He’s a teenager!
Heres the advice from my puppy supervisor, well worth sharing I think.
Long post
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Adolescence – Don’t Fight It!
Adolescent dogs love to get your goat! Often, their greatest pleasure is getting you wound up over some trivial matter, such as refusing to have their paws wiped, stubbornly ignoring your commands to come in from the garden or playing “keep away” with your slippers or TV remote.
Remember, what fuels the misbehaviour is the conflict itself, so avoiding the battle is far more important than trying to win it. This means staying calm and refusing to get engaged in a battle of physical strength or a shouting match with your dog. Instead use your superior brain power to find a way around it.
For example, your dog has a tantrum and starts biting the towel whilst you are wiping his paws. Instead of getting frustrated and engaging in a wrestling match, stop, line up 4 treats on a surface where he can see them and give him 1 treat per paw for good behaviour. It may feel like bribery, but the positive result will prove that rewards work fast.
Imagine your dog runs under the dining table with a tissue. He tries to tempt you to come and take it from him – which you know will end up in confrontation. Don’t engage! Instead, keep your dignity and prevent the situation from escalating by simply walking away and ignoring him.
It’s NOT dominance!
If your dog repeatedly performs a behaviour which you find infuriating, such as barking, attention seeking, or pulling on the lead, ask yourself what’s reinforcing it.
These are not symptoms of dominance. Your dog is not trying to challenge you for leadership. It’s far more obvious and simple than that.
Dogs repeat behaviours that get rewarded
Rewards include eye contact, vocal contact and physical contact. They also include you getting wound up, cross and upset.
If your dog is getting any of these rewards for his misbehaviour, you need to change tactics and stop giving them immediately! Fold your arms, look away and walk out of the room if practically possible. Being ignored is a major consequence for dogs.
Don’t nag!
Question: What happens when you nag someone?
Answer: They ignore you!
Beware of nagging your dog. It’s nearly always better to be calm and quiet so that your dog listens when you do give him a cue. If you find that you are repeating yourself (Fido, come! Fido, stop that! Fido, no!) think about what triggers the behaviour you don’t like and find a strategy to prevent it. This is not giving in – it’s sensible management and will help to maintain a positive relationship between you.
Keep training!
During adolescence, it’s not unusual for owners to wonder if any of the training they did with their puppy was really worthwhile. If it seems like your dog has suddenly lost his hearing, or his desire to do anything to please you – don’t panic! The answer is to make sure that you keep on training.
Go back to basics and reinforce simple tasks, such as “sit” which you can reward your dog for getting right.
Good training can solve all of these irritating habits and more. However, in the meantime, it’s important to prevent them from happening to ensure that your dog doesn’t have a chance to practice them. For example, putting your dog on a lead when visitors arrive is safe and practical. Behaviour management like this may not be all singing and dancing, but it is effective and will save your sanity!
Use rewards wisely
Not all rewards are the same. If you had to list your dog’s favourite things, you might find this ranking would be:
Meaty sticks
Marrowbone biscuit
Squeaky toy
His own kibble
Use this information wisely. If your dog finds “sit” on cue easy, then praise or a piece of dry food is adequate. However, if you want him to do something he finds more difficult, such as coming away from playing with other dogs, you will need to use treats at the top of the list – and lots of them!
How much fun are you?
Once off the lead, your dog is constantly weighing up whether you are worth paying attention to. If you are dull, cross, indifferent or half-hearted, your dog will make the easy decision that everything else is more attractive.
Make sure you are the centre of your dog’s world. Take a toy and play games with your dog, engage in hide and seek, make sudden changes of direction and be FUN!
Recall Rules
Praise is not enough – take really good treats with you and if they do a great recall give them a jackpot reward.
Walk with a friend if their dog has good recall – avoid those that don’t!
Don’t call your dog if you know he is likely to ignore you (i.e. just started to play with another dog)
Practice recall regularly, not just at the end of a free run or if you see a distraction.
Always be positive, even if your dog is slow to return – he will simply learn to ignore you if you reprimand him.
Your clever dog
Finally, it’s so important to realise that while many adolescent dogs can be difficult or challenging, they are also great fun, bright and entertaining.
Enjoy this period in your dog’s life and help set the scene for the adult they are about to become.
I wish I knew some advice to give you.
