Why did my adolescent dog stop listening?

Adolescence is the stretch between puppyhood and adulthood, and in dogs it usually starts around six months. A 2021 review by Naomi Harvey of Dogs Trust puts puberty at 6 to 9 months in males and 6 to 16 months in females, notes that the mammalian brain goes through considerable reorganization in adolescence, and places behavioral and social maturity between 12 and 24 months. In plain terms, a dog that is physically nearly grown is still mentally under construction for another year or so.

That construction shows up as competition for attention. New smells, other dogs, the far end of the yard and the sound of a delivery truck now outrank a cue your dog used to answer on the first ask. The behavior has not been erased; it has been outbid. None of this means the dog is stubborn, dominant or testing you, and treating it that way usually makes the next six months harder rather than shorter.

Training starts with a short assessment with Gabriella Pope, our Director of Training & Canine Behaviorist, because adolescent trouble comes in different shapes. The most common is the dog whose manners slipped: recall, focus, leash walking and door manners. That dog goes to Calm & Connected, our Level 2 program for adolescents, new rescues and adults, in blocks of 4, 6 or 8 weeks with 8, 12 or 16 sessions. The adolescent dog training page sets out how the blocks run and what they cost.

The second shape is the dog in a fear period, which the AKC places between about 6 and 14 months; it is never pushed toward what scares it. The third is the dog with more energy than the household can absorb, who often needs a couple of daycare days at $42 or a Dogtown Academy day at $89 as much as a lesson. The fourth is the teenager who now barks and lunges at other dogs on the leash, which calls for trigger work in Focus & Flow or React Less, Relax More rather than obedience.

Gloucester's dog regulations say dogs must always remain under the control of their owner or keeper, and an adolescent with a fading recall is not reliably under control off leash yet. From October 1, Good Harbor allows dogs off leash on even-numbered days through March 31 and Wingaersheek on odd-numbered days through April 30, at the time of writing, and Crab Beach takes off-leash dogs all year. Open sand like that is exactly where a nine-month-old discovers gulls are worth ignoring you for, so keep a long line clipped on.

Adolescence also brings the first license renewal for many dogs. Gloucester licenses run to April 30 each year, with a $20 late fee for renewals after that date. Training sessions at 210 Eastern Ave are scheduled inside our opening hours, and if your teenager also comes for daycare or Academy days, the Pup Van collects for $10 each way in Rockport, Gloucester, Essex and Manchester-by-the-Sea.