Adolescence

Adolescence isn’t your dog being “naughty.” It’s your dog growing up.
Puppy Adolescence: Why Your Sweet Pup Suddenly “Forgets Everything”
Just when you thought you were getting the hang of things… your lovely puppy turns into a distracted, cheeky, boundary-pushing teenager. Welcome to canine adolescence — a completely normal (and temporary!) stage of development.If your puppy suddenly stops listening, pulls like a sled dog, ignores recalls, or seems to have selective hearing, you’re not alone — and you haven’t failed.
What is Puppy Adolescence:
Puppy adolescence is the developmental stage between puppyhood and adulthood. It typically happens between 6–18 months of age (sometimes up to 2 years for larger breeds).
Common Adolescence “Teenage Dog” Behaviours
  • Suddenly, poor recall or lack of focus when outside
  • “Forgetting or ignoring” known cues (sit, stay, etc.)
  • Pulling more on the lead
  • Jumping, barking and mouthing.
  • Increased excitement or over-arousal
  • Testing boundaries
  • Reacting to things they previously ignored (please also see fear periods)
  • Selective listening 🙉
During this time, your dog is going through:
  • Hormonal changes
  • Sexual maturity
  • Brain development shifts
  • Increased independence
  • Greater awareness of their environment
🧬 What’s Happening in your puppies Brain?
Adolescent dogs experience changes similar to human teenagers:
  • The emotional part of the brain develops faster than the thinking part, causing big feelings
  • Impulse control temporarily decreases, while Risk-taking and exploration increase. So even though they know a cue, their ability to choose it over distractions is still under construction, and they can react without thinking.
  • As Social interests grow, puppies who lacked early socialisation with other dogs or who did not learn to read and navigate social cues now start to act reactively or respond poorly around other dogs.
💡 What Your Dog Needs Most Right Now
This stage is not about being stricter. It’s about being clearer, calmer, and more consistent.
Stay Calm and Consistent. (Adolescent dogs are brilliant at finding inconsistencies. If rules change depending on your mood, your dog will keep testing.)
  • Be clear, use simple one or two word verbal cues and uniform / consistent visual cues.
  • Be predictable, do not allow behaviours sometimes, but stop them at other times.
  • Reward what you like, redirect what you don’t.
  • Ensure their needs are met, but do not acknowledge, respond to, or react when they act demanding, pushy, or demand bark. Responding acknowledges their behaviour is working to get your attention. Instead, only respond when they ask politely and use management to stop unwanted behaviour.
  • Remember to be patient. They’re not trying to be difficult — they’re learning how the world works.
Go Back to Basics (Not Backwards)
  • Focus more on Generalising / Raising Criteria / Proofing and, if needed, using alternative training techniques to retrain important known behaviours.
  • Practice in low-distraction environments again
  • Gradually build back up to harder situations
  • Set your dog up to succeed and use management to prevent them from making bad choices.
  • Strengthen foundations and core behaviours.
Increase Reinforcement (Your dog isn’t being stubborn — the environment just got more rewarding.)
  • Make training more interesting by making the task easy and the rewards higher
  • Use higher-value treats (chicken nuggets, cut-up hot dog, dehydrated meat, cheese, etc.)
  • Use play as a reward and explore alternative reinforcement
  • Praise / Mark enthusiastically for eye contact and recall, even when you don't ask for it.
  • If the world is a theme park, you need to be part of the fun, or the bouncer who grants access.
Manage the Environment (Adolescence is when bad habits can form quickly. Prevention now saves months of fixing later.)
  • Use a long training lead or safe enclosed areas if recall isn’t reliable
  • Avoid off-lead areas that are too busy or overstimulating
  • Prevent bad behaviour by controlling greetings and teaching polite introductions with people and other dogs
  • Provide structured exercise, not just free chaos
Exercise the body and the mind. (A tired body = a fit dog, A tired mind = a calm dog)
❤️ The Most Important Thing to Remember is This stage does pass. Dogs who receive guidance, structure, and positive training during adolescence often become incredibly reliable adults.
This is the phase where your relationship deepens, trust is built, and skills are truly solidified.
Think long-term. You’re raising the adult dog you want for the next 10–15 years.
🐾 When to Get Help
Support makes a big difference during adolescence. Training now prevents behaviour issues later. Early guidance = easier progress.
Reach out if you’re seeing:
  • Reactivity or fear
  • Ongoing jumping or rough behaviour
  • Lead frustration
  • Consistently poor recall
  • Over-excitement around people or dogs
With patience, structure, and the right training, this stage becomes a powerful opportunity — not a problem.