Adolescence
Have you been in the position where your perfect puppy with a solid recall, good manners and wonderful listening skills seemingly woke up one day and turned deaf and chose violence? Well, you’re not alone! Welcome to adolescence.
Adolescence is the dog equivalent to the teenage years and they are just as challenging for owners as these years can be to parents (although thankfully, in dogs it doesn’t last for as long!). Generally, this starts at around 6 months of age and can last until around 2 years of age (depending on breed).
Adolescence is the stage in which dogs are noy yet fully grown or socially mature but where where they begin the process of being sexually mature; female dogs come into season and male dogs’ testosterone will start to come through. During this period, our dogs have reduced impulse control and it is also the period during which a dog is most likely to be rehomed.
But WHY?!
Why is adolescence so challenging? Well, there is actually some evolutionary science behind it. Adolescence has developed as a family relationship test and it occurs in all social mammals who live in groups (like dogs and humans).
Only the familial bonds that are strong enough will tolerate the teenage rebellion and challenging behaviours that come with it and so the genes of those whose family did not continue to love and support them through this time were not passed on. This results in the dogs (and humans!) whose families continued to support them through adolescence, rather than removing them from the family group, being the ones who survived. And here we are!
How to handle adolescence
The good news is that adolescence does not last forever. At around 2, our dogs reach full maturity and have finished growing and developing, both physically and cognitively. Luckily, it isn’t just a case of waiting it out and there are also some things that we can do for our dogs to set them up for success in this time.
Enrichment
It’s really important to continue to nurture your dog during this time and make sure you are providing lots of enrichment opportunities to keep their minds busy. Scent games, natural chews and lick mats/kongs are a great way to calm your dog down and tire them out.
Over-exercising
Don’t over walk your dog during this time. When our dogs offer us unwanted behaviour, it can be tempting to think that it’s because they aren’t being entertained enough. This may be true, but adding to their walks is likely going to overwhelm them and lead to further poor decisions being made. Look for ways to replace an extra walk with some calming enrichment instead.
Positivity
Try to keep your calm. During this period, it can be very difficult to keep a level head and stay positive with your dog. Just remember, this will pass! You are the most important thing to your dog and a telling off from you can be really damaging to our dog’s confidence.
Training
This is the big one. It’s really important to keep up your dog’s training during this time. Their brain goes through an almost complete rewiring during adolescence and they will need to be retaught things (even the most basic things like ‘sit’!). Training isn’t something that is ever ‘finished’ and should be ongoing. Practising with your dog every day, at home and on walks, by doing what they already know and introducing new commands will keep learning fresh and exciting. Crucially, continuing to train and reward your dog will mean that listening to you is fun and rewarding and will mean your pooch is more inclined to choose to respond to you, even when there’s other exciting things going on.
Other than that, it’s just a case of waiting it out and taking the bad with the good. There will be good days and bad days and every dog is different: some struggle more with this period than others.
If you are unsure of how to handle adolescence or are looking for some guidance in general, click here to drop me a message or give me a call.
