The Adolescent Puppy

My 8-month-old puppy, Fenton, is currently going through the charming adolescent stage where suddenly the rules don't apply to him & he's worked out that I'm not the centre of the universe (ouch!). I think there's also a bit of a fear period going on too, because when he'd normally give anything a red-hot go (like jumping on the ute before I have a chance to lift him up), now he's holding back a bit. He's still sweet & loves his cuddles of course, but he's discovering that he's a boy & testing the limits of my patience!

I've had a couple of Aussie boys going through this same stage so at least I know this will end and can laugh about his antics. While it drives me crazy at the time, before I know it they're a decent dog again. A couple of things I've learned about dealing with the Adolescent puppy:

• They're scared, so they need a LOT of patience & tact. I've noticed Fenton will "freeze" when he's confused & hassling him won't make anything happen any quicker. Giving him time to think about things helps build his confidence.
• Their "world" has opened up (I think it's the hormones starting to kick in) so I'm not as exciting as I used to be to him! This means that they need a bit more incentive to do the things that they used to do willingly just to make you happy. I find myself carrying treats around & making a BIG fuss of him for even the tiniest things he does right. He'll eventually remember his old self! *I hope*
• It will end & they'll be a normal dog again & you will survive!

Now, I'm definitely not a dog trainer, so don't take everything I say as gospel. Not all dogs are the same & this is only what I've learned from my small sample size. But I do hope that it might help someone going through the adolescent puppy stage with their puppy know that they're not alone & they haven't stuffed up!