Take a moment to think back on your teenage years. It was probably a lot of fun. It was also very challenging! Mood swings, heightened emotions, and maybe even some growing pains. Remember those bad decisions you made? Maybe some you wish you could undo?
Now, look at your puppy before you. They are in that same stage of life. Are you holding them to a higher standard than you held yourself as a teenager? Or are you giving them grace and understanding as they navigate this challenging time? Their bodies are growing and changing rapidly, they have just gone through painful teething, and the hormones are raging!
It’s a lot to handle… and they aren’t blessed with the same level of cognitive ability as us. Remember, an adult dog has the cognitive ability of a 2- to 3-year-old toddler. Whoa!
Common Struggles: Independence
Aside from normal puppy problems like teething, potty training, and biting, puppies are generally pretty easy to care for. They stay nearby, they really want to please us, and they pay lots of attention to their humans!
But then… adolescence. Your puppy being so cooperative and human-focused when they’re young can lull you into a false sense of peace, and then one day they become a teenager and start wandering off, testing boundaries, and becoming more independent.
It is vital that if your dog is doing something you like and want to see more of, you give them frequent rewards for that behavior so they don’t wake up and ‘forget’ it during those challenging teenage months.
Some dogs may even start taking a “leap first, look later” philosophy to life! As they enter the Flight period of life, they are getting more curious and bold. Some dogs might run right into a situation they know nothing about, leading to unfortunate consequences.
Dogs that have previously stayed nearby without a leash will often start wandering further and further afield. It’s important to keep working on your recall and keep your dog safely contained in a fence or on leash during this stage.
Common Struggles: Attention Span & Fear Periods
You’ll also find that your dog’s attention span may suddenly be much shorter. During adolescence, it’s important to remember this and be prepared to lower your expectations of their behavior temporarily. Teenage dogs need lots of reminders for behaviors they already ‘know’. Their brains are working overtime handling all the hormone and growth surges, so we might take it easy on them by doing shorter training sessions, not introducing anything new, and limiting challenging field trips and new experiences for a bit.
All teenage dogs also go through one or more additional fear periods during the adolescent months. Be prepared that your dog may suddenly (and seemingly without reason) become shy, timid, or even frightened of people, places, or things they’ve previously been perfectly comfortable with. Take your time, don’t force interactions, and put your dog’s sense of safety and comfort first. Let your dog take the lead during these fear periods.
Setting & Reaching Goals
Hopefully, you’ve taken some time to make both short-term and long-term goals with your dog.
- Where would you like to be with them in 3 years? 5 years?
- What does your ideal life look like with your dog?
- What activities do you want to do together?
- What are your 3 most urgent concerns or needs with your dog?
- How can you break those BIG goals down into smaller, bite-sized pieces?
During adolescence, we might put those big lofty goals on the back burner, and instead just focus on baby steps that will still help us make progress without us or our puppy getting frustrated.
Your goals and expectations are unique to you and your dog! Consider:
- Your dog’s developmental stage and ade
- Your dog’s breed (what were they bred to do? What are common traits they should exhibit? How will that contribute to or hinder your goals?)
- How are you meeting their needs such as nutrition, exercise, mental stimulation, and rest?
Set small goals, and slowly increase your expectations over time.
If some of your goals center around problem behaviors, stop and think about the potential causes for those behaviors.
- Does my dog have an unmet need?
- Is this a normal puppy behavior that just needs patience and a little training?
- Would management and prevention solve this behavior?
- Does my dog need more mental stimulation? Exercise?
- Is my dog getting enough rest?
- Is my dog in pain, sick, or other medical cause?
- Is this a normal breed behavior that I need to work with?
Breed Considerations
Researching breeds will give you an idea of what your dog was bred to do, and what characteristics they might exhibit. This helps prepare you for what challenges and successes to expect!
- Was your dog bred to work closely with people? Or to make decisions without input from a human?
- Find and chase down animals?
- Retrieve animals once the humans killed them?
- Herd livestock?
- Protect livestock from predators and other animals?
- Protect the property from human intruders?
- Sit on people’s laps for human warmth?
A dog’s tendencies and personalities are very much affected by how you raise and train them, and breed characteristics are broad generalizations. Each dog is an individual, so remember that breed characteristics are a general guideline, and your dog may or may not live up to the standard. However, knowing what you might expect from your dog, and the reasons behind it, helps a lot! You can plan ahead to curb traits you might not be as interested in your dog exhibiting through positive reinforcement training and management.
Recent Comments