So, What is going on for our dogs? Here on this course we are going to take a closer look!

So much is happening for our dogs between the ages of approximately five to 24 months old. The Adolescent period varies from dog to dog due to genetics & breed. This transitional phase we call adolescence and it affects different dogs at different ages during this time window. What we will be seeing is the phase between sexual maturity and social maturity, the latter of which comes much, much later. So much like our teenage children, they grow up through this phase but don’t reach full adulthood until much later. During this stage in adolescent life, and this goes across the board as it is also applicable to humans and other mammals, what we are seeing is a massive rewiring and huge changes to the brain.

• This can make a dog appear super rebellious to his owner - stubborn/dominant etc are words regularly used. Its important not to "label" our dogs in this way as the words you use will have a dramatic effect on how you think of your dog and will limit your beliefs that you can train him
• What is really happening? Your dog is becoming increasingly interested in his environment & is supercharged to explore & interact. He has extra driven energy & motivation to do more - just like our human teenagers!
• Did you know most rehomes happen at adolescence?
• A big PLUS, however, is that research has shown an adolescent dog’s learning abilities are heightened at this time so lets use that to our advantage
• Therefore rather than trying to control & curtail our adolescent dog we need to re-think how we can satisfy and meet their needs 
• So in this course we learn to consider plenty of structured play, fun training & exercise. We will look at :

Sniffing : (calming)

Search games 

Scentwork 

Puzzle games 

Long sniffy walks in a quiet environment 

Free work with Obstacle courses 

Scatter feeding 

Relationship boosters 

Pattern games 

Interactive focus games with your dog's food

Appropriate Toy Play

Tricks

Actively promoting Calmness & enrichment

Mat work 

Licky mats kongs snuffle mats etc 

How to deal with that environment

Finally we will be talking about how to cope out and about in the real world!

NB if your dog has completely lost his manners STOP taking him to busy places & exposing him to triggers and START employing appropriate interactive training as outlined above 

This phase will pass! 

WORDS MATTER

The way you think and talk about your dog matters because it tells your brain how to interpret things. If you think your dog will never change, they probably never will. If you continually call your dog difficult or naughty or stubborn or a nutter, that is how you will start to see them. And this will subconsciously influence how you behave towards them.

You will start to make assumptions based on these beliefs and descriptors rather than look more closely at the situation. 

So you think of your dog as stubborn and he stops suddenly in the street. You get frustrated because this is proving that he is stubborn. But he might be uncomfortable in his walking equipment, dislike the walking surface, in pain or have a negative association with the place. Or he may simply be aware of something that you are not and be taking in information. Without the label of "stubborn" you are more likely to notice these things. 

And if you describe your dog in a certain way it will also influence how other people see them. 

So think about how you talk and think about your dog. What positive ways can you describe them? Are they playful, affectionate, improving for instance? 

And how can you let people know to give your dog space without painting a negative picture of your dog?

Words matter so make yours count!