What’s it mean when you hear your dog is an adolescent or becoming an adolescent? You are entering into a period of dog development that will quite likely try your patience. Just like a child transitioning from childhood to being an adult, your puppy will test boundaries; for a dog that means they may become stressed, anxious or fearful over people, places, other pups or small things and generally need you to be a very patient, loving but boundary-enforcing pet parent.

This awkward time for puppies “is the time when everything starts to fall apart, unless you make a concerted effort to see it through to the stability of adulthood. Your dog’s adolescence is a critical time. Ignore your dog’s education now and you will soon find yourself living with an ill-mannered, under-socialized, hyperactive animal.” (Ian Dunbar, noted veterinarian and animal behaviorist)

A dog’s adolescence typically begins around 6 months of age but it can also start earlier. How do you know if you are entering those turbulent teens? You may be seeing some of these behaviors:

1. Household etiquette may deteriorate over time, especially if you start taking your dog’s house training and other good behavior for granted. But if you taught your pup well in his earlier months, the drift in household etiquette will be slow until your dog reaches his sunset years, when house training especially tends to suffer.

2. Basic manners may take a sharp dive when puppy collides with adolescence. Lure/reward training your puppy was easy: you taught your pup to eagerly come, follow, sit, lie down, stand still, roll over, and look up to you with unwavering attention and respect because you were your pup’s sun, moon, and stars. But now your dog is developing adult doggy interests, such as investigating other dogs’ rear ends, sniffing urine and feces on the grass, rolling in unidentifiable smelly stuff, and chasing squirrels. Your dog’s interests may quickly become distractions to training, so that your dog will continue sniffing another dog’s rear end rather than come running when called. (What a scary thought, that your dog would prefer another dog’s rear end to you!) All of a sudden he won’t come, won’t sit, won’t settle down and stay, but instead jumps up, pulls on-leash, and becomes hyperactive.

3. Bite inhibition may drift as your dog gets older and develops more powerful jaws. Giving your dog ample opportunity to wrestle with other dogs, regularly hand feeding kibble and treats, and periodically examining and cleaning your dog’s teeth are the best exercises to ensure that your adolescent dog maintains his soft mouth.

4. Socialization could head downhill during adolescence, sometimes surprisingly precipitously. As they get older, dogs have fewer opportunities to meet unfamiliar people and dogs. Puppy classes and play dates are often a thing of the past and most owners have established a set routine by the time their dog is five or six months old. At home, the dog interacts with the same familiar friends and family, and is walked, if at all, on the same route to the same dog park, where they encounter the same old people and the same old dogs. New people, dogs and settings can become unsettling and many adolescent dogs become progressively de-socialized toward unfamiliar people and dogs until eventually they become intolerant of all but a small inner circle of friends. (Leash reactivity may also begin to appear.)

What can you do?

I like to keep this simple:

1. Keep up with your training and dust off your obedience commands, marker word and rewards daily. Don’t forget what George and I always say, “Reward the dog you want.” Let’s also add to this, be more patient and wait your pup out when you have given a command that is ignored. He/she needs your leadership now more than ever. Don’t forget to continue training on walks. That is extremely important now too.

2. Exercise, exercise, exercise! Wear your dog out during the day as much as possible. A tired dog is a happy, obedient, relaxed dog. I should actually put this point first as if you exercise first, your training sessions will go more smoothly.

3. Socialization and playtime. You have to moderate playtime with other dogs now more than ever. Don’t trust other dogs to teach your puppy to play. Now that your dog is an adolescent, that job is yours. Don’t let play get too rough and always be the one to moderate how your dog plays and others play with him/her.

What is one easy solution if you don’t have a lot of time or can’t provide enough exercise?

1. I recommend adding a day or two a week at a doggie daycare that knows how to manage and moderate a pack of dogs. Make sure you choose a doggy daycare that has an adolescent grouping. You want your dog to be monitored and taught proper play as he/she heads into becoming an adult. Most adult dogs tolerate puppies, but can get overly zealous in correcting an adolescent.

Breathe. This won’t last forever. You and your family have got this! You just have to be patient.

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