Not so smug now😫🤣. Please help?

[Poochnewbie]

Up until now my little cocker spaniel puppy has been excellent. She didn’t bark at people, her recall was excellent, we were making progress with jumping up, she wouldn’t steal food from the children. She would sit, lie down, stay and leave things (except tennis balls) as soon as she was asked. She was great!
She’s got ten months old and it’s like I’ve got a different dog. She is completely defiant. Looks at me when I ask her to sit and just won’t. Her recall had completely gone. Her jumping at people is ridiculous. She’s jumping at our table whilst we’re eating, she’s started reacting to things that have never bothered her before such as people walking past our window and she barks.
What has happened? Nothing significant has changed. We’re not doing anything differently. We were using food as training rewards but she’s not interested anymore and would rather do her own thing.
Can anyone offer any advice...please?

[Theworldisfullofgs]

Teenage dog?
I think you just have to power through and persevere. Consistency.

[Walney]

Sounds like adolescence unfortunately. As pp said just persevere and power through but it sounds like you've done the groundwork to get through it.

[Poochnewbie]

Is ‘teenage dog’ a thing? Do most puppies go through this? She’s become a total rebel!!

Do I go back to basics with recall and start again? Do I tell her off when she comes back or will she start to associate coming back with being told off? Do I reward her for coming back if it’s tsken ages or will she think it’s ok to come back in her own time and she will still get the reward?

Do I ignore the barking? Or do I tell her ‘no’?

Sorry, this is my first dog and I was so pleased and thought I had it cracked - how wrong was I

[moobar]

Yes, completely normal. Boundaries and ground work are there, you are smug dog owner, then they go back to puppy mode with the strength of an adult dog and the defiance of a drunk teenager.

Routine, boundaries, lead again, training again.

[moobar]

With the recall you might need to put her on the lead mainly and do recall training again in a safe space.

I have terriers with high level of distraction. I always have treats of high value, always.

Barking is the one area we never cracked but I put it down to there being so many of them, I'm never sure who is the instigator, and to be honest they only do it when someone comes to the door and it's not the end of the world for me.

[SweetNorthernRose]

Totally agree with PPs, our dog was exactly the same. Only lasted a month or so then he settled down again. You just need to be firm with them I think. Go back a few steps with the training to really reinforce it.

[BiteyShark]

Yes adolescence is totally normal and if you haven't read about it can come as quite a shock.

You are in teenage hell and have been lucky up to now as my cocker started his early around 6 months of age and peaked at 8-9 months of age. Yours has just taken longer to get there than mine.

Recall often goes out the window as do lots of other training. Essentially you have to go back to basics and just keep reinforcing everything until they finally grow up and start listening to you again. Be warned, this phase can last much longer than the puppy phase.

[NotwhereIshouldbe]

Has she had a season yet? Sometimes I know a both is about to come into season as the first thing to go is their recall (I jokingly say they are now looking for a boyfriend!) and also anything out of character is a sign (such as suddenly afraid of lorries when they have been fine before).

[pigsDOfly]

For lack of recall get her on a long training lead, not an extending lead, attached to a harness, not her collar.

Put knots, not too close together, along its length and you can leave it trailing, unless she's likely to bolt completely, in which case she has to stay on the lead.

The knots are so you can stamp on the lead to stop her when she's not letting you get hold of her.

Other than that, as pps have said, it will pass. Just keep on reinforcing the training you've put in place up till now.

Don't tell her off when she comes back to you, no matter how long it takes - and the trailing lead will make getting her back easier - just don't react in any way.

Try recalling her, and when/if she does come back, touch her collar and then let her go again so coming back doesn't mean the fun times are over. Also become the most exciting thing in the park: lots of jumping and running and a high pitched excited voice, hide and seek games, that sort of thing.

Make yourself more interesting than anything else she might be interested in.

If her recall is completely shot, she can't be allowed to be off lead and free to run away, which is why the training lead is worth a try.

[Smotheroffive]

You have done everything right!

The only thing that has changed is her. Shes maturing and stamping her own authority around the place now, which, yes, includes starting to bark in defence of territory and become more vocal generally.

Shes growing out of puppyhood.

Good back to basics, where there are no distractions.

Reinforce recall when shes right by you, the moment she looks, in response, treat and make a fuss. Give yourself and her the most chance of succeeding by doing it when shes almost doing it anyway iyswim?

Avoid situations that will 'untrain' as everything is training. So, each time she ignores also teaches her.

Changes in circumstances can derail training but for her I would say this is her age, and with reinforced training she will come through (although she is a spaniel so balance it with a modicum of realistic expectation of the nature of a spaniel, like the pp with barking terriers)

[longtompot]

I thought I had posted about my dog 6 and a bit years ago for a sec!

As all the pps have said, welcome to the teenage years! You think you have cracked it, your pup is good as gold, and them 'bam!' totally ignores you, runs off all over the place. Its the hormones, turning them into terrors.
But, it does pass. Just go back several steps and work on that recall. Long line if needed. Praise, praise and praise.

Then, when you think all is ok again, they come into season and off they go again!

Good luck OP!

[Poochnewbie]

Thanks everyone. I like that she’ll grow out of this...hopefully soon....Back to the start it is. Little horror

[Smotheroffive]

She's not an actual teen, so she wont grow out of it, she could overwrite all her training though if you don't reinforce at this stage, and as another pp said, she will do this again (asserting her independence), when shes in season, and to a greater degree if she has a litter then youve lost her completely

[sanmiguel]

@Poochnewbie How are things now? Simmered down a bit? We have obnoxious teenage phase - what fun!