Teen dog thread

[Unluckycat1]

Is there any appetite for a thread for owners of adolescent dogs? I think at 11 months Unluckypup has outgrown the puppy thread, but I'd love to keep chatting with others as she's my first dog and I don't know what I'm doing sometimes, or if things will get better.

Inspired by today's battle to get her back on the lead 😫

Her recall vanished at around nine months. But there's a decent fenced field nearby so all good. She's probably part saluki so needs a hard run most days. Although she wasn't (outside of the house) responding to her name or 'come' anymore, I would make myself interesting by being quite active, having treats, and she would check in with me often, and most of the time get a treat for her trouble, and eventually I'd pop her back on the lead to go.

Except today she would not come close. She seemed to want me to chase her and was dancing about just out of reach. She was also chasing every single car that went past as if possessed, which is new. I managed to eventually trick her by putting a YouTube video of squeaky ball sounds on my phone, hiding my phone in a bush, and grabbing her when she was investigating, but I doubt that'll work twice. She did the same to my partner the other day and it took him an hour and a half to get her back. So I guess no off-lead time now, until...who knows??

Anyone been through this and reached the well-behaved other side? Anyone want to pour a glass of wine with me because they're going through similar? Feel free to share any hardships or successes or tips 🙏(and photos!)

Yay put our Christmas tree up and our pup ( 9months ) never bothered with it . So don't need to bother with the pen . Never had a dog that has bothered with it so far 🤞🏻.Now the presents ..

Did everyone's pups enjoy their first time in the snow? Ours did , a good time was most certainly had .

Our snow arrived overnight so we've had a wonderful walk this morning. Grace is 8 months old today.

Oops, posted the wrong dog. They're getting very alike these days and when posting from a phone with tiny thumbnails it's hard to see who is who

We didn't have snow but it was very frosty!

Sunpup runs around so much he's still panting even though it's minus 3!

Unluckypup is 1 today!

The good: we drove to Northumberland yesterday and she got her first experience of proper snow, and absolutely loved it! Face plunged into snow drifts over and over again. Paddling in icy streams. No sign of feeling cold, and I'm questioning whether she actually needs a coat.

The bad: recall got even worse. When the temperature plummeted she took to refusing to come in from the garden, spending up to an hour out there sniffing about and digging. I'm apprehensive to even attempt to call her to me as the way I understand it, you reinforce good behaviour (call 'come' when they're running to you anyway until an association is made etc) so calling her knowing she will ignore me seems counterproductive.

If a dna test came up 30% coyote I wouldn't be surprised, I feel she has a feral core 🙈

We've also found cow hooves a big hit, they last ages and ours haven't splintered yet. They do stink though. A non-smelly treat we have atm is an enormous bag of goats skin. Doesn't last long but cheap per piece and calms her down and is low fat so I'm happy to give her a few a day. We had a horror experience with a lambs leg a month or so ago involving very sharp splintered bone — do not recommend.

hi I have a 9 month old Arsehole cocker spaniel I'm just place marking .I'll definitely be back!

Lovely photos of pups enjoying the snow ❤️ we didn't get any snow, but did have a very thick frost. Rowdypup couldn't have been less interested. Rowdydog had a great time rolling and racing around in the frost, but nothing seems to interest the pup apart from trying to get to other dogs to say hello 🙄

We put our Christmas tree up yesterday, it's in the dog pen for its own protection. Rowdypup has already knocked it over 😂

Lovely lab pics @tizwozliz and @Sunflowers098 ! You're both making me think that unluckypup probably didn't need a coat.

Aww, Rowdypup looks like they were born to be a winter doggie @Rowdythree

I love the fact that last year the pups on this thread were in a dog pen and the Christmas tree outside and this year it's the other way round!

Rowdypup looks so soft and floof 😍😍😍

@feelingalittlehorse don't be deceived by the floofiness, he's a terror! Albeit an adorable one. He's now discovered that if he stands on the sofa, he can get the decorations off the top of the Christmas tree 🙈

Is anyone else in the midst of retraining their teens? We had a really encouraging session yesterday with a 2 meter lead and ham. I went completely back to basics and waited for her to look away and then walked away and called 'come'. Unluckypup performed perfectly each time, focused on me immediately, trotted over, sat, got the ham and a 'good'. Even with loads of seagulls and crows and another dog to distract her. I thought that maybe the not coming back had been a teenage blip that we'd now passed.

Then I let her off the lead 🙈 Would not come close to me and couldn't care less about ham anymore. Argh. Managed to get her back in the end by running round and round a giant tree with her eventually chasing me, then an undignified lunge.

