The key to survive a teenager dog

Anybody who has had a teenager dog knows it is not an easy task. They stop listening, they have tons of energy and nowhere to put it and they just become uncivilized brats. To those who have not had a teenager dog this might feel overwhelming.

The feeling of being a failure

I know so many who when they have their first teenager they feel worthless and like they fail as dogowners. Having a dog wasn't meant to be this way! It was supposed to be my best friend, it was supposed to be nice and good company - not this, this.... (sigh of even thinking the thought of the words about to be said) monster.

Well trust me, it is normal and you are in no way a failure. If you are a low energy person and the dog is a high energy dog, you will have a really difficult time ahead of you and many usually just give up and sell the dog because they don't want to deal with it. But if you just follow the following tips, I know you can end up having the best dog there could be. Cause it is after the teenager period that the real fun begins!

Building a foundation

When the dog is a puppy, you are building the foundation of what dog the dog will become as an adult. Make a list of what situations you want this dog to be able to handle. Being around people, accept visitors, behave in the car, be able to stay on command, come when called, wait for a ok command to eat the food, drop things on command, handle grooming, nailclipping and handling, etc.

The environmental things the dog should be able to handle you need to expose the puppy to as much as you can to make it everyday life. Sit still and relax in the places you want the dog to be able to relax and just wait for the puppy to get tired and fall asleep cause nothing is happening. Then you just go home when the puppy has had a nap.

The commands that are important such as wait, come, stay, down, sit, not pulling the leash and so on you will focus on. Nevermind the partytricks for now. Just focus on a working everyday life like housebreaking the puppy.

When you build up frames in the puppyhood of what the everyday life should look like, you can hold on tight to these frames when the dog is a teenager. Do not trust the dog when it's a teenager, it will not come when called. Practice it while the dog is in a very long leash and a harness. Not collar - it can cause a whiplash. Always use a harness when in a long leash. Not the rolling leash, the dog feels when it pulls in the harness and knows it's not loose. The long leash is just a seatbelt in case the dog would choose to bolt off. Practice coming when called, run away when it runs towards you and play when it "caught" you and then play and give treat, put on collar or clip the leash into the collar if the dog has a collar and harness to practice being hooked up again, then praise, ask for a sit, unhook and hold the collar until the dog is staying on it's own. Let go and say the freecommand for when a command is finished. OK comes up too often in a everyday speech so release, free, finished or similar works better. This teaches the dog that even if you get leashed up it does not mean the freedom is over, and it teaches the dog to wait for the right command. Eventually you don't have to hold on anymore.

Once the teenager years is over and you have hold onto these frames of rules, and they start working for real, that is when the fun begins! Then you have time for the partytricks and stuff like that. You can even begin sporting after the dog is over 1 preferably over 2 years old when the joints are mature enough. Check with a vet to make sure the joints are healthy for your sport. Biking included.

If you have any issues with the teenager showing aggression, please consult a dog trainer with good reputation in your area. The faster you adress it with an expert the faster it will get better. Look for a trainer that believes in positive reinforcement, since this is the best way of shaping your dog's behaviors.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me. :)