The Adolescent Dog

I recently reached out to the remaining puppy owners to offer some resources. I thought perhaps they might be helpful to some of my readers as well.

As you are probably well aware by now, your puppies have entered adolescence. Just like a human teenager - this can be a trying time. As someone who works with a rescue, I see tons of dogs come through because they were given up by families who thought their sweet puppy had gone Cujo on them. One of our own litter has even been surrendered already. So I wanted to reach out.

Most of you have already reported some Dr Jekyl & Mr. Puppy behavior :-) I just want to reassure you that if your pup is suddenly shy, nippy, barking more, possessive, territorial, showing separation anxiety, etc etc... that this is a normal part of puppy development and you have not adopted a monster. Nonetheless, I know that it is not an easy period to deal with so I thought I would offer my support as well as some resources. If there is anything I can do to assist you during this period, please let me know. Your reaction to your pup during this period is critical in helping him/her develop into the dog you hope he/she will be. Consistent training is critical. And fear not, it usually only lasts about 6-8 months, unlike the fun of a human teenager, which can last upwards of a decade!

• An article from Dog Star Daily, a trainer blog that I really like. This is written by Ian Dunbar, a father of the positive reinforcement method of training. http://www.dogstardaily.com/training/adolescent-dog-training-18-weeks-2-years

• A Q&A that you should relate to :-) http://www.canismajor.com/dog/adol01.html

• An article by a vet** that gives a quick overview of what your dog is physically experiencing http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=1701&S=1&SourceID=47

** please note: While the vet is THE FIRST PLACE I go for health issues, I am NOT A FAN of taking much behavioral advice from your vet unless he/she is a veterinary behaviorist. If you are concerned about behavioral issues, please have your dog checked for any physical issues by your vet to be sure it is not a response to a health problem, and then consult a certified dog behaviorist - it is their area of expertise.

There don't seem to be a ton of books focused specifically on dog adolescence, but a few authors I recommend:

• Nicole Wilde: Help for Your Fearful Dog: A Step-by-Step Guide to Helping Your Dog Conquer His Fears
• Ian Dunbar - A number of his puppy books have sections on adolescence
• Patricia B. McConnell Ph.D. - You can't go wrong with any book by her.

If you have any specific problems, let me know and I may be able to recommend more resources to you.

Sadie Update 8.28.09

I just checked in with her foster and she is currently in treatment for heart worm. She has not had surgery on her leg yet - we are addressing the heart worm first. But she has more energy and is initiating play with other dogs!

Poppy 8.27.09 blog update

Quick mention of Poppy in this one.

Mouse Gender!

SO - the results are in. We now know that Mouse is genetically a.......

Well, what do you think Mouse is? You can vote to the right ==>
I will post the actual answer Monday.

Belle update 8.25.09

First I am sorry for the lull in updates. I just haven't had much to say.

I am heartbroken to tell you that Belle (Cuddlebug) is being surrendered back to the rescue. The family first contacted me about a week ago with concerns.

About 2 months ago our vet raised a concern about Belle’s personality and her being skittish. She can be very sweet and then wants to bite and cowers... She is good and playful with our 2 girls. She likes to eat their toys but we are working through that. I just left the vet and she thought I should reach out to you. We love Belle and she is part of our family but have concerns if she is going to be skittish and possibly bite our children’s friends, etc. Our vet has seen improvement but feels she will always have this issue and require extra attention. We want to make sure Belle has the best possible life and our vet thought she might be better with a family without children and were she can receive a lot of exercise and attention. The vet thinks her skittish behavior could cause her to bite one of our children or friends out of the blue with this type of personality.

Dogs do not bite out of the blue. Anyway, I put them in touch with a friend of mine who is a behaviorist and was hopeful that it could be worked through. Generally I prefer to hear from a vet regarding health and a behaviorist regarding - well, behavior. It is not the same training. This friend of mine specializes in fear and aggression issues and I think she really knows her stuff.

Belle is in adolescence, which is a time when there can be regression and problems in many dogs, just like in a human teenager. I see a ton of dogs between 6 and 18 mos in rescue, I suspect for this reason. The fact that she is young indicates a strong likelihood that we can figure out her triggers and work with her to stop the unwanted behaviors. The family told me last night that they do not feel they have the extra time to put in to such training.

We are working out the terms of surrender now: whether Belle will remain with the family until she can be rehomed, or Rescue Angels will take custody and foster her until then. I am sad that I can not take her in myself. But there is no way I could leave Cheetah and Belle alone while I am at work. I KNOW they would get to playing and the house would be in shambles when I come home. And I am not comfortable crating for an entire work day. Not to mention poor Mr. PM, Swiffer and Lexy. I am going to try to figure something out though so that I can work on her training a bit myself, and definitely have some play dates with Cheetah. You know I will stay involved.

I always wondered why many rescues don't adopt to families with young children. I get it now. After the experiences I have had so far, someone is going to be hard pressed to convince me to let one of my dogs go to a home with kids under 10 again.

I would like to publicly thank Dee Hoult for doing me the favor of pro bono consulting on this case. As always I would prefer to keep comments on the positive side - no bashing please . We can not judge the position of the family without being in their shoes. I don't get the impression they made this decision lightly.