For many owners, adolescence is one of the most challenging stages of dog ownership. You may feel as though you were finally getting somewhere with your puppy and then, almost overnight, somebody swapped them for a dog who has apparently forgotten everything you taught them. Recall becomes unreliable, lead walking deteriorates, distractions seem impossible to resist and behaviours you thought you had left behind begin appearing again.
It can be incredibly frustrating, and sometimes quite upsetting. I meet owners who genuinely believe they have done something wrong or somehow ruined all the good work they put in during puppyhood. When every walk suddenly feels difficult and you find yourself repeating the same things you thought your dog already knew, it is very easy to wonder where you went wrong.
Usually, you haven’t.
Adolescence is a normal stage of development. Understanding what is happening to your dog during this period can make their behaviour feel much less personal and help you decide what they actually need from you.
When does dog adolescence start and how long does it last?
There isn’t a single birthday when your puppy suddenly becomes a teenager. Adolescence is the transition between puppyhood and adulthood, including puberty, and its timing varies considerably between individual dogs. It commonly begins somewhere between six and twelve months and can continue until around 18 to 24 months, with larger breeds often taking longer to reach full maturity.
That doesn’t mean you’re destined to live with a difficult teenager for two years. Development is rarely that neat. You may have periods when everything seems to be going brilliantly, followed by a week when you wonder what on earth has happened to your lovely dog. Something they managed beautifully yesterday may suddenly seem impossible today.
Progress during adolescence can be wonderfully inconsistent. Knowing that in advance can make it a little easier not to panic when things temporarily wobble.
What happens to a dog’s brain during adolescence?
Your adolescent dog isn’t simply a bigger version of the puppy they were a few months ago. Puberty brings hormonal changes alongside continued development and reorganisation within the brain. Systems involved in emotional regulation, decision-making and impulse control are still maturing, while motivation to explore and engage with the wider world can become incredibly powerful.
This combination can produce the dog owners often describe as having developed selective hearing. Interestingly, research has found evidence of a temporary change in responsiveness during adolescence. In one study, dogs at around eight months old were less responsive to an established cue from their own carer than they had been at five months, while the same pattern wasn’t seen when the cue was given by another person.
So when you find yourself saying, “I know they know this!”, you may well be right. Knowing something and being able to do it in that particular moment aren’t always the same thing. Your dog hasn’t necessarily forgotten their training, but their developing brain may find it much harder to filter distractions and make choices that seemed relatively easy a few months earlier.
Why is my teenage dog suddenly distracted by everything?
During adolescence, many dogs become much more interested in the world around them. Other dogs, people, wildlife, smells, movement and opportunities to explore may suddenly carry far more value than they did during puppyhood. Their growing independence means they are beginning to make more of their own decisions about where they want to go and what they want to investigate.
Unfortunately, that can mean we temporarily become a little less interesting. Your puppy who once followed you everywhere may now have discovered that there is an entire world out there worth exploring, and you are competing with some pretty exciting things.
I find it much more helpful to think of an adolescent dog as learning how to navigate that bigger world than to view their behaviour as defiance. We don’t need to become more exciting than every dog, smell and squirrel they encounter. What we can do is continue building a relationship they want to return to, while helping them develop the skills they need to cope with everything else.
Why going back to basics isn’t going backwards
One of the biggest mistakes I see during adolescence is the belief that training should continually become more advanced. We tend to imagine progress as a staircase where, once our dog has mastered something, we move on to the next level and never need to revisit the previous one.
Dogs don’t develop like that. If recall suddenly becomes unreliable, loose-lead walking deteriorates or your dog can no longer settle somewhere they previously managed comfortably, a more advanced training exercise probably isn’t what they need. Quite often, making things easier is far more useful.
Return to a quieter environment, increase the distance from distractions and give your dog opportunities to succeed again. Think about building a house. You wouldn’t keep adding another floor if the foundations underneath needed attention. You would strengthen those foundations first, and training is much the same.
Sometimes taking a step backwards is exactly what allows you to move forwards again.
Why structure matters to adolescent dogs
Adolescent dogs can look incredibly confident while still being emotionally immature. They may be physically approaching their adult size and charging into situations with enormous enthusiasm, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they have the emotional skills to manage everything they encounter.
Predictable routines, consistency and appropriate boundaries can therefore be particularly valuable during this stage. Knowing broadly what happens during their day and what is expected of them gives them some stability while their world becomes increasingly exciting.
This doesn’t mean becoming stricter because your puppy has turned into a teenager. Clear communication, familiar routines and consistent responses simply give your dog something predictable to work with while they are still developing. Boundaries can be supportive without being punitive.
Does my adolescent dog just need more exercise?
This is another trap I see owners fall into, particularly with energetic young dogs. The dog becomes restless, excitable or difficult to settle, so the natural assumption is that they need to burn off more energy. Walks become longer, ball throwing increases and every day turns into an attempt to exhaust the dog.
Physical exercise absolutely matters, but continually increasing it isn’t necessarily the answer. Adolescent dogs also need opportunities to sniff, explore, solve problems, play, chew, search and make choices. Scent activities, appropriate play, food puzzles and opportunities to use natural canine behaviours can provide meaningful outlets without constantly increasing physical intensity.
Just as importantly, they still need downtime. A dog who spends much of the day moving from one stimulating activity to another doesn’t necessarily learn how to settle simply because they eventually become physically tired. I want adolescent dogs to learn that life contains both activity and rest.
