Puppy Adolescence - How to Get Through the Teenage Years

Are you worried that your perfectly-behaved biddable puppy has suddenly turned into a canine hooligan? Maybe they totally ignore you or perhaps have become super clingy? Do they seem to have forgotten all of the training you have spent so much time on? Or maybe their behaviour has changed so totally that you are at your wit’s end.

There is a reason why the most common age for dogs being given to rescue centres to be rehomed is between 6-18 months old, and this is because canine adolescence can be a tricky time for both you and your dog. With a little knowledge, preparation and a fair bit of patience however, you will find that you can both understand and deal with all the issues that living with a teenage dog can bring, and you can both come out the other side with your relationship and your sanity intact.

Canine puberty

This is the developmental stage when a young dog becomes sexually mature and capable of reproduction. Puberty is controlled by the endocrine system - especially the hormones oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone. These hormones trigger physical development which will include beginning their first heat cycle in females and enlargement of the testes and penis (and sperm production) in males.

These hormones also herald behaviour changes as your dog enters the period of canine adolescence.

What is canine adolescence?

Symptoms of adolescence

Every dog is different and some will show all of these – and some may show none of them! Being aware of what they are and the effects they are likely to have on your dog’s behaviour will mean you can recognise them, understand them and be more prepared to deal with them. This is turn will shorten the time they will have an impact on both your lives – or at least make them easier to deal with.

• Training issues: Short attention span, inability to focus, or seeming to lose interest quickly
• Selective hearing: Ignoring cues, not listening to you and sometimes giving you the feeling that they have forgotten you even exist
• Social changes: Increased interest in other dogs or people, while others may become less tolerant to strangers or even known dogs/people in social situations
• Over-arousal: Excitement levels may be higher but so may stress/anxiety levels
• Frustration: Increased frustration can lead to barking, mouthing, clothes and/or lead grabbing, jumping up, reactivity
• Fearfulness: May show fear in situations they have not reacted to in the past or show extreme fear to new things. This includes a rise in fear-based behaviour problems such as noise phobias, separation anxiety etc
• Sensitivity: may avoid or dislike handling or being touched – especially if this involves restraint
• Exploring boundaries: an instinct for increased independence may mean your dog goes further from you when off lead and recall is inconsistent or non-existent
• Risk-taking: they may begin straying further, ignoring recalls, hassling other dogs and testing new social behaviours including being rude or intimidating
• Social contact: they may seem to be more aloof towards you, or they may be far clingier
• Hormonal changes: your male dog may show more interest in other dogs (excessive sniffing), may become obsessed with following scents, may mark in the house or excessively on walks, or may become the target of other entire male dogs. Your female dog’s behaviour may fluctuate, and she may start guarding resources when in season and just after
• Any behaviour that is unusual for your dog: every dog is different – and so any changes in behaviour around this period are often a result of dogs trying to deal with their adolescent phase.

Tips for helping your dog through adolescence

• Don’t force your dog to ‘face up to their fears’ but instead keep a comfortable distance where they do not feel they have to react or be worried, let them approach, retreat and explore in their own time, and reward them with treats to keep all interactions positive.
• Avoid negative encounters or potentially worrying situations as far as is possible, as a bad experience during this time could colour the way your dog looks at the world and effect their behaviour as an adult (single event learning). While continued socialisation is important, keep it to dogs, people and places you know, as this is the period where it is better to have little experience than a bad experience. So, get out and about, keep encouraging your dog to be social but work hard to keep all these experiences and encounters positive and fun.
• Keep up your training but give them plenty of chances to succeed – even if that means going back a few steps in your training. Reward well and more frequently – as this helps prevent frustration and slipping into a pessimistic mindset from lack of success, both of which can be typical of many adolescents.
• Don’t try to tire them out by over-exercising them – often this just raises cortisol levels, excites them further, and causes more problems. Focus on activities that use more brain power – and that give your dog choices. This could be scent work, simple problem solving, sniffaris etc.
• Give them an outlet for the things they like to do and that are part of their hardwired behaviours. This will be different for different breeds and types of dogs – and different individuals.
• The lead is your friend. Keeping your dog on a lead at this time (even if their recall was perfect as a puppy) will prevent recall fails, them increasing their distance from you to beyond the point you can influence them, prevent negative experiences, avoid conflict situations with other dogs, and can let you easily move them away from potentially challenging situations. They can still have on-lead fun with their canine friends or in secure quiet areas. 

It is important to remember that adolescence is a natural part of the transition towards being an adult. While you might find some of the behaviours that come with adolescence frustrating and maybe even annoying, this isn’t your dog being ‘bad’ or evidence that they are turning into a ‘difficult dog’, it is them trying to navigate complex and often overwhelming hormones and behavioural changes.

FAQs

When does canine adolescence start – and how long will it last?

Canine adolescence starts at different times for different breeds and can last for varying lengths of time. Smaller breeds tend to hit their teenage phase earlier than larger breeds who develop more slowly, and a small breed dog will often be mature by around a year old, whereas a giant breed can be two years plus before their adolescence is behind them.

Why is my adolescent dog chewing everything?

As if all this wasn’t enough to be dealing with in your canine adolescent, dogs also will have got their full set of adult teeth at around six months of age, but they need to develop their jaw muscles and allow these new teeth to strengthen and stabilise - and for this to happen a dog really needs to be able to chew! Many people don't understand this and think their teenage dog is just being destructive when they actually have a physical need to have things to gnaw on. Kong toys are perfect for this and, stuffed with food, they will provide ideal chewing opportunities - and can save your furniture and your shoes!

Conclusion

While sometimes it is easy to think that your adolescent dog is intentionally trying your patience, in reality this is a complex developmental time for your dog for them and they will be struggling with it as much as you. Keep that in mind and, with understanding, good management, and a bit of teamwork, you will get through it together.

Note: If you have concerns about your dog’s behaviour – especially if you have worries about aggression - consult a qualified and experienced behaviourist.