Canine Juvenile Delinquents

Many dog owners falsely believe that their four, six or eight month old dog is still a puppy. Well, I suppose she is in the same way that my 23 year old daughter is still my little girl. However, my feelings about my daughter do not change the fact that she is most certainly an adult. Likewise, the cuteness or playfulness of any dog doesn’t change the fact that a dog becomes an adolescent around four months of age.

All of us fully expect our teenage children to test their boundaries, become more independent and break the rules. Its part of growing up! We did it and society considers it normal. I said normal, not acceptable. So we take on the role of responsible adult and make endless attempts to guide our teenage noodle-heads over the bridge to adulthood.

I don’t think that most dog owners understand or expect that their four month to two year old dog is going through the same thing. Instead, we wonder if the dog has suddenly gone crazy, is trying to take over our life or is just incapable of ever learning (we often wonder these things about human teens, too!). Many owners are ready to give up, and some do. Visit your local shelter and you will find that the majority of the dogs there are in this age range.

So, what is an owner to do when faced with a juvenile delinquent, teenage dog? It depends. This phase in development is going to be exponentially easier for the owner who has taken the time to socialize and train the dog during the formative months of puppyhood. A pup who has been to puppy classes, met lots of people and dogs, been lots of places, been housetrained and knows things like sit, down, stand and come will be easier to handle as a teenager. If you are still a puppy owner, start training right now!

If you missed the early opportunities to socialize and train your pup, then you’ve got some serious work to do. First and foremost on the agenda: Take responsibility for the situation you are in. Your dog has most likely become exactly what you’ve trained her to become.

If you didn’t socialize her before she was four months old, it’s really unfair to blame the dog for such things as growling at strangers. If you didn’t take the time to teach your puppy to sit at the age of eight weeks, when it was really easy, then you can’t really blame the dog for having a more difficult time learning it at six months. And for heaven’s sake, if you praised and petted a cute, fluffy puppy while its paws were on your pant leg, it’s certainly unfair to blame the dog for jumping up on you now! You taught her that it was a great way to get attention. Her only crime was getting bigger.

Adolescents, in general, need many reminders. They also need to know exactly where the boundaries are. It helps them a whole lot if the consequences to their actions are consistent. If jumping up on you sometimes results in petting, sometimes gets ignored and another time becomes a screaming match, it makes it very hard for the dog to learn anything.

My suggestion is to make two columns on a piece of paper. On one side, write down all the things your dog does that you don’t like. In the second column, for each un-liked behavior you will write down what you would like the dog to do instead. If the dog jumps up on strangers, perhaps you would like the dog to sit when meeting strangers instead. If the dog bites your fingers when taking a treat, you would probably prefer that the dog learn to take a treat gently.

When your lists are complete, take a look at the first column. For all of the annoying behaviors that your dog has been practicing, what has been the pay-off? Did the dog get attention for jumping up on people? (Remember, even being scolded is attention.) What about snatching treats? Well, she gets the treat doesn’t she?

Now ask another question. Do you really believe that your dog knows that there are other alternatives? If she were made aware of an alternative, like walking nicely on a loose leash, what would be her motivation to do so? You see, if pulling on leash has always resulted in getting where the dog wants to go, why would a smart dog do anything else? Your dog isn't crazy, and she isn't a criminal. She's simply been doing what works. That's what smart dogs do!

So, resolve to stop rewarding your dog for the behaviors you don’t like. Take a black marker and put a big X through the first column. From now on, you're going to concentrate on the second column. These are the things that you must teach your dog to do and give her plenty of reason to do. In order to do that, it’s imperative that you shift your focus to the second column. This is both a logical and an emotional shift. Let go of the past, move ahead to the future.

Puppy training is unbelievably easy. Adolescent training takes a bit more patience. Why? Because, as you've seen in your list, an adolescent has a history of being reinforced for the very behaviors that you want to change. They know that it works and it’s always harder to change a behavior that has worked in the past than it is to learn an entirely new one.

Additionally, and perhaps more importantly, you will be required to change your behavior, too! You must become highly aware of what you are doing so as to be a fair, consistent and gentle leader in the learning process. You can’t bend the rules simply because you’re tired or frustrated. In my opinion, changing human beahavior is much more difficult than changing dog behavior!

This is a great time to hire a trainer or enroll in a group class (if your dog is friendly with other dogs). You’ll probably find that all the other adolescent dogs in the class will be just as goofy as yours! The nice side benefit is that you will see that you’re not alone. Other owners of adolescent dogs are just as frustrated as you are.

With their support, some patience and lots of positive training, you can help your dog grow into a wonderful, laid-back, well-mannered adult dog who will spend many years enjoying life with you. Unlike human children, they will not go off to college, call home for money or get too busy to spend time with you. Instead, the work you put into them now will continue to pay off on a daily basis throughout their lives.

To find a trainer in your area, visit www.apdt.com.