So you’ve trained your dog into the perfect little soldier and he’s cruising along with everything all fun and games when all of a sudden (gasp!) he suddenly has “selective hearing,” forgets former training he used to love, and develops quick, strange bad habits. Does he seem to almost be ‘testing you?’ This stage WILL pass…but when can you expect it to BEGIN and end and how can you deal with it swiftly and completely?
It hits somewhere between 6-15 mos. There’s no ‘set age’ per se. And the good news is you are not alone, and this is normal, across all breeds. And there are numerous ways to sway your puppy’s distraction. A strong bond formed during canine adolescence is especially rewarding and encouraged to a great degree.
Patience and consistency pay off, as well as plenty of exercise, a calm voice, and a sense of humor will go a long way. Both males and females will get a hormone surge and get a growth spurt and maybe lose some teeth. Keep reinforcement training to little and often and make sure your puppy has an energetic session of enjoyable play afterward as a reward. You may find yourself repeating stuff you did at 8 weeks—but do not fear—they won’t forget—soon they will get through this stage and be back to themselves again. The more patience and consistency you show during this time will help make it shorter and easier.
Take heart: An elephant takes 15 or 16 years to mature, Gorillas up to 12 years, and hippopotamuses 7-10 years. And of course, humans are slow-maturing also.