Adolescent Dogs

Becoming a Teenager

As the parent of 2 teenagers, I have frequent conversations with my peers about how our lovely, kind and well behaved children are now argumentative, moody and testing their boundaries (luckily for me, it seems my two are pretty good compared to others!). Dogs, just like humans reach puberty and go through physical, hormonal and mental changes that affect their mood and their behaviour. Carers find that suddenly their lovely doting puppy is ignoring their commands and dashing off across the field to play with his furry mates!

Adolescence in dogs starts at about 8 months and by about 18 months they are maturing and coming out the other side of this testing phase. But during this time the issues commonly associated with adolescent dogs include (but are not limited to):

• Ignoring their owners. They put their “la la ears” on and pretend that they cannot hear their carers calling their names. This usually affects their recall on walks, where dogs refuse to come back when called because their reward isn’t sufficient to make them want to give up their fun playing with other dogs, or chasing the squirrel up the tree. Often they will have to resort to putting their dogs back on a leash for walks again, until their recall is much improved.

• Testing their boundaries by jumping up, chewing or climbing on furniture that they have never previously been inclined to do. Some carers report that their dog has starting mouthing them again, sometimes urinating inside. At this point, carers need to go back to basics and re-train many of the issues they already thought they had dealt with as puppies. They potentially need to restrict the areas in the house that the dog has access to. Use clear but firm commands and always be consistent as any sign of weakness (“oh go on then you can come on the bed, but just for tonight”) is likely to give the dog mixed signals.

• Their new strength makes them likely to pull on the lead on walks, possibly get over excited around other dogs, or develop anxieties that make them bark or lunge at other dogs, cyclists, lorries etc. Often carers report that they are having to change their routine, avoid busy areas, walk early in the morning to avoid certain other dogs whilst their dog gets through this tricky phase. They need to keep their dog under their reactive threshold by keeping an appropriate distance from anything that may trigger a negative reaction and always rewarding calm behaviour.

• Particularly as we have just been in a lockdown situation, many of our adopters from our rescue are experiencing issues with visitors to the house and their dogs developing fearful and guarding behaviours, barking or even biting their guests. They need better socialising and to make better associations as they haven’t seen visitors to the house for several months.

• Surges in hormones (Testosterone, Oestrogen & Progesterone) may lead to unwanted sexual displays such as mounting legs or toys. Also common with pubescent dogs is showing visible signs of arousement. Asking for an incompatible behaviour such as a “down” may help with this. Carers need to determine if and when is the right time to have their dog neutered.

• The urge to mate can lead to dogs chasing after bitches who are in season. The surge of hormones suddenly takes over and they are compelled to disappear over their garden fence to pursue the female that has just passed the gate. Alternatively, females that come into season can also take off in search of a potential partner too. Bitches in season need to be walked carefully and kept on lead unless in a secure area.

How to cope with teenagers

Our UK rescue shelters are often full of larger breed adolescent dogs that their owners have given up because they can no longer control them. It takes a confident and patient carer to cope with a teenage dog, particularly if it is a large breed.

They need clear and consistent boundaries and an acceptance that there will be setbacks along the way. I would recommend managing the environment if you cannot manage the dog. This may mean restricting which areas the dog uses in the house (eg stay away from precious furniture if the dog has a chewing habit), or preventing access to sleeping on beds upstairs if the dog has developed a guarding habit. The dog may need to be shut away in another room whilst there are visitors if they are too excitable or have the potential to bark, nip or bite. (See advice on being reactive to guests).

If the dog may need to be separated from the rest of the household, it will be very important to teach the dog to settle on its own. The carer will need to invest time in training the dog to settle in another room without coming too anxious before this is needed. The use of long lasting chew toys such as kongs, licking mats or food puzzles may help with this as licking and chewing is very calming for dogs.

If your dog is ignoring your commands then see advice in the scatter and sniff section to find ways to keep your dog's focus on you through this challenging time. It is also a good idea to work on ways to improve concentration and learning better impulse control.

It is usually just a phase and a patient carer will come out the other end with a calmer, more loving and respectful dog. Whilst the dog is young and fit, with lots of excess energy to burn, this is a good time to try out activities such as agility or scent work which will help channel their energy into positive activities.

Good luck - see you on the other side!