LIFE STAGES, PART III: 

ADOLESCENCE

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The adolescent life stage in dogs starts at the onset of puberty and lasts for several months.  Puberty is a complex biological process involving sexual development, physical growth, and adrenal maturation.  There is no set age for every breed or individual, but most medium-sized dogs begin puberty at around 6 months of age.  Testosterone production in males begins, and females’ bodies begin “getting ready” for the first heat cycle.  Growth plates close and bones develop their adult density.  Mental functions fluctuate and develop into adult attitudes.

Adolescence ends after the dog has truly “grown up” into adulthood.  The age of adulthood varies by breed.  Some small dogs are true adults at the age of 12-14 months.  Many of the larger breeds are adolescents until after the age of 2. 

It is no coincidence that the adolescent period is the time frame when most people (frantic for advice) call obedience trainers.  It is also no coincidence that shelters and dog pounds are mostly occupied by dogs between the ages of 8-18 months. Adolescence is tough on dog owners and double-tough on dogs. 

Although it is not normally a good idea to compare people and dogs, in the case of adolescence a little comparison can explain a lot.  Think about the personality you had when you were 15.  What were your fears and concerns?  How confident were you?  When you were sad it was probably a catastrophe and when you were happy it was probably sheer bliss.  How did you react to things then compared to how you react now, as an adult?  Did you *always* listen to your parents?  Did you ever break the rules even if it meant you were going to get punished?

If you’re like most, your adult attitude and personality traits are quite different than when you were 15.  Although dogs can’t tell us how they are feeling with words, their behaviour during adolescence shows us that they too are going through the bumpy ride of being a teenager.

Adolescence is a time of change, highs and lows, a time when the dog is learning what his eventual adult outlook on life will be.  The critical learning period of early puppyhood is slowing swinging to a close. It is a time of physical growth and the awakening of sexual traits.  If owners do not control the dog during this time, the many and various behavioural traits that are “flying all over the place” can become ingrained for life.  With good control, the owner can help the dog through this difficult phase and prevent unwanted learning.  Good control, a solid routine, and clear boundaries provide much-needed stability during adolescence.

Let’s take a look at a list of things that typically happen during adolescence, and how you can handle them.

HYPER-REACTIVITY:  In general, the dog will be more reactive to stimulus than he was before or will be as an adult.  His hearing, eyesight, nose and even the sense of touch seem to be more “sensitive,” and he is more likely to have impulse-driven reactions to stimulus.  A puppy plows through life.  An adult dog reacts with reason and confidence.  An adolescent just REACTS. 

SHYNESS:  Puppies that were previously happy and gregarious can become far more shy and hesitant toward new things.  This is not necessarily a sign of bad temperament!  It is Mother Nature’s way of keeping the puppy safe.  In the wild, a puppy of this age would be going further afield and would be expected to participate in more of his own care.  It is natural that a pup of this age will be more cautious about things in his life.  If there have been “holes” in your early socialization program, this is when they will show up.  During adolescence it is often necessary to take a step backwards in the socialization process and provide more positive experiences so that the teenage dog can really learn to become comfortable.

TENDANCY TO PUSH THE ENVELOPE:  Adolescence is the time to try new things, including seeing what will happen if a command word is ignored or a rule is broken!  Adolescent dogs do tend to test the boundaries of their world on a daily basis.  It is important at this time for owners to continue solid routines and good maintenance of control, so that the dog will continue to realize that the boundaries are, indeed, still in place.

AGGRESSION TOWARD STRANGE DOGS:  Teenage males might become very reactive to other males and posture or use ritual aggression to a high degree. Teenage females can become very “bitchy” and touchy about their personal space and control.   Usually this occurs when they are meeting and attempting to greet “stranger dogs” but can occur within known relationships.

It is important that you do not let a dog get into the habit of using aggression with “stranger dogs” repeatedly during this time.  The one thing you do NOT want your dog to learn is that “when in doubt, get aggressive.”  It is better to avoid contact with strange dogs during this period if your dog is showing undue aggression, rather than risk the rehearsal of the behaviour.  You should also tighten up on the control you have on your dog so that he understands who is in charge (and will be more likely to listen to you).

However, your dog still needs to be in contact with other dogs.  Pick and choose his or her “doggie buddies” carefully.  Try to allow dog/dog socialization where the other dogs will either ignore the posturing or can effectively put the dog in his or her place.  Do not allow encounters with other dogs that are incapable of properly dealing with your hotshot upstart, as if your dog “gets away” with bullying, he or she will learn that it is fun.

LOSS OF “PUPPY LICENSE”:  If you have other dogs in the household or dogs that you regularly spend time with, you may the older dogs become intolerant of your puppy as he matures.  This usually starts at about the age of 4-6 months and ends when the younger dog accepts that he cannot act like a puppy anymore in his dog/dog social encounters.  This is a natural occurrence.  As pups grow and mature, the older dog begins to teach them what is proper and age-appropriate.

