Teenage Terrors! What can we do about them?
Any of us who have worked with training dogs from puppy level to older will have encountered the syndrome. You fly through your early puppy classes, feeling proud of your young dog's capacity to learn and your ability to teach your dog to be calm, focused on you and able to not only do some basic things, but to learn new tricks and new ways of behaving. Then suddenly it all goes to pieces! Your dog totally seems to forget everything you have ever learned together and reverts to behaviour even worse than in the early stages of puppyhood. What has happened?
Research into the way the dog learns by dog behaviourists and canine trainers tells us that dogs, like young children, are affected by hormones and the changes in their developing brain and go through a period of adolescence just like human children. The same types of behaviours, emotional changes and push back around rules and regulations occur and your beautiful, cuddly puppy becomes a boisterous, sometimes obnoxious young dog who can be oblivious to the things you want him or her to do and focused on behaving in a manner that satisfies his or her own needs. A similar journey occurs for parents and teachers when they are dealing with the changes from childhood to the teenage years. Both children and dogs are understood to be experiencing a period of adolescence in their journey to become an adult.
Typically, research shows that the period of adolescence starts around 6 months of age and can go on till the dog reaches physical maturity (anything up to 2 to 3 years of age). Most dogs start to lose their teenage brain between 18 months and 2 years. However, the most pronounced changes in dog behaviour are between 6 and 12 months of age. Quite simply, your dog's brain is growing and making connections between the cells that make the brain work, just as they do in a young child from their baby years up until about 5 years of age. It is a perfectly natural and healthy cycle and your dog isn't setting out to be 'naughty' or disobedient - he/she is just learning about the world, testing the boundaries of his relationship with people and discovering skills and talents. In this time space your dog is also undergoing hormonal changes which are creating the adult dog.
So what are some of the things that you may see?
One thing, and probably the most concerning for you, is that your dog may seem to forget the things learnt in puppy class. Again, your dog is not being 'naughty', he/she is testing the boundaries.
Their sleeping patterns may change. Puppies sleep heavily and suddenly and for a good period during the day. As they move into adolescence, they are less often asleep and seem to have boundless energy.
In the early stages they may become much more likely to chew things as their adult teeth come in. They really need to have acceptable things to chew to counteract any tendency to get into shoes, clothing, furniture, or anything else that will create an issue for you. There are lots of great chew options available for your dog.
They start to really enjoy their sniffing and investigation walks as they learn more about the world around them. It's important to ensure they have the opportunity to have their sniffercise at least daily, as it's an important learning tool for them.
They lose their recall. As with teenagers, other things become more important and relevant to them and you need to work hard to remain the most exciting thing in your dog's world.
During this period your dog might suddenly become wary or fearful about things which weren't a worry before. This could create anxiety or lead to behaviours like barking and growling at things that worry them, including other dogs and new people.
So how can you deal with and address the changes taking place in your dog's learning and focus?
It's very important to have established a strong relationship with your dog early in your partnership. This will be the background for you enabling your dog to become an independent thinker, while still looking to you for support, rewards and praise for things done well. Don't try to change the familiar processes and training behaviours that have worked in the early stages of training your puppy. It's vital to remain consistent and patient with the new behaviours that are surfacing as your dog grows and matures into adulthood.
Make training fun. If your dog becomes bored it will opt out. Use lots of short, fun training sessions and make them into games. Remember to reward new behaviours and continue to reward known behaviours on a variable reinforcement schedule. Reward, but not continuously - use your continuation marker and vary the time your dog does something before receiving the treat. If something familiar is done particularly well, jackpot!
Socialisation of your dog needs to continue throughout its life span. Find ways to get out and about and introduce your dog to lots of new environments.
Give options for behaviour. Don't growl, punish, think your dog is being naughty or try to get it to confront any new fears which are surfacing. If your dog doesn't do something, try to work out why. Have you taught it properly? Have you taught it in the face of distractions? Move on, go back to basics and try again.
Keep reinforcing learned behaviours. Don't assume that because your dog could do something really well yesterday, it will be able to do the same thing really well today.
Use a long leash for sniffing walks. This gives you control of how far your dog is able to roam and the ability to rein your dog in if you see an approaching issue. Your dog, however, has the feeling of being independently able to investigate where it wants to go. On these walks, carry lots of high value rewards and practise your recalls.
Don't despair - this too will pass. And one day someone will say to you, 'your dog is so well behaved! How on earth can I get mine to be like that?' And you will smile and think back on all the work you and your dog have done together.
https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/puppies/adolescent-dogs-6-facts-to-know/
https://www.rover.com/blog/uk/training-your-adolescent-dog/
https://sandypawsdogtraining.com/blog/whered-my-puppy-go-living-with-an-adolescent-dog/