The holidays are finally upon us! As we are close to wrapping up our year, it is a time for festive cheer, twinkling lights, and… a rebellious adolescent dog chewing on your Aunt Pam's heirloom ornaments? Joy to the world, this dog won’t come – he’s Earth’s chaotic king!
While we're dreaming of sugar plums, some of our canine companions might be experiencing their "terrible teens." Just when you thought you had aced puppyhood, your adorable baby dog transforms into a four-legged teenage terror, complete with a mischievous glint in their eyes, a knack for testing boundaries and a preference for novelty. How Grinchy!
As I write this, things are quite lively in my own household. My two adolescent dogs, Lochlan (1 year) and Ghost (2 years), are providing me with some, shall we say, "hands-on" experience in managing the teenage phase x2. It seems even canine behavior professionals aren't immune to the occasional stolen sandwich and mysteriously disappearing décor.
The truth is, our adolescent dogs aren’t out to get us, or purposely putting themselves on the naughty list, they’re really struggling through a challenging time of growth. It seems the adolescent dog brain is about the same as a bunch of tangled Christmas lights. It can be really complicated and downright frustrating!
Starting at about 6 months, adolescence hits our dogs and can continue to 18 months, 2 or sometimes even 3 years of age. Bigger dogs often take longer to grow out of this phase and each dog is an individual. But nonetheless, suddenly there is a conundrum in those canine craniums!
During this time, their prefrontal cortex, which is the part of the brain responsible for making sound judgments, planning ahead, and resisting tempting impulses, is undergoing a major renovation. It’s simply not done growing and may not be for some time. This makes it physiologically difficult for our dogs to make good decisions sometimes. The desire to explore more and preference for novelty can make it seem like our dogs have selective hearing – and in a way, they actually do.
Next, we have the limbic system, which handles emotion, motivation, and memory. Hormones begin pumping through in adolescence, altering pretty much everything. This results in a range of behavioral changes for adolescent dogs. Some may include increased impulsivity and risk-taking behaviors (preference for novelty, running away or seeking new experiences), heightened emotional reactivity (often exaggerated responses to fear, anxiety and excitement – may be afraid of new or novel things or sudden fear of things they weren’t fearful of before), greater attention to social hierarchies and interactions with other dogs (testing boundaries on other dogs), and changes in motivation and reward sensitivity (suddenly not food motivated or does not respond to what was once their favorite toy). It can be a lot!
As it’s growing, the brain tries to reorganize itself by eliminating some pathways – called synaptic pruning – which can lead to our dogs suddenly forgetting things they knew before. There was no dashing through the snow for my sweet Tiangou when he was younger – he forgot how to come when called when he was an adolescent pup!
On top of all of that, we have to consider the myelin sheath too. No, this isn’t a type of wrapping paper! This fatty coating around nerve fibers helps speed up communication between different parts of the brain. But in adolescent dogs, the myelin sheath is still developing, which can lead to delayed reactions, impulsive decisions, or blank moments when you give a cue. Nothing like that old reindeer-in-the-headlights blank stare when we ask for something to make us feel like failed pet parents.
If you are struggling with an adolescent dog this holiday season, you are not alone. While it’s impossible to pinpoint the exact number of pet dogs in the US that are currently in their adolescent phase, it’s safe to say it is likely millions.
Holidays are often a gift for us but for our adolescent dogs it can present quite a unique challenge. Here are some tips to help you through!
The Décor Dilemma: Use unbreakable ornaments or place ornaments that are fragile on higher branches. You can even try a minimalist tree. You can also put an x-pen around your tree to keep your dog from accessing it or use a gate to close off the room that the tree is in. If you have a live tree, please keep your dog from drinking the tree water, as it can harbor bacteria. Do not buy plants that could be toxic to dogs – these include Holly, Mistletoe, Poinsettias, Amaryllis, & Yew. If you have these plants, keep them out of reach of your dog. Make sure your dog has plenty of fun toys of many textures to help prevent their growing interest in your Holiday décor!
Holly Jolly Heist: Don’t leave food unsupervised on the counters and put away leftovers immediately. Make sure all the food is in airtight containers and out of reach. Practice skills like ‘Leave it’ with your dog. Give your dog things like food puzzles and play some food games with them to help them to learn that there are more valuable things they can find that are appropriate!
Bells are Ringing: Work to desensitize your dog to the doorbell. In addition to the doorbell, if there are other new sounds your dog will be exposed to, work with those as well. Practice calm greetings and provide a ‘safe zone’ to go to if needed when you have guests. Have a frozen Kong or bone ready to give them to occupy them. Keep in mind a lot of company or guests can sometimes be stressful for our canine companions (especially adolescents) and as stressors build (trigger stacking) the likelihood of your dog reacting poorly increases. If you see signs of stress, guide your dog to their ‘safe zone’ and give them something to do.
Present Peril: Keep presents out of the reach of your dog. Tearing boxes is so fun for dogs and we wouldn’t want all of our hard work to be undone by a party-loving pooch. Use decoy boxes and provide adequate enrichment and lots of new toys to divert them from unwrapping everything.
Travel Buddy: Practice car trips, even just getting in and out of the car, especially if you plan to take your canine companion on the road this Holiday Season. Remember that an unfamiliar environment can be intimidating for a lot of dogs. Give your dog safety while they are away from home and be patient with them.
Practicing Pup: Take time to work on manners with your pup a little every day. Short and simple training sessions (3-5 minutes, even just once a day) can make a lot of difference. If you find you need help, reach out to a credentialed trainer. Even though the adolescent brain can be tough, you don’t want to stop working and end up with a Holiday hooligan!
Enrichment & Exercise: It is a bustling time of year for everyone but make time for your dog. Provide them with plenty of physical exercise as well as mental exercise. Enrichment doesn’t have to be complicated. Even something as simple as blowing bubbles for your dog can work their minds!
Adolescence during the holidays might present a unique set of challenges and difficulties, but it's also an opportunity to really strengthen your bond with your dog. With patience, understanding, and sometimes a little holiday magic, you can navigate this phase and create happy holiday memories that will last a lifetime.
So, go ahead and deck those halls, jingle those bells, and embrace the joy and chaos of the season – even with an adolescent dog in tow. After all, 'tis the season to be jolly, even if your once-perfect pooch seems to be naughty and rebelling; it won’t last forever!
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