Here’s a human example:  Imagine that you are holding a 7-month-old baby and she grabs your earring and rips it out of your ear, causing pain and bleeding.  Now imagine that a 10-year-old runs up to you and does the same thing.  What consequences would the 7-month-old get?  Nothing!  She didn’t know the difference!  What consequences would the 10-year-old get? 

This is nearly an exact parallel for what happens when puppies lose their “puppy license.”   Adult dogs start to expect them to act appropriately for their age.  Adults can respond to these “young hotshots” with aggression, and this should *not* be interfered with.  If the young dog does not learn his place, the conflicts will continue.  Trust your adult dog to be the teacher in this instance. 

CHANGING RELATIONSHIPS:  As your puppy grows and matures, he might become bigger, stronger, or a more forceful personality than the other dog(s).  At around the age of 14-18 months, you might see that the dominance hierarchy within your household pack of dogs is changing and that the younger dog is “bossing around” your older dogs.  Many owners get upset at this, sometimes feeling that the “first dog” should always be the dominant one, and particularly if they see a geriatric dog getting pushed down the rungs of the social ladder.  Unfortunately, when humans try to impose their wishes on the social order of the household pack, conflicts will usually be prolonged.  The dogs must settle their own ranking system.

It is a nearly undisputed fact that most of the time, adult bitches end up ruling the household.  Do not be surprised if your big manly male dog begins to bow to the wishes of your teenage bitch!

AGGRESSION TOWARD PEOPLE:  This is a trait that often shows up during adolescence.  Of course, this trait is alarming to dog owners.  They have watched their gregarious happy puppy meet-and-greet people of all types…why, now, is the dog reacting aggressively? 

The most common reason for a dog to react with aggression to people is an inadequate socialization record and that the dog is actually fearful of the person he is reacting to.  Remember that “holes” in the socialization record show up during adolescence.  If your dog needs more socialization towards people, it is important that you do not allow him to become scared or alarmed by anyone.  This might mean keeping him at a comfortable distance for a while, the gradually moving closer.  Never force a dog to interact with someone while he is scared.  Allow your dog to approach these people as *he*chooses.  Leave a loose leash so that he has options.  If he is worried about someone, don’t let the person try to “make up” to the dog.  Direct, straight-on, “confrontational” body language from a person will likely elicit more fear and aggression.  The things that most people try when they want a dog to come over are usually exactly the things that will scare a dog more!  Rather, make the “scary person” sit down and ignore the dog.  Allow the dog to approach from the side to sniff and explore.  The “scary person” can drop a few treats on the floor, and then (depending on the dog) can feed the dog directly and proceed to petting. 

Another common reason for a dog to react aggressively toward people during his adolescence is just plain old breed tendencies.  Herding and guardian/watchdog breeds tend to have traits that allow them to be watchdogs as adults.  It is very rare that a young puppy will show these tendencies, so owners are often surprised when they do occur.

Not only do they occur, they usually occur to a *much greater degree* than the dog will eventually show as an adult!  The dog’s whole system is in an uproar.  His hormones are going crazy, his adult instincts are kicking in, and he’s three times more reactive than he was as a puppy or will be as an adult.  Do not think that what you’ve got in your 16-month-old dog is what you will have for the rest of his life!

However, use caution.  Just because it’s a “phase” doesn’t mean you should ignore it.  Remember that dogs learn all the time.  If your dog learns that extreme protective behaviour or aggression is worthwhile, it will develop into a lifelong habit.  Try to avoid situations where your dog is going to react in this way.  Increase your control of the dog so that he truly understands that *you* own the house, the truck, the yard and the kids.  If he truly understands that all these things belong to you, and that it’s not necessarily his job to guard them, the behaviour will lessen.

Keep in mind that your dog is in possession of a big set of six-guns (his teeth) and if he was bred to be a guardian or watchdog, he probably isn’t bluffing when he makes aggressive overtures.  It is wise to limit his exposure to situations that will teach him that a bark, growl or even a bite are powerful tools to use on humans.

With proper management, these types of over-the-top aggressive reactions usually lessen and may even go away completely as the dog matures and becomes an adult.  The picture that you see of the adolescent is by far not the picture that will be present when the dog is an adult.

TERRITORY MARKING:  This occurs particularly in males, and more rarely, females.  Many people mistakenly assume that they can’t do anything about this trait but that is far from the truth.  Here’s the deal.  If you want your dog to stop at every lamppost and hedgerow, simply allow him to do it as a puppy.  If you don’t want this problem, control his access.  Don’t let him read or leave pee-mail on every bump in the ground or weed he encounters.  Encourage him to come along by continuing to walk at a brisk pace.  If he tries very hard to stop, tell him “no” and insist he continue the walk.  This method is simple and very successful.  Either you encourage it by allowing it to happen, or you prevent it through control.  Another way of control is to teach your dog to relieve himself on command, and give the command in an open area where he won’t need to cock his leg.  Then, enjoy your walk and don’t let him mark at all.  He can mark at will on free runs but not on-leash.

SEXUALLY ALTERING YOUR DOG:  GOOD IDEA OR BAD?

