Puppy Adolescence

They grow up so fast. But honestly, some puppies just can’t grow up fast enough. They go from cute to incorrigible in no time. Then they seem to get stuck, for months, or for years.

We call it puppy adolescence, probably because it so horrifically mirrors human adolescence. Our dear sweet puppies who followed us around and learned their manners so quickly, suddenly go wild. A dear client of mine said she hardly recognized her own dog when he suddenly went rogue at the pet store. Atticus was a 5-month-old Rhodesian Ridgeback, and a model puppy. Then in aisle 7 he met a boxer who he absolutely had to play with, right there, right away. Atticus learned in that very moment that he’d grown in size and strength. He pulled hard on his leash to reach the other dog (who was barking and growling, by the way) and gave my client’s shoulder a good hard strain.

Welcome to the next year of your life with an adolescent puppy.

The early months of puppy development are all about teaching him that the world is a safe place. Before they come into our lives, puppies learn to interact with siblings and their mother. We hope they also have healthy interactions with humans in their birth homes (dogs born on the streets and in puppy mills aren’t so lucky). Once they come to us, we introduce them to the various types of people and human activities they will encounter throughout their adult lives. The goal here is to show them that those crazy humans and their weird ways are really quite safe and great fun for puppies. We coo, praise, and offer lots of tasty treats.

By 4 ½ to 5 months, our best efforts have produced calm and confident young dogs. We’ve been to puppy class for some beginner manners. Potty training and puppy biting are both under control. Now we have a developing dog who is growing in size and intelligence. They’ve had a taste of the exciting world, and they are hungry for more.

Atticus already weighs 45 lbs. He’s strong, and he’s sharp. He’s also is a savvy learner. That’s good news because Atticus has an excellent early history figuring out how to respond appropriately to humans, especially his human family. That can be a double-edged sword though, because Atticus is also quick to learn what to do to get his way in general. For example, jumping up on counter tops gets him free snacks (sometimes). And, pulling toward that boxer in the cat toy aisle gets him closer to an impromptu play date. Our adolescent dogs discover that behavior pays. Good behavior or bad, those are our labels. It’s all the same to our dogs. Whatever behavior works is good for them.

Helping your dog through adolescence is similar to getting him through early puppyhood. It’s all about structure, and setting your dog up to succeed. But the specifics are a bit different.

Focus on what you want your dog to do, not what you don’t want him to do. Teach him skills and practice daily. For puppy people who have already been training, much of this will be review. Start thinking about basic manners as solutions to problem behaviors. Sit prevents jumping on people. Down teaches your dog to relax and slow down hyperactivity. Coming when called averts many varieties of mischief away from you. Eye contact while on-leash prevents pulling and lunging. Reinforce the behavior you want and you will get more of it.
Teach impulse control. Stay, leave it, and drop it are all good starts. Just remember point one: focus on what you want your dog to do. Impulse control isn’t about your yelling “no.” Stay means your dog holds his position and focus on you. Reinforce this activity. Leave it means your dog takes is eyes off of trouble and looks at you instead. Clicker training is a great way to teach him to do that reliably when you call “leave it.” Drop it is also an activity. Release the object in your mouth. Yes! Good dog!
Turn play into learning. Our adolescent dogs are eager for activity and play. Integrate playtime and training time. You can reinforce all of the lessons above with tug, fetch, and other types of play. Experiment and see what your dog wants to work for. You can also use treats.

Exercise and a healthy diet are also very important. You might want to ask your vet if your dog’s breed and overall physical development are appropriate for dog sports like beginner agility, fly ball, or dock diving.

Now, pause for a moment. Imagine who you want your adolescent dog to become. Think about walking your dog down the path toward that goal. What will you teach him along the way? How will you let him know when he’s getting it right – smiles, praise, clicker train, play? Choose to let the bad stuff fall to the wayside. You already know that punishing behavior gives it too much of your attention. Watch your dog grow in size and strength, but also in spirit and maturity. Imagine the noble old dog he will someday be.

You will make it through your puppy’s adolescence. I bet you’ll even forget how hard it was. If you’re like me, you’ll wish time had moved more slowly. Darned if the little guy didn’t grow up too fast.

Michael Baugh teaches dog and puppy training in Sedona, AZ

Dogs on Hold

Houston-Dog-Stella-Airport — Sella’s practice visit to IAH

As many of you know, Tim, Stella, Stewie and I are planning to move to Norway this month. It has been my job to prepare the dogs for the transatlantic journey. I’ve also been making the necessary arrangements for their immigration (our human immigration is already settled).

