Nobody told me about my dog’s life stages.
Part 2: the adult and the senior
On Thursday I promised you the second part was coming. And here it is.
If you didn’t read Part 1, I’ll leave the link at the bottom. That one covers the puppy and the teenager, the hardest stage and the most abandoned one. Today we pick up where we left off.
2 to 4 years: the adult stage begins
It’s not like that overwhelming energy from the teenage years magically disappears and they suddenly become responsible, serious adults. But they do start to find emotional stability. Their body and hormones regulate, that euphoria settles down a little. They’ll still want to play and have fun. Keep in mind they’re kids no matter how old they get. But they start to remember the commands someone once taught them, haha.
Every dog is different. Large breeds tend to take a little longer to reach maturity, unlike smaller breeds, which tend to mature earlier.
This is the stage where their personality, confidence, and way of relating to the world really solidifies. They start to calm down more easily, hold their attention longer, handle frustration better. The connection on walks improves, emotional regulation too. It’s like spring and fall, they’re transition seasons where cold days mix with warm ones, the weather shifting to move out of one season and into another. Your dog is leaving adolescence and entering adulthood, and the energy blends back and forth until it finds that new harmony. The ages are a guide, not a rule. Every dog has their own timing.
This is the stage I started living with more presence. Max has been my teacher since day one without knowing it. He’s been very patient with me, but he’s also put me in my place, whether with a look or a bark. He brings me back to the present, to focus, to pay attention. In this stage we built our schedules and routines together: mealtimes, nap times, park outings. That helped us keep structure in our day to day.
This was the stage where we really started to deepen our relationship. After more than two years caring for a puppy, it’s inevitable that he becomes part of your life. He becomes your best company, your protector, your trusted therapist and adventure partner. If you allow yourself to open your heart, you start to see him differently. And there’s no going back.
4 to 6 years: the real adult stage
This stage is calmer. Each year they extend their nap hours, sleeping between 4 and 6 hours during the day. If you work from home, you know exactly what I’m talking about. You have more time to focus on your things without being called every five minutes: “mommy I want to play”, “mommy I need to go outside”, “mommy my water bowl is empty”, haha.
As the years pass you start to notice how their energy decreases. I started noticing that with Max just before he turned 5, and every year it becomes more evident. But they still want to go out, socialize, smell, explore. They’re adults, not boring. We’re the boring ones, always wanting to be still, sitting down, not moving much. Sometimes we take life too seriously and forget to enjoy it the way they do.
After his 5th birthday Max slept more, trips to the park got shorter. Some days he wanted long walks, other days he didn’t want to walk much at all, just go do what he needed and lie down by the lake. That thing about lying by the lake started when he was 6. He created that routine on his own without warning me. He wanted to lie there and enjoy the breeze, the sunsets, the little birds, the fish that occasionally jump out of the water. He just observed everything around him, just enjoyed it. So I go along with him, the same way he goes along with me. And honestly I’m grateful he created that routine. It has been a moment to disconnect from everything and connect with myself, with him, with the earth, with the present. He created something I didn’t know I needed. They definitely know what we need before we do.
Has something like that happened with your dog? Has he made an invitation or created a routine that you end up being grateful for?
At this point, Max is the boss when it’s time for his walk. Sometimes I push him to walk a little before we sit by the lake, sometimes he absolutely doesn’t want to walk, other times he agrees and gets to smelling everything he needs to smell. Some days he has more energy and wants to run, other days he goes slow and at his own pace. He sets the rhythm. Of course there are days when we can’t stay as long, so I try to make space so I don’t rush him and he doesn’t scold me, haha.
7 years and beyond: the senior
Now that he just turned 7, a new stage begins. And with it, new care.
It’s not that he’s old, but those little eyes with white hairs around them give it away. The pace is slower. It’s more about enjoying the present than rushing to what comes next. Now we make sure to carry him when getting out of the car to protect his joints and hips, improving his diet with supplements, not rushing him when we go out, slowing down with everything. This also teaches us: to lower the pace, have patience, be gentle in this new stage together.
Even though his rhythm isn’t what it was as a teenager, he still loves going to the park. When he hears “wanna go?” he still jumps up. He still needs to burn energy, he still needs to explore, just not every day and not in the same way. If one day he had a walk in a new place, a car ride, and some time by the lake, that’s enough for him to spend the whole next day resting. And the day after that he’s ready for another adventure.
This stage at 7 is just beginning for us, but I know it’s going to be just as beautiful as all the ones before. I’ll keep you updated on the changes I notice in this senior stage with little Max.
To close
The life stages of dogs and humans are more similar than we think. We start out with all the energy when we’re small, curious, exploring everything. Then comes adolescence with all that energy that doesn’t know where to go. After 25 we start to regulate. In our 30s and 40s we want to slow down even though we still want to do things. From 40 to 60 we lower the pace. And from 60 on we want to move through life with more calm, more care, more patience. No more rushing.
I think there’s no better example for understanding our dogs’ stages and knowing what to expect from each one.
Having a dog is a responsibility, just like having a child. It’s not exactly the same, of course there are differences, but in the commitment of having them and caring for them it’s equal. They need love, fun, play, getting out to explore. They came to give us love, but also to take us on walks, to have fun together. Let’s open our hearts and our vision. They’re not so different from us. The more we share with them, the more we understand them, the more we meet their needs, the deeper we’ll connect, they’ll be happy and so grateful that the bond becomes unbreakable.
I once read: we have friends, family, parties, gatherings. They only have us. That made me cry and made me more conscious about bringing Max along to the places I go when I can, about including him in my life.
In presence, in love, in understanding, in openness lies the master key to truly enjoying this one life together.
Enjoy every stage of your dog. He’s worth more than anything or anyone in the world. Live it, laugh at his antics, don’t take it so seriously. They are pure joy, remember they are kids no matter how old they are.
As they say, they are a chapter in our lives, but for them we are the whole story.
They’re not here forever. So enjoy your dog, hug him, kiss him, thank him, and tell him how much you love him every chance you get.
Love you.
Thank you for making it all the way here. Thank you for giving yourself this space to read, feel, and connect.
If you haven’t read Part 1 yet, I’ll leave the link here . That’s where I talk all about the puppy and teenage stages.
Tell us in the comments: what stage are you and your dog currently in? Did any part of this resonate with you? Did you experience any realization while reading? I’d love to hear from you.
This is a space created to strengthen the bond between humans and dogs through more love, more presence, and more awareness. If you’d like to continue this journey with us, feel free to subscribe and find us in our other spaces as well.
You can also find us on Instagram and Facebook 🤍
I honor you for being here and for being part of this community.
With love, Mafer AP.