The Canine Equivalent of the Teenage Years

[GentleLake]

We get questions so often from frustrated owners when suddenly things fall apart when their smart, obedient pups hit adolescence. Our advice to stick with it and be patient until the phase passes is now supported by science. The study would have been better if it had included pups of both sexes and probably more varied breeds, but it's a start in confirming what we already knew.

It also confirms the importance of developing a good relationship with our pups from at early age.

https://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2020/07/08/dog-adolescence.aspx?cid_source=facebook&cid_medium=social&cid_content=facebookpets&cid=lead_20200708

https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsbl.2020.0097

[Michael Parkey]

Thanks for posting this interesting article.  I don't have any experience with the breeds studied, but my impression of herding breeds is that puberty occurs later than the dogs in study (12 months).  My own dogs seemed to have the adolescent behavior phase later, more like 15-18 months.  Again, to me is seems that herding breeds are behaviorally mature later than many other breeds.

The article also explains the infuriating fact that your disobedient teenager behaves well for an unfamilar trainer you've gone to for help, LOL.