Canine Adolescents Tips

Many people reach out for training when their dog hits the “teenage years” of puppyhood. We often hear the pup was easy to train, but now they’re chewing in the house, pulling on walks, and starting bad habits. 

This change is completely normal! Dogs go through adolescence anywhere from six months of age to two years. Smaller dogs tend to finish this stage faster than larger dogs. 

Just like people, some dogs may experience more physical,  mental, emotional, and hormone changes than others. Take it day by day; it will pass in no time. 

How Does Adolescents Affect Dogs? 

Some dog experiences significant behavioral and hormonal changes, while others breeze through the stage. Breed types can factor in the impact on adolescents and the timing of their spay or neuter, size, and environment. 

Behavior Changes During Canine Adolescents

You might notice your dog having behavior changes like increased physical and mental energy needs. Increasing or varying the type of exercise you offer can help your teenage pup (and you!) rest peacefully during downtime. 

Teenage dogs tend to take a greater interest in their environment. They tend to want to sniff and observe more, so you should let them. Give them opportunities to sniff, explore, and move at their own pace on walks and during off-leash activities. 

You might notice your pup become less focused on you as they become more confident during this stage. However, some dogs go through a fear period during this time, and you might see them become more reserved or uncomfortable with sights, smells, or noises they didn’t have an issue with when they were younger. Check out our blog post HERE if you need tips to get you through this.

Your dog might seem to forget all the training you’ve already practiced. Keep reading for more information on how to get through this!

Hormonal Changes During Canine Adolescents  

As dogs become sexually mature; you might notice an increase in marking and mounting behaviors from both male and female dogs! They also might take more time to sniff other spots dogs have marked. Intact female dogs will go through their first heat cycle if they aren’t spayed yet. Intact male dogs will have an increase in testosterone levels, which can cause an increase in marking, mounting, and competitive behaviors with other dogs. 

Social Changes During Canine Adolescents 

When your pup enters the teenage stage, other adult dogs might become less tolerant of puppy behaviors like face nipping, mounting, and not responding appropriately to body language cues. 

If your dog enjoys playing with other dogs, seek out some dog friends for them! Keep the group small, help the dogs take frequent breaks, and make sure all the dogs are having fun and enjoying the playtime. 

During this stage, your pup might become more dog selective and choose not to engage in as much roughhousing or playtime with other dogs as they did in the past. Respect this change and find other activities if they prefer to avoid playing with other dogs or only have a couple of dog friends they like. 

Continue Socialization with Your Teenage Puppy

While the critical window for socialization is during their first couple of months, your teenage dog must continue socialization and training. 

Focus on taking your dog to familiar spaces while mixing in novel exposures like observing new people, hearing new noises, or exploring new surfaces. Dog-friendly stores are great sniffari options for enrichment, too!

If your teenage pup seems to be going through a fear stage, focus on building confidence with training games. Let them observe from safe distances, and reassure them by lowering to their level, talking in a soothing voice, and not rushing them to get closer to what they think is scary. 

If your pup has ongoing fears for more than 2-3 weeks, we suggest reaching out to a certified trainer. 

Keep Training Your Adolescent Dog

During the adolescent stage; you might see your pup regress with basic manners, have poor recall or lose interest in the training. 

Keep sessions short and practice behaviors they enjoy! If your dog loves doing tricks, use their favorite tricks to keep them motivated and focused on you.

Practice the basics like coming when called in low distraction areas, polite greetings when you come home, and manners during mealtimes. 

Use a variety of treats to keep your pup interested in the training sessions. 

Lower your expectations in new spaces. They might prefer sniffing and watching everything go by instead of focusing on you during walks in new places. Maintain basic manners and give your dog the freedom they want to have! 

Keep treat stations around the house to remind yourself to reinforce the behaviors you wish to repeat with your dog! If you see your pup looking out the window quietly, settling on their bed, or greeting you without jumping, give them a treat! Look for all the good behaviors throughout the day instead of focusing on negative stuff!

Provide Enrichment and Exercise to Your Teenage Dog

During this stage, you might notice your dog start behaviors like increased vocalization, chewing, struggling to settle, and becoming distracted by day-to-day stuff. 

Increasing the amount of exercise and enrichment you provide can help meet your pup’s new needs. Provide outlets for chewing, shredding, and dissecting with foraging opportunities. You can layer a box with packing paper, toilet paper rolls, toys, food, and chews and let your teenage dog shred it. 

Easy access to soft, medium and hard chews can prevent your teenager from seeking things they shouldn’t chew on, like kid’s toys, shoes, and furniture. 

Playing hide and seek, going on long sniff walks, and flirt pole playtime are great ways to mentally and physically expend your dog’s energy. 

Continue Management During Your Dog’s Teenage Stage

Just because your pup is older doesn’t mean they can and should have all the freedom they want. You might see regression with house behaviors or their ability to focus on you during the off-leash time. 

Utilizing gates and closing doors to prevent access to certain rooms in your home can prevent behaviors like counter surfing, going through trash, or chewing on laundry from becoming habits. Give your dog plenty of activities before leaving and while you’re away from the house. Utilizing confinement can keep your pup and your home safe, too. 

If your dog seems to turn their hearing off outside, try using a long line or retractable leash to give them the freedom they want, but keep them safe. Heavily reinforce any check-ins they offer, and bring a variety of treats with you! 

The bottom line, you’ll both get through this! Focus on providing your teenage dog with safe outlets for their increased mental and physical energy. Focus on maintaining the manners and behaviors they already know through short training sessions. Continue socialization through positive experiences and keep training fun and engaging with enrichment and various reinforcers.