Rioja: sit, leave it! Go to your mat please, no! Off the bed… thank you! Here….(Waiting, waiting…) Oh gooood girl! Get off the kitchen counter (really??!) Sush. Too bad for you… Time out!! (As I escort her outside for her 30sec. time out for continuous barking without a cause).
Ah, the throws of adolescences! Rioja is now 1 years old and smack in the middle of doggie adolescence. She has developed “selective hearing” and an ability to decide when to bark out of control as well as a fantastic habit of jumping on top of the kitchen counter. I have never been able to see her jumping up. I am curious to find out how much “prep” she must do in order to do so, I have “only” seen her on top of the counter scouting the lower elevations like a hawk.
She still cracks me up most of the time. And when I catch myself being frustrated with her, I remind myself that this part of adolescence is also fun. Dogs live such short lives that they move with the speed of a meteor through their development: Day one you have a puppy - puppy breath included, before you know it your lovely pup is already five months the crucial time when other adult dogs are not so lenient and begin to “correct” your cute yet obnoxious dog for inappropriate behaviors. Then in no time your dog has turned two and entering social maturity. Of course these stages are not fixed in stone, it varies with the breed of the dog and the individual. Larger breeds and males might not fully mature until the age of three.
Mind you that most dogs are surrendered at shelters during this period. Their owners get frustrated and not really knowing how easy it is to sail through an (almost) sane adolescences with your dog if you only understood a few things…
During adolescences, dogs begin to explore their environment. They engage fully with all their senses. The pup that once relished being close to you during off-leash romps, now would much rather go see about a cat or another dog. Play between dogs also suffers especially in males who will squabble with other dogs. Squabbles between dogs are NORMAL dog behavior and development. It is actually rare to have a male dog that has not been in a squabble. The good news is that most fights do not result in injury.
At home you might find, just like I am with Rioja, that your pups manners take a sharp turn downhill. For this reason, it is really imperative to continue working with your dog in basic manners. Ignoring the problem and the dog will only make matters worse! You might also witness how your once friendly-to-all-pup is growling and moving away from people. Please do something about this! Remind your once friendly pup that people mean awesome things for him/her: this is when the super yummy treats come out, or you get to play your dog’ favorite game, etc.
Keep in mind that in order to have a dog that feels comfortable around people of all kinds, we MUST continue with the socialization efforts- the same goes for dogs being friendly to (most) dogs… social isolation which in many cases becomes the norm once the dog leaves puppyhood, will be to blame if your now mature dog engages in displays of fear or aggression towards either people or other dogs.
The best approach for building your dog’s confidence and a smooth sailing through this stage is to incorporate little training sessions (we are talking 3 minute long training sessions) peppered throughout the day and immersed in your daily routine. For example: make sure your dog has ample daily mental and physical stimulation in the form of walks, off-leash romps (if appropriate), eating out of food-dispensing toys, an occasional class that you both enjoy. In addition, practice sit/stays when cooking dinner, wait at doors, and going in and out of the car. Permission to get on couches and your bed - if this is something you allow in your household.
Practicing leave it when it comes to undesirable objects your dog might pick-up during walks or at home. Make sure your dog gets to meet people while on walks or at least that he/she gets a morsel of food every time you both encounter someone in your walk. Invite friends over and practice safely with the UPS delivery person.
Now, it goes without saying that in order for you both to “practice” a given behavior it means that your dog has had prior learning of those behaviors. It is useless and unfair to ask a dog to do something when the dog has not had the proper training to learn a behavior you now wish to practice.
My advice here is that you honestly assess what behaviors (and in what context) your dog has had the opportunity to practice from puppy-hood. If your dog’s repertoire is not what you need in order to live a fun and relaxing life with him/her then by all means enroll in a class or do some private training. The saying: pay now or pay later really applies in this context.
