At what age do specific breeds reach maturity? (I.e. when do they grow up behaviourally). I've got a 4 year old WSD (bitch), a 2 1/2yr old goldie (bitch) and an 18 month old Springer (castrated male). THe collie i would say has completley matured as she has become much more obedient and sensible over the last year. THe goldie has certainly improved, but is still very immature in some ways, i.e. still pulling on the lead, occaisionally ignoring me etc, but on the whole she has become much more sociable and quite reliable. THe springer at the moment is the devil incarnate! He was a rescue anyway so we didn't get him until 11 months, but he is far from mature! He will often run off or ignore me when i call, hes started having a go at dogs out on a walk, being quite pushy etc. I've found with all my dogs so far that 18 months is the age at which they do become extremely difficult, and for some reason all of mine had a problem with other dogs at this age, but the girls have improved alot now.
Someone said in another post that their goldies got it together around 3yrs, is this everyone elses experience? How about springers?  I spend alot of time training them  (as i know age alone won't make these problems go away), and i believe i am fairly consistent, but i have found with my collie that maturity helps them have a bit more self control etc. Has anyone else had a problem around 18 months or have i just been unlucky?! DO springers ever grow up?!!!

Behaviourally? Dalmatians sometimes start mentally maturing at about the age of 8 years. Sometimes they leave it longer!

My Yankee seems to be having a late adolescence at 3 1/2 years, he keeps running off in the park lately!! :-D

LOL - Tara (Aussie) who is also 3 1/2 discovered deer last week - she didn't exactly run off, but she wouldn't come back from scenting in the wood :( Fortunately, she didn't like the idea of us walking off towards home and had caught up with us by the time we reached the gate to the road :) (It's the first time I've seen deer there - hopefully the last :) )

Daisy

Whoopie 8 years, I have only got to wait until July :D

If yours is one of the early ones! ;) :D

Hudson is 4 ...he is approaching maturity now :D :D Should get there when he is 7 or so apparantly :p :p

Oh my goodness 8 years so thats 6 and a half to go!!! must say i am not so sorry, i really like the daft energetic dog i have, at first i thought i can't wait till he settles down, but now i love that part of his personality :). Females i feel are a little less excitable but that could be just my experience.

Try Beardies, mature at about 13 years (at a push) and then its only to pass straight thought to eccentricity!!!!!

LOL @ Echo .....wouldn't have them any other way!

I think that may be a breed thing... my rott X is the absolute nutter of the family, I've started calling her Mash - short for "perpetual motion machine"!!  She can run for hours, come home and still want to play, chase her tail, bark and generally make a nuisance of herself :D

Im so glad you asked that question as it was one I was thinking of asking, however I guess they are all different. Mine became a bit domineering with other dogs at 18 months and a year later i still struggle with it, but he seems to be loosing interest quicker now but he still wants to go over to them, drives me mad. i work so hard on recall etc but it goes out the window when he sees another dog. i have no advice though sorry as this is my first dog.on the plus side that is his only fault and he is perfect otherwise and i must admit i let him on the bed last night!!!!

Think about young men at the late teen early 20 stage.  they will puff up and challenge with their peers in the pub.  A man in his 40's has no need to do all this posturing as he knows who he is what he is worth, and hasn't got such issues unless he is very immature.

With my own breed I find at about two they are getting grown up, but I woudl say real maturity comes at about 4, this tends to be when their place in the world seems to be set, if they are going up in the world etc this is when it will happen..