Adventures With Makai: Surviving the Canine Teenage Phase
We’ve officially got a teenager in the house! A teenage dog, that is. Makai is now about 10 months old and has entered the awkward phase of adolescence. Much like human adolescence, the canine version can be one of the toughest developmental stages to navigate—and unfortunately, it’s not a quick phase. Adolescence can last anywhere from 6 months to 2 years, depending on the breed.
On the bright side, we've made it through puppyhood! Makai no longer needs constant supervision, we don't have to set alarms to remind ourselves to take him out to avoid potty accidents, and overall, he's become much more independent. That said, he’s not quite the mature adult dog he’ll eventually be, and this new phase comes with its own challenges. Adolescent dogs undergo a lot of cognitive and physiological changes that can make them seem a little... unpredictable. If you've been through it, you know what I mean. One day, everything seems calm, and the next, those once cute zoomies have turned into full-on chaos as your adolescent dog seems to forget everything you've taught them, jumping, biting at their leash, and completely ignoring your attempts to calm them down. As a professional dog trainer, I know this is all part of the journey of raising a dog. A normal phase as their brain and body finish developing. But I won’t lie—it definitely tests my patience at times. Fortunately, I’ve implemented some of my go-to strategies that I recommend to my clients to make this rollercoaster of growth and learning a bit more pleasant—for both myself and Makai.
Our Biggest Struggles Right Now
Adolescence can bring a host of behavioral challenges, changes, and fluctuations. While your experience and your dog's individual behavior will be unique, there are some common issues that often arise during this phase. These can include mouthiness, jumping, counter surfing, running off/not coming when called, increased vocalization, destructiveness, and difficulty transitioning from high-energy play to calmer behavior. Walks may also become more challenging, with many adolescent dogs pulling on the leash, biting it, and generally getting over-stimulated and/or distracted outdoors.
For Makai, our biggest challenge has been hyper-arousal. When he gets overly excited or starts playing hard with Roxi (our 6-year-old terrier mix), things tend to spiral quickly as he struggles to manage his excitement. Play sessions with Roxi start off well, but then he becomes a bit too much for her, and she decides she’s had enough. That leaves Makai struggling to calm down, and he often gets mouthy and nippy and sometimes this turns into full-blown zoomies, where Roxi and I just have to step aside and let him run them out (check out these zoomies!).
Winter certainly added an extra layer of challenge, with the cold weather keeping us from spending much time outdoors. Makai's behavior is noticeably better on days when he’s been able to visit the park or beach, where he can walk, explore, and sniff to his heart’s content. With the weather warming up, we’ve been able to spend much more time enjoying outdoor adventures which has satisfied his needs much better and has resulted in much improved behavior.
How We’re Handling It
Two things, above all else, are essential for surviving this stage—management and positive reinforcement training. Well, three things. You’ll also need a lot of patience.
Management, or prevention strategies, remain crucial throughout the adolescent phase to help shape good, lifelong behavior. This isn’t the time to relax on puppy-proofing your home. We still have gates up, some furniture and rugs are still stored away, and we keep knick-knacks and other tempting chew items out of Makai’s reach. We also do our best to anticipate his needs and behavior fluctuations. Over time, we've learned which times of day are most difficult for him, when the zoomies are most likely to strike, and when he needs the most help controlling his impulses and emotions. Armed with this knowledge, we're better able to prevent his behavior from spiraling out of control. For example, Makai typically naps until about 5:00 p.m., and I know that once he wakes up, he’ll have a burst of energy that lasts for the next couple of hours. This is the most challenging time of day for us, so I make sure I have plenty of appropriate activities—like Kongs, puzzle toys bones—ready to keep him occupied. I avoid high-arousal activities, such as running or tug, and sometimes, it's best for everyone if I separate the dogs, giving each their own enrichment activity to enjoy alone.
Training is equally important. With Makai, we’re teaching him that patience pays off. Instead of jumping on the counter while I prep his Kongs to snatch some food, he’s learning that sitting calmly next to me earns him treats. Instead of diving his head into the food bin when I open it to feed him and Roxi, he’s discovering that sitting patiently gets him extra goodies. My goal is to teach Makai to make good choices. Sure, I want him to listen to me when I ask him to do things like sit or come, but more than that, I want to instill good default behaviors, so that I don’t always have to cue him to do the right thing—he does it on his own. So, I keep treats and kibble in my pockets or within easy reach, so I can reward him for good behavior throughout the day. This is a powerful training technique called “capturing.” Whenever Makai does something I like and want to see more of, I reward him. The more I reward those good behaviors, the more likely he is to repeat them.
I’m closely monitoring Makai's play with Roxi and separating them if things start to escalate. I want to make sure both dogs enjoy their playtime, so I’m careful not to let Makai get too hyper-aroused or let things spiral out of control. That means that I’m playing referee often (especially between 5-7 p.m.!) but it’s crucial for fostering a healthy, strong bond between them. I step in early to manage the situation, because I know the longer I wait, the harder it’ll be and the more likely Makai is to make choices I don’t want. To help with this, I’ve taught both dogs a “let’s take a break” cue, so I can redirect their attention to me and easily de-escalate the situation.
I already mentioned enrichment, but I can’t stress how important it is at this stage. We use a wide variety of enrichment activities like puzzle toys, Kongs, feeder balls, various bones and chews, snuffle mats, and treat scatters to engage Makai’s brain. While he loves to tug, we're careful with it, playing in short sessions and reinforcing him for controlling his impulses, only allowing him to put his teeth on the toy instead of mouthing or nipping me. Limiting high-energy play and focusing instead on mental stimulation and lower-energy activities, such as training, food puzzles, and sniffing on walks helps prevent Makai from getting hyper-aroused and it helps him learn to control his impulses. We’re also careful to use a toy rotation, especially when it comes to his bones and chews. Makai loves to chew, but understandably gets bored if we offer him the same one over and over. We keep a variety of chews with different textures and flavors, rotating them so he stays engaged longer.
The Bigger Picture
Canine adolescence can be frustrating and overwhelming at times, but with good positive reinforcement training, you’ll come out the other side with a well-behaved and confident companion. It’s all about setting your dog up for the future. Adolescence can be messy (literally and figuratively!), and your training may not be perfect right now, but even when it feels like nothing is sinking in, you’re still instilling crucial life skills and manners that will last a lifetime. It’s a lot like raising a human teenager—there will be mistakes, and your dog may behave in ways you don’t like at times, but ultimately, you're guiding and shaping them into the adult dog they’ll become.
We have our good days and bad days, and if you’ve been through it (or are going through it), you know that the "witching hour" is not for the faint of heart. But I’m focused on the bigger picture because I know this too shall pass. Every time Makai, who was once a skittish and scared puppy, observes the UPS truck curiously instead of running away, that’s a win. Every time he naps peacefully in his crate, I smile, knowing the hard work that went into that. And every time he snuggles close to me in the morning, sleepily giving his cute puppy grunts, I appreciate the bond we’re building every day.
With wags and aloha,
Cori Tufano- CPDT-KA, CSAT, FDM, FFCP