When it comes to making sure that your adult dog enjoys the company of people and dogs, on-going exposure to these demographics paired with something positive is the way to go. However, if your dog has fear/aggression issues to either people or dogs please make sure that your dog is not put in a situation that he/she cannot handle. Get professional help since the problem will not go away.
Ah, the throws of adolescences! Rioja is now 1 years old and smack in the middle of doggie adolescence. She has developed “selective hearing” and an ability to decide when to bark out of control as well as a fantastic habit of jumping on top of the kitchen counter. I have never been able to see her jumping up. I am curious to find out how much “prep” she must do in order to do so, I have “only” seen her on top of the counter scouting the lower elevations like a hawk.
She still cracks me up most of the time. And when I catch myself being frustrated with her, I remind myself that this part of adolescence is also fun. Dogs live such short lives that they move with the speed of a meteor through their development: Day one you have a puppy - puppy breath included, before you know it your lovely pup is already five months the crucial time when other adult dogs are not so lenient and begin to “correct” your cute yet obnoxious dog for inappropriate behaviors. Then in no time your dog has turned two and entering social maturity. Of course these stages are not fixed in stone, it varies with the breed of the dog and the individual. Larger breeds and males might not fully mature until the age of three.
Mind you that most dogs are surrendered at shelters during this period. Their owners get frustrated and not really knowing how easy it is to sail through an (almost) sane adolescences with your dog if you only understood a few things…
During adolescences, dogs begin to explore their environment. They engage fully with all their senses. The pup that once relished being close to you during off-leash romps, now would much rather go see about a cat or another dog. Play between dogs also suffers especially in males who will squabble with other dogs. Squabbles between dogs are NORMAL dog behavior and development. It is actually rare to have a male dog that has not been in a squabble. The good news is that most fights do not result in injury.
At home you might find, just like I am with Rioja, that your pups manners take a sharp turn downhill. For this reason, it is really imperative to continue working with your dog in basic manners. Ignoring the problem and the dog will only make matters worse! You might also witness how your once friendly-to-all-pup is growling and moving away from people. Please do something about this! Remind your once friendly pup that people mean awesome things for him/her: this is when the super yummy treats come out, or you get to play your dog’ favorite game, etc.
Keep in mind that in order to have a dog that feels comfortable around people of all kinds, we MUST continue with the socialization efforts- the same goes for dogs being friendly to (most) dogs… social isolation which in many cases becomes the norm once the dog leaves puppyhood, will be to blame if your now mature dog engages in displays of fear or aggression towards either people or other dogs.
The best approach for building your dog’s confidence and a smooth sailing through this stage is to incorporate little training sessions (we are talking 3 minute long training sessions) peppered throughout the day and immersed in your daily routine. For example: make sure your dog has ample daily mental and physical stimulation in the form of walks, off-leash romps (if appropriate), eating out of food-dispensing toys, an occasional class that you both enjoy. In addition, practice sit/stays when cooking dinner, wait at doors, and going in and out of the car. Permission to get on couches and your bed - if this is something you allow in your household.
Practicing leave it when it comes to undesirable objects your dog might pick-up during walks or at home. Make sure your dog gets to meet people while on walks or at least that he/she gets a morsel of food every time you both encounter someone in your walk. Invite friends over and practice safely with the UPS delivery person.
Now, it goes without saying that in order for you both to “practice” a given behavior it means that your dog has had prior learning of those behaviors. It is useless and unfair to ask a dog to do something when the dog has not had the proper training to learn a behavior you now wish to practice.
My advice here is that you honestly assess what behaviors (and in what context) your dog has had the opportunity to practice from puppy-hood. If your dog’s repertoire is not what you need in order to live a fun and relaxing life with him/her then by all means enroll in a class or do some private training. The saying: pay now or pay later really applies in this context.
When it comes to making sure that your adult dog enjoys the company of people and dogs, on-going exposure to these demographics paired with something positive is the way to go. However, if your dog has fear/aggression issues to either people or dogs please make sure that your dog is not put in a situation that he/she cannot handle. Get professional help since the problem will not go away.
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