Help My Teenage Dog Has Forgotten Everything!

⭐️Tuesday Tips – The FAQ Series

Most dog owners with a pet aged 6 months or over will often say the same thing to me. That during the onset of your puppies adolescence phase (anywhere from 6-12 months old depending on the breed and their size) that their dog seems to have forgotten everything that they’ve ever taught them. Also there is usually mention of the fact that their dog seems to turn their ears off and needs extra persuasion during this time to follow through with behaviours that have been previously well practiced and trained😅

Fear Not – You Are Not Alone In This 🦮

This is so common that I offer follow on classes purely for this age range of puppy- It is often due to the fact that your dogs growth spurts will happen around 5 months old (perhaps earlier for smaller dogs) & during this period your dog may begin to start and stop in walks (especially if they walk on a harness). Which can look like “stubbornness” but is actually more likely to be that they are a bit more touch sensitive because of growing bodies. Their adolescent hormones will also start to kick in around 6-9 months old (again dependent on the rate at which that breed matures) This will mean that their focus and attention will be elsewhere as their environment , movement and sounds will be more distracting (more so than usual 😅)

During this phase there is 50 percent more testosterone or Oestrogen in their little bodies as well as flooding into their brains making learning and memory very difficult during this time. This influx of hormones can contribute to concentration difficulties as well as bringing mood swings just like teenage humans- I am happy to report that these hormones do wain over the next 6 months or so, as does, the maturity of the dog – (smaller dogs mature earlier but goofy personalities will still prevail dependent on the breed) – if you can get over the 12-18 months hump, I can almost guarantee that their hormones levels will level out and you will get your “sensible” dog back but it is extra important to double down on training during this challenging period, making sure that you do so with very high value reward (I’m talking peanut butter, liver pate, baby food tubes, cooked chicken) these extra repetitions and refresher training sessions will help make training stick once they come out the other side of their “hormone rollercoaster”.

So KEEP GOING & DOUBLE UP on your reward frequency (how liberal you are being with the AMOUNT of reinforcement you are giving – because there’s no such thing as too much rewarding at this stage) PRACTICE in small increments and try to make a conscious effort to do double the amount of training you have already been doing (& by this I mean LITTLE BUT VERY OFTEN) be mindful of how long your dog can go before he needs a break in training – little tests help reset the “learning” part of their brains and look for frustrated behaviours such as fatigue in the form of panting , impatience ,getting overaroused by the activities you are asking your dog to do and really you will be onto a winner – the massive PLUS side to all the extra training means that you will have built up a great bond with your dog and your training habits will likely stay put , well in the dogs adult phase . You will be giving your dog a head start on the next phase of training which involves the 3 Ds (training through DISTRACTIONS over DISTANCE & for longer DURATIONS👍….But that’s a post for another day😅

Common Complaints During The Teenage Phase Include;

🐾Not listening when called (because girl/boy dogs can be smelt up to a mile away😅) -if recall is non existent (go back a step to recall on a long line with super duper high value rewards – think liver pate peanut butter tuna in a squeeze tube etc.

🐾Marking their “territory”, (did you know that simply smelling the ammonia of another dog’s pee will illicit the cocking or squatting behaviour/ dogs live in a world of scent that we have no way of knowing anything about.

* Not knowing when to calm down (double down on your “Settle” or “Magic Mat”) everything good happens in the May including calm sits or downs on the mat – again build up the duration over time making sure your dog is kept focused for short periods of time and given regular breaks between mini sessions of training – settle training is also best practices after your dog has had some exercise, tired from a play session , after eating or after all of these things I’ve mentioned.

🐾Overexcited mouthing or nipping – time to get that tug toy out and start to practice a drop or leave it so it becomes very reliable – if you have a dog that gets a bit frustrated at you taking the toy away make sure to roll a treat away from them as you pick up the toy and put it away OR have a second toy ready the moment they drop the first so the game continues – you can add up duration to combat frustration tolerance gradually over time……ETC ETC so many questions so little time 😅

⭐️Let me know what you are currently finding challenging with your teenage dog?

Sara @About Town Pets 🐶

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Ps if you enjoyed this quick FAQ post you may also enjoy my post about Help- My Dog Is A Fussy Eater 🐶