Lesson learned. We're nowhere near being back to having daily off lead time. But it was gorgeous seeing her run, she's like a racehorse, and just so happy, and I feel terrible that she won't get to do it anytime soon :( (and in my more depressive moments, I think ever. I really worry that her mix of independence and intelligence makes her untrainable when it comes to recall).

I have an 8 month old westiepoo. She's very clever but being an absolute sod at the moment. We practise her training every day and she's wonderful. At the weekly training class she sits down and refuses to move. I hear myself saying " we have practiced this, honestly". Not a chance we're going to pass the bronze award.
She hates all brushes and being groomed. She was so covered in knots despite our best efforts, the groomer had to cut it really short. However,she was so awful the groomer couldn't do it properly and she now looks like she's had a fight with a lawnmower.
I do love her to bits but she's really trying my patience at the moment.

Unluckycat1
I actually enrolled in a training class for adolescent dogs. It was very reassuring to hear the trainers talk about how it’s like human teenagers, there’s a lot of brain still not developed, and really they are still puppies/children in adult bodies. Add in the hormonal stuff going on and it’s no wonder their behaviour is challenging.

Updating, partially for myself, but also to offer some hope if anyone comes across this thread and is going through the same problem.

It's been nearly three months since unluckypup started being a total nightmare off lead and running away from me. I'm hugely relieved to say it's no longer a problem. I can let her off in secure fields and she almost automatically comes back to me, will sit when told etc. What worked was:

1.Not letting her off for about two months to fully break the bad habit that had developed. This was tough as she loves to run, but tbh sniffy walks and enrichment and zoomies in the garden did seem enough, she was very calm at home.

1. Frisbees and balls. I know excessive throwing is bad for them, so no ball flingers, and we don't do it for long. But if I need to get her focus back shouting 'ready' and throwing something works.
2. High value treats that are never given in the house, only for recall.
3. Being engaged with her almost the whole time she's off lead (sometimes I let her have a burst of running freely, but not for long)
4. When I put her back on the lead she gets a very high value squeaky ball that she doesn't get at other times.

Out of them all, I believe 1. made the biggest difference. I think the running away from me habit was bad enough that balls, high value food and high value toys weren't as good as the 'game' she had invented.

She's 14 months so I guess we're not out of the teenage woods yet, but things are much easier now.

That all sounds positive @Unluckycat1

We seem to have escaped any major teenage behaviour so far ( 🤞)

So we seem to have resolved most of our barking issues, still working on him listening to us, especially if there is another dog around. Have an appointment with the vet at the end of the month to talk castration. Considering chemical but not sure. He is definitely getting head strong and pushing boundaries. But is no longer waking us up in the morning!! Have some time off next week so will focus on recall, and getting listened too.. wish me luck!

Thanks @tizwozliz I'm not hugely surprised you've escaped the terrible teens, though I have heard of some tearaway labs, they're mostly super biddable aren't they. I've learnt the hard way about how central traits and genetics are to training and behaviour. Unluckypup has both (strong) saluki and collie traits (she both wants to hunt and wants to herd), two challenging breeds rolled into one, and me a clueless first time dog owner😱 I'm looking forward to one day having a dog that makes it all seem easy 😂

@Gizlotsmum that's great about the barking, I always think barking must be a tough one to overcome, at least judging by the sheer amount of barky dogs we come across. Look at his lovely face <3 Is it pretty big now? Good luck with the recall!

@Gizlotsmum he not 'it'! How rude 🙈Sorry, tired typing

This is mine, he is a sprocker spaniel who is just two. He's very intelligent and absolutely fab. He's a working dog who has just finished for the season and training is generally excellent- unless he thinks he knows best!!! 😂 he has now discovered his balls and thinks he is The Man.
His sock and slipper addiction is bordering on a trip to the priory.

He is! I’m 5’2 and when he stands on his hind legs he is as tall as me…when sat on the sofa we are similar heights

I feel your pain on breed traits, I knew setters can be stubborn and have selective hearing… just didn’t realise quite how bad it could be!!🫣

Ugh so having stopped the barking he is now nipping and jumping again!! 🙄

Lovely boy @OrlandointheWilderness sounds a dream! Top of my current if I got a second dog which would it be list is a springer spaniel, big enough to not be flattened by unluckypup but likely more handler focused than she is. It's an ever changing list though 😅

@Gizlotsmum what a soppy looking boy 😁 hopefully the nipping will be yet another teenage blip.

Unluckypup has always been quite willowy, but I think she's bulking out a bit, which I think is normal in their second year..? I'm starting to believe she might have gsd or husky in her after all.