A very old stray {The Old Fella Story}
Went camping this weekend at a campground on the lake, had not been there for a few years. Once there I began to walk around looking at the different sites when I noticed a very old dog. He just lay t...
Forum Discussion
Other estimates of doggy adolescence are from 8 months to 3 years. Precise ages will certainly depend on a number of factors. But adolescence is adolescence... in a dog, a cat, a rabbit, a horse, or of course a human.
Much like a human adolescent, dogs need structure and limits. They need challenges and education. And they need to be given just as much freedom as they demonstrate they can handle, and no more. This means confining them appropriately when they are left alone in the house. Keeping temptations (like your laundry and shoes) out of reach when they are not directly supervised. Keeping them on leash outside of a fenced yard, if they are not yet mature enough to listen reliably off-leash.
The other thing they really need is exercise. Like any young life form, they have enormous energy. If you think about teenage kids in an environment where they have "nothing to do" what do they do? They get into trouble. Hence the popularity of sports programs for adolescents, especially boys. What is the real benefit of football? Running the tail off of a 16 year old for several hours a few days a week may keep him out of trouble all week long. Not always, but it helps. Finding ways to seriously exercise that teenage dog will also help.
Hally has come out of adolescence in the past 7 months or so. Great relief. But what I really loved was last year when she learned to play fetch. I can take a chuck-it and a tennis ball and run her into the ground in about half an hour (sprinting takes a lot of energy...). An exhausted cub is a very well behaved cub in my experience. Walking doesn't get it. Unless you're doing several miles a day you aren't going to get the effect, and even then walking isn't as good as a run. So if you're in adolescent dog agony, you may wish