Why has my adolescent dog suddenly become reactive or worried?
Adolescence can also be the stage when owners first notice behaviours such as barking at other dogs, becoming worried by unfamiliar people, chasing wildlife or becoming frustrated when prevented from reaching something they want. Although the timing may coincide with adolescence, I wouldn’t simply dismiss these changes as “teenage behaviour” and wait for the dog to grow out of them.
Behaviour gives us information. A dog barking at another dog may be frightened, frustrated, overexcited or uncertain. A dog who suddenly refuses to approach something they previously ignored may be telling us that the situation now feels different to them. Rather than assuming we know why, we can become curious about what has changed.
Would more distance help? Is the dog tired? Has something happened earlier in the day? Is the environment simply too difficult at the moment? Does this behaviour keep happening or was it a one-off? Adolescence may be part of the picture, but it shouldn’t become an explanation for everything. If a change is significant, persistent or seems completely out of character, it is worth looking more closely at what may be going on.
Don’t compare your adolescent dog with someone else’s
This can be incredibly difficult, particularly when social media is full of young dogs walking beautifully off lead, settling quietly under café tables and apparently responding perfectly to every cue. What you don’t see is the whole dog in a thirty-second video.
Every dog develops at their own pace. Genetics, early experiences, learning history, temperament and the environment in which they are growing up can all influence their development. Some dogs appear to sail through adolescence with very little drama, while others need considerably more support.
Neither tells us how much their owner loves them or how hard they have worked. Keep looking at the dog in front of you. They are the one who matters.
One thing I would encourage every adolescent dog owner to remember
Don’t mistake difficulty for defiance. If your dog could perform a behaviour reliably three months ago but is struggling with it today, make things easier before assuming they are deliberately choosing not to listen.
If recall is falling apart around other dogs, don’t repeatedly test it around other dogs. Practise somewhere your dog can succeed and use appropriate management, such as a long line, where you can’t yet rely on them. If they are overwhelmed in a busy café, another hour of café practice probably isn’t going to help that day. They may simply need to leave. If loose-lead walking deteriorates as soon as you reach an exciting environment, find somewhere quieter and rebuild it there.
Your dog doesn’t need you to prove that they should be able to do something because they managed it last month. They need you to recognise what they are capable of today.
Frequently asked questions
My adolescent dog has started behaving differently. Should I have them checked by my vet?
A developmental stage shouldn’t be used to explain away every behavioural change. If your dog’s behaviour changes suddenly, appears particularly unusual for them or is accompanied by changes in movement, appetite, sleep, toileting or general wellbeing, a veterinary check is sensible. Pain and other medical problems can influence behaviour at any age.
Should I let my adolescent dog off lead if their recall has deteriorated?
If you’re not confident they will return, don’t repeatedly test recall in situations where getting it wrong could put them or someone else at risk. A long line used safely in an appropriate environment can give your dog freedom to explore while allowing you to continue practising recall without relying on a skill that isn’t ready yet.
Does my adolescent dog need a training refresher?
Quite possibly. Adolescence is a really useful time to revisit the skills your dog learnt as a puppy, particularly if recall, lead walking, settling or focus have become a little wobbly. A refresher doesn’t mean your earlier training has failed. Your dog is now trying to use those skills with a developing brain and in a world that has become considerably more interesting.
Going back over the foundations, adapting them to the dog you have now and gradually building up the level of difficulty can make a real difference.
If you feel you could both benefit from a refresher, have a look at my dog training options, where we can work on the everyday skills that have become a little more difficult during adolescence.
My adolescent dog has become frightened of something they used to be fine with. Should I make them face it?
No. Forcing a worried dog closer can make an experience more difficult rather than teaching them that there is nothing to fear. Give them enough distance to feel safer and allow them to process what they are seeing. If the fear persists, becomes more intense or starts affecting everyday life, seek professional advice.
Is adolescence a good time to start training if I didn’t do much puppy training?
Absolutely. Dogs continue learning throughout their lives, so start with the skills that will make everyday life easier and work in environments where your dog can succeed. There isn’t a point during adolescence when you’ve permanently missed your chance. My dog training options are also suitable if you’re starting later rather than simply refreshing previous training.
When should I get professional help with my adolescent dog’s behaviour?
If your dog is becoming increasingly fearful, reactive or aggressive, is unable to settle, struggles when left alone or is showing behaviour that is affecting their welfare or your ability to enjoy life together, you don’t need to wait and hope they’ll grow out of it. Adolescence may be contributing to what you’re seeing, but my behaviour support programmes can help you understand what your individual dog needs.
Building the adult dog
Adolescence doesn’t last forever, although there may be days when it feels as though it will. Every calm choice your dog makes, every successful recall, every quiet walk and every positive learning experience contributes to the adult dog they are becoming. There will be good days and difficult ones, and you will probably revisit the foundations more than once.
Puppies don’t wake up one morning as fully mature adult dogs. Growing up happens gradually, and our job during adolescence isn’t to rush them through it. Be patient, keep your expectations realistic and pay attention to the dog you have in front of you rather than the one you think they should be by now.
Eventually, those adolescent struggles begin to give way to a more mature dog. You may even find yourself looking back at the teenager who drove you to distraction with a surprising amount of affection.
They were growing up, and sometimes growing up is hard. The best thing we can do is make sure they don’t have to figure it all out on their own.