Why adolescence undoes "good" puppies
Somewhere between six and eighteen months, a lot of dogs who sailed through puppy class start ignoring cues they clearly know. This isn't regression or spite — it's a real developmental stage. Adolescent dogs are more independent, more reactive to novelty, and working with a brain that's still finishing its wiring. The behaviors aren't gone; the reinforcement history just hasn't caught up to the new level of distraction an adolescent dog seeks out.
What this program targets
- Re-proofing known cues — sit, down, stay, and recall, rebuilt around real adolescent-level distraction rather than the calmer environment they were first learned in.
- Impulse control around novelty, since adolescent dogs are drawn to investigate everything, often at the expense of listening.
- Managing a longer adolescent "fear period" some dogs move through during this stage, without letting a single spooky reaction turn into a lasting pattern.
- Redirecting increased physicality — jumping, mouthing, and general roughhousing that was cute at four months and isn't at ten.
- Realistic expectations for owners, since this stage frustrates a lot of handlers who assumed training was "done" after puppy class.
Structure
Six weekly group sessions, run at a faster pace and with more built-in distraction than Puppy Foundations or Basic Obedience — other adolescent dogs, movement, and mild chaos are part of the curriculum, not something to avoid until later.
What to expect
Progress during adolescence is rarely a straight line. Most dogs have a genuinely good week followed by a rougher one, and that's normal brain development, not a training failure. We coach owners through that variability directly so a bad Tuesday doesn't feel like the program isn't working.
Is this the right fit?
If your dog is between roughly six and eighteen months and cues that used to be reliable have gotten patchy, this is built for exactly that stage. Dogs showing real aggression, not just excitable pushiness, should start with a private consult instead so we can route you to Reactivity & Behavior Modification if that's the better fit.