Here I want to be perfectly clear as to my motivations for including information about spaying and neutering in this article.  I am a steadfast supporter of spay/neuter as an attempt to control pet overpopulation.  However I am not in support of automatically sexually altering all not-for-breeding pets during puppyhood or adolescence.  I believe that the time to spay or neuter should depend on individual circumstances and the temperament of the dog in question.   I also believe that the eventual adult temperament of a dog can be affected according to the time frame of the surgery.

Spaying and neutering in today’s society normally occurs before one year of age (in other words, during adolescence).  Sometimes it occurs before the onset of puberty.  Spaying and neutering at around 6 months of age is considered harmless and the “right” thing to do.  Yes, it effectively prevents the dog from ever accidentally reproducing but what side effects can occur?    

A spay or neuter stops hormone production in its tracks.  The residual hormones within the dogs’ body slip away within about 6 weeks of the operation.

Some physical side effects that are possible: 

1.   Hormone production stops growth.  When a dog is deprived of these hormones through surgery, the dog will often grow taller and slimmer than he normally would have. 

2.   In bitches, hormones are responsible for the strength of the muscles that control the flow of urine.  In some spayed bitches, these muscles are no longer capable of controlling the flow, and incontinence occurs during sleep or while the dog is moving around.

3.   Physical masculine and feminine traits are “softer” or nonexistent (head types, musculature, etc). 

Some behavioural side effects that can occur:

1.   The hormonal changes that dogs experience after being sexually altered are drastic. 

a.   Mood changes occur.  If you have any question on the validity of this, ask anyone working with Guide Dog pups.  Ask them how the pup changes in their reaction to environment after a spay or neuter.  Guide Dog schools regularly make decisions on spay/neuter age by evaluating temperament.  If the dog has a very soft, sensitive, reactive temperament, later altering is preferred to allow the dog to mentally mature and be better able to respond to high-level environments.  Particularly in the case of young females, the dogs will be pulled from heavy-duty environments for a month or two and then gradually re-introduced, because it has been found that the females can be absolutely shattered by the changes occurring in their bodies, and can find previously well-accepted environments difficult to endure.  Hard-charging, perseverant, early-leg-lifting males are often neutered earlier to prevent the development of overly cocky attitudes.  If you have further doubt about how the removal of sexual organs can affect mood and temperament, just ask any woman who has had a hysterectomy what mood changes and other side effects occurred in the months after her surgery.

b.   Mental development to mature attitudes is either arrested or prolonged.  The change into true adulthood is definitely aided by hormone production.  Development of reasonable, mature attitudes and reactions becomes more difficult in some cases.  I firmly believe that some dogs never achieve the level of mental maturity that they could have had they been left intact until later in their sexual development.  I also firmly believe that even those dogs who were sexually altered prior to maturity who *do* eventually become settled, well-adjusted adults have a more difficult, prolonged time of the experience.

In this day and age, there is pressure from all sides to spay or neuter as early as possible if the dog is not intended for use as a breeding animal.  This idea is thought by some to be the ultimate answer to the pet overpopulation problem, and it might be helping with that problem.  However, it is troublesome that this major medical procedure that carries the potential to such far-reaching side effects is regarded by most in a very cavalier way.

I believe that many pet homes are not aware enough of the risks of accidental breeding to be responsible in their actions during heats or with their young males.  For this reason, I think that society’s pressure to spay and neuter early is probably a very good thing and I wouldn’t want to change that *general attitude.*

However, for those of us who are willing to responsibly manage our intact pets, I think that spaying and neutering should be done with consideration to the animal’s individual traits, rather than on the “generic timeline” of veterinarians and popular opinion. 

In most cases, if you want the best pet possible, it’s better to allow the animal to mature mentally prior to sexual alteration.  In particular, for those who are training dogs for search and rescue, service work, or top-level performance or working dogs, I strongly encourage you to research thoroughly prior to altering your animal at an early age.  For work such as this, you need a mature, sensible adult…not a perpetual puppy.

There are side effects to spaying and neutering dogs no matter what their age, but especially those that are not yet mentally and physically mature.  These side effects should be considered. 

The End of Adolescence

Pet owners should be prepared for handling at least some turmoil and struggle during this developmental period.  Those who are unprepared and unaware of some of the things that can occur are often blindsided by them when they do.  Study your breed’s standard and maybe find yourself a mentor, a person experienced with your breed, to guide you.  Go to training classes.  Find friends who also have dogs.  Surround yourself with a support network of fun buddies, both dog and human, and you will have things easier…and so will your dog!

As a dog trainer who has closely supervised tons of people raising young pups into adult dogs, it is clear to me that the worst time during most pet owner’s lives is during adolescence.  At times I find it miraculous that some owners actually make it through!  Sometimes it feels like a war, every day, for months at a time.  My advice to new dog owners?  Be prepared for the turmoil and surprises of doggy adolescence.  Don’t stop hoping that one day you will have a mature, sensible, lovely pet…you will, if you stick to your routines and just keep plugging away!