So you made it through early puppyhood and now you’re faced with the dreaded teenage dog where your once sweet puppy seems as though they’re on a rebellious streak. Not to worry! This is a phase and it too shall pass. Adolescence usually starts between 6 and 12 months of age and could last up to 24 to 36 months of age depending on the breed.
You’re probably thinking, what now, we’ve been through puppy training? What do I do?! What are my next steps? You support and manage as best as you can. The teenage/adolescent phase is critical as your dog develops into adulthood. I tend to see more impulsivity issues during this phase, basic behaviours seem to have dropped and the salary we paid before just doesn’t cut it. It’s important to know that your dog is not purposely trying to defy you but they’re experiencing growth of the confident and independent kind and want to venture out on their own. When they were younger, they sought security and comfort from you, but are now maturing and leaving the nest so to speak.
When your puppies are young and developing mentally, physically and emotionally, guardians are encouraged to let their puppies be. Allow them to smell, explore, dig, run, be a dog. These are all important behaviours as it’s part of “socializing” – they’re processing the environment. Nurture them and love them. Training basic foundation skills are great to get ahead, but overall getting through their socialization period, potty training, biting and teething stage will keep your hands full.
For our teenage dogs, we must seek to stimulate and enrich their daily lives. How do we do this? We provide enrichment opportunities through physical and mental exercise. When you think of the amount of time we spend at work and how exhausted we are at the end of the day and compare that to our dog’s life, there’s not much going on during their day to keep them occupied and satisfied. When we think about our dog’s lives in nature before they were domesticated, they were presented challenges. They had to hunt, scavenge and forage for their food, they had to look for safe places to sleep, run and cover large areas while doing so, they were with their own kind. The behaviours they exhibit during their teenage phase are mostly related to pent up energy and lack or decreased socialization.
What is enrichment? Enrichment is defined as opportunities to participate in natural behaviours to improve the quality of their physical and psychological health.
- Enrichment prevents boredom that may result in destructive behaviours or nuisance barking. While we think these behaviours are unacceptable, our dogs are trying to tell us something, because we have not met their needs, they’ve found alternate outlets.
- Enrichment builds confidence and social skills. For example, if you had a fearful dog and provided a treat dispensing ball, as your dog nudges the ball around the house, they are being exposed to different areas of the house. They’re exploring without knowing it and it’s a pleasant experience as the treats fall out of the ball.
- Enrichment furthers their learning and improves their problem-solving skills and stimulates brain growth.
- Enrichment allows for a balanced dog as you’re not only meeting their basic needs such as food, water, shelter and toys, but are stimulating their senses.
Let’s put our thinking caps on and think up some ways we can provide outlets to fulfill our dog’s needs. What you can do:
- Socialization with their kind – multiple dogs, different breeds, sizes and ages
- Continued socialization in the environment, aim to visit a new place every week i.e. plaza, grocery store, neighbourhood, etc. Bring treats with you to make it an enjoyable experience.
- Purchase a flirt pole and have your dog chase the lure. A great way to feed that prey drive!
- Decompression Walks – let your dog guide you on a long line. Follow where their nose takes them. Choose a safe area where there is no garbage to discourage and avoid picking up things in their mouth.
- Sniffari – Scatter treats on the ground while outside and ask your pup to find it using their nose
- Encourage them to participate in natural behaviours, smelling, sniffing and digging
- Take your dog on outings with you to run short errands
- Brain games such as hiding treats under cups or containers. Move them around and see if your dog can figure out which one has the treat.
- Scavenger hunt – place treats around the house, under furniture, in nooks and crannies and see if your dog can sniff them out
- Feed them their meals in a snuffle mat
- Provide additional treats throughout the day in a treat dispensing toy like a rubber ball, bob-a-lot or puzzle toy.
- Continue to work on their obedience training as that seems to drop off at this age.
Try to incorporate as many opportunities as you can throughout your dog’s day. I emphasize throughout as most guardians think, well I walk the dog 2 times a day. That’s wonderful, but what is happening during the hours between walks? Think about your schedule and how you can break up their day with multiple activities.
Take away points – this phase will pass, support your pup as best you can, provide outlets and enrichment. Adulthood is just around the corner.
Let us know how you’re making out with your pup! We’d love to hear from you. We also have a program specifically designed for teenage dogs into adulthood. You can find more information here: https://trizanedogservices.com/dog-training/
