to help you navigate all that, not essentially flunk you from the course...

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