I was discussing the details with a colleague today and mentioned the interesting time constraints related to the last week before the move. The dogs need an exam from our vet, and a signature from her on a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) document. Norway requires the USDA to approve this document before the dogs can leave the United States and legally enter Norway. That USDA document is time sensitive, so I’d have to travel to Austin to get it signed and then back to Houston to get on a plane to Norway within a matter of days. It was an interesting conversation until my colleague reminded me of a stark truth that’s been right under my nose the whole time

The USDA is closed indefinitely. Remember? The government is shut down; out of business; sorry for your luck. The result: Tim has to go to Norway anyway for work. The dogs and I are stuck here. Waiting.

I can’t help but chuckle. Less than an hour ago I was listening to the radio and the announcer said “we want to know how the government shutdown is affecting you.” I had the arrogance to think, it’s pretty much not affecting me at all. I couldn’t have been more wrong. This is the story of how the privileged and the power-hungry disrupt and damage American lives. In my case, it’s the story of how they split up a family. I can only hope it’s not for too long.

I have calls out to see if there is a work-around and will post updates on this site as I learn more.

Touch Me Not

Michael Baugh CDBC

It’s one of the most uncomfortable things for us trainers to say to a client. I am always looking for the kindest and most tactful way to say it. “I don’t think your dog really enjoys being patted on the head like that.” It’s tough because the thing is, we humans love to pat and pet and paw on our dogs.

Ethologist and Author Patricia McConnell PhD was one of the first to shine the light on this basic disconnect between humans and dogs. We humans are primates. Our social interactions are played out primarily with our arms and hands. Dogs are canines and they are notably lacking arms and hands. Their social interactions are played out with their whole bodies, but primarily with their mouths. So, it’s no surprise then to find new puppy owners bloodied on their limbs and digits baffled over why their young bundles of teeth keep biting them. It’s also no surprise to see a dog duck away when their person reaches out to pat their head.

Here’s the rub (literally and figuratively). Even when we know better, we humans keep on keeping on. We don’t get it, even when we get it. Case in point: that picture of me and Stella over there. My face says, I love this dog. Her face says, I don’t care just get me out of here. I knew better but I just couldn’t stop myself. Facebook and Google are littered with videos and pictures like this one, and worse. People hugging dogs who clearly are uncomfortable. Children draped over dogs who are at best tolerating the interaction. We can’t help ourselves. Almost daily we’re highlighting the difference between our species, photographing it, and publishing it for the world to see.

Sometimes I chuckle at myself when I forget and reach for Stella’s head for a nice pat. She, of course, ducks away and I apologize. The laugh is on me. I knew better and couldn’t help myself. Dogs tend to not like hands reaching for them; especially hands belonging to someone they don’t know too well. Some dogs are more sensitive than others (Stella knows me well and still doesn’t care for that kind of greeting). We forget because quite often we greet each other, including strangers, with an extended hand. We call it shaking hands. If we know each other even a little bit better, or if we’re in Europe, we might hug. Hugs to dogs are very alien and offensive. Dogs who drape their heads over another dog’s withers (shoulder area) often get in fights. So do dogs who full-on mount another dog (sort of like hugging).

People who reach for the wrong dog get bitten too. Sometimes the results are serious. Children, unfortunately get bitten most frequently. They’re the ones most likely to hug or even try to ride a dog. It pains me to know some parents don’t know better and actually encourage this. They grab the camera and log on to Facebook. I cringe. At least one dog related fatality this year involved a baby pulling himself up on a dog. Those cases are rare and extreme. It’s easy to blame the dog or the parents. The truth though is that we all need to learn better ways to interact with dogs; we trainers especially need to take the lead on this – teach – learn – teach again. No one who loves their child and loves their dog wants things to go badly. But it happens.

This doesn’t mean dogs don’t like to be touched. Most do. When I’m thinking correctly, I let dogs approach me first. If the dog appears fearful, I’ll turn sideways to the dog, and I might bend at the knees to get down to his level. I don’t reach into the dog’s space or make direct eye contact, the way you might do when you’re greeting a person at a business meeting. If the dog approaches, I pet him on the chest or on the cheek by his ears. Watch to see how he reacts. If he backs away, I stop. Of course, the overwhelming majority of dogs will love this. Many will be exuberant and jump for joy (that’s another issue altogether). Children are always supervised. In Stella’s case, because she is particularly sensitive, interactions with kids are structured and brief.

Trainer educator Jean Donaldson got it right in The Culture Clash. We want our dogs to be like dogs the in the movies. She calls them Disney Dogs. They are cute and always nice, with human sensibilities and manners. That, of course, is a myth. Dogs have their own ways, their own sensibilities, and they are nonetheless still cute and nice. I think they are more so. Nearly perfect in fact.

Michael Baugh teaches dog training in Sedona AZ and everywhere online.