False sense of security?

[RevealTheHiddenBeach]

DH and I have a gorgeous lurcher pup. She's 3 months old and has been with us since 9 weeks. Has mastered sit/stay/wait for food, generally fabulously calm (occasional zoomies of course), and her recall (whistle) is bloody brilliant.

I've just been reading all the adolescent dog threads... is she lulling us into a false sense of security and going to be a little bugger just as we think she's all wonderful?! I'm worried now...

3 months old is still very much in the early puppy stage.

All dogs will go through the adolescent phase at some point but like the puppy phase how much of a pain they will be will depend on the dog.

Some dogs start hitting the teenage phase at around 6 months of age whereas for bigger dogs it can be much older.

Just to give you an idea my cocker had recall mastered as a puppy but by 6 months of age he completely lost it.

He was an utter bastard for recall as a teenager. Now as an adult we have it back again, even with deer, rabbits and other dogs close by but for many months he decided he didn't need to came back to me when I called him.

Agh, I thought that might be the case. Is there anything preventative we can do or will it just be a case of riding it out when it happens?

I'll make sure to enjoy this lovely phase while it lasts!

Our Lurchers are very low maintenance! Youngest is 5 and never been any trouble!

I think the key thing is to grit your teeth and keep practicing the training.

They 'know' what they should be doing but often choose to ignore you. Eventually they grow up and you realise it's starting to get easier again.

For BiteyDog the recall was the worst thing that regressed but you may find it's other behaviours that are the most challenging.

Ohhh look at those lovelies!! This is ours with her ears in "ridiculous dobby" mode...

We got our rescue lurcher at about 4 months old, he's nearly 8 now and still has the fastest recall in the west (country)!

Ahh! Adorable!