Adolescence

If your once-easy puppy suddenly feels more distracted, more intense, or less responsive than they were a few months ago, you’re not imagining it. And no... they didn’t “forget” everything you taught them.

You’re in adolescence. And spring can be an amplifier for these new behaviors. Let’s talk about why!

What’s Actually Happening in the Brain

Canine adolescence typically begins somewhere between 6 and 8 months of age and can last well into the second year of life.

During this phase:

Everyone warns you about puppies. Nobody prepares you for adolescence.

You survived the biting, the crate training, the sleepless nights. Just when your puppy seemed like they were getting it together, something shifted. They stopped listening. They started barking more. Jumping again. Pulling harder. Acting… feral?

You didn’t do anything wrong. You’ve just entered the adolescent phase.

So, what is adolescence in dogs?

Canine adolescence typically begins around 5 to 6 months of age, depending on breed and individual development, and may last well into the second year.

If you ever interacted with teenagers, you know that impulse control is not their strongest quality. Impulse control is simply the ability to wait for something that you want. It can also be defined as the ability to control arousal around something exciting. For dogs, anything can be arousing. Opening the door to go for a walk, playing with a toy, meeting a new person, seeing another dog, chasing a squirrel or bird, getting in and out of a car, need I continue?

The earlier you start working on impulse control the better. If impulse control starts being a daily exercise practiced the moment your dog gets home, adolescence will be easier. If you bring home a dog from the shelter that is 8 - 18 months of age, chances are you'll have a lot of work to do in the impulse control department.

In fact, most dogs end up…

There are two main fear periods. The first happens at 8 weeks of age. The second happens at adolescence. Unlike the first fear period, that we know happens right around 8 weeks, the second fear period does not have an exact time frame. Perhaps its because dogs mature at different rates. Smaller breads tend to mature faster where as giant breads may not even enter adolescence until around 1 years of age. Or perhaps it's because this fear period maybe divided into many parts. Some trainers think that there could be a 3rd and even 4th fear period before a dog reaches full maturity.

Everyone does agree that fear periods happen when dogs become increasingly more confident and they are natures way of teaching dogs a healthy lesson in cautiousness. While we don't want dogs to be so confident they run straight off a cliff, we don't want them to…

Unfortunately, most shelter dogs find them selves surrendered around 8 month - 1.5 years of age. This is prime adolescence period. Dogs don't grow out of unwanted behaviors, they just get better at doing them. The more dogs practice behavior, the more permanent it becomes. During adolescence, dogs become more impulsive, destructive and over all harder to handle.

Most owners will have to step back and redo a lot of their training at this age. Even if your dog was good off leash in the juvenile period, you may need to put him back on leash and practice recall for months, before you let him off again.

Don't give up! Adolescence in dogs doesn't last nearly as long as adolescence in humans (unless you own a husky). Come to extra classes, give your dog some extra chews and you will pass this stage.

Mental stimulation is the best way to…