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Dogs and humans are very different, but they do have this in common: adolescence is often a rocky period. Like human teens, adolescent dogs explore their world and test their own abilities in ways you won't always like. (What's on the other side of the fence? Can I boss these other dogs? Can I catch that skunk? Who's that cute Collie?)
All this adolescent adventuring can be wearing on owners; most dogs abandoned at shelters are between eight and 18 months old, at the height of adolescence. This is also a prime time for dogs to be banished to the backyard--a boring and sad place for such social animals. The good news is, adolescence goes by much more quickly in canines than in people. And if you keep up with the guidelines that got you through puppyhood, as well some new ones just for adolescents, you can keep enjoying your dog and lay the foundation for a happy life together. What defines the stageAdolescent dogs aren't so very different from teenage humans, at least in attitude--hyper, inattentive, driven by hormones (if they're not neutered or spayed, anyway), exasperating, but somehow lovable in spite of it all--at least most of the time. During adolescence, your dog will: - Become more interested in the big, wild world than she is in you. A dog who once happily bounded up to you when you called may suddenly become deaf to the "come" command.
- Have lots of energy and need a good amount of exercise.
- Become sexually mature. Males may hop fences and take off in search of the ladies, and they may mark in the house to claim their territory. Females will mark to advertise their availability to the guys. Both may become aggressive with other dogs of the same sex.
- Forget commands and have a very short attention span. You may find your pup looking at you like you're speaking Martian when you give her a command that she knew backward and forward last week.
- Possibly become shy or frightened of things she took in stride just a few weeks before. Don't force your dog to confront something that frightens her, but don't coddle (and thereby reward) her fears, either.
- Reach her adult height but be a bit awkward and gangly.
- Lose her cottony puppy coat.
How long it lastsAdolescence begins and ends at different
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Adolescents topics
Adolescents
