Have you ever wondered why your cute little puppy suddently turned into a monster, disobedient, naughty, stubborn and selectively deaf?
Don’t panic, you’ve done nothing wrong and your puppy is not “broken” – it’s just adolescence. Adolescence usually hits around 6 months of dog’s age and marks a time when your puppy becomes a teenager. Just like for human teenagers, for dogs adolescense is time of turmoil and changes, both physical and emotional. Hormones are through the roof, there may be pain and/or general physical discomfort, mood swings, anxiety, and lack of focus. At the same time the puppy becomes more independent, eager to explore and test boundaries to find out what its capabilities are and how to best adapt to its environment.
In terms of the dog’s behaviour, you may expect a plethora of issues, from running away, ignoring recall, to pulling on the lead, nipping, and barking their heads of with no apparent reason. This is a very demanding period, both for the dog and for the owners, with a high risk of breaking their relationship, when the owners lose their patience and become disappointed, angry and negatively biased towards the dog.
Preventing escalation of these problems is one of my core objective as a dog trainer (too many dogs are surrendered to rescue centers just because they are growing up). I help owners and dogs to learn how to cope with each other during adolescence, understand each other better, listen and be listened to. And although I can’t promise that your teenager dog suddenly turns into an angel, I will give you both tools and skills to enjoy the journey to your dog’s adulthood, and embark on it with empathy and love.Â
Call me at 07486093492 or click here to check out available training packages and pricing, and book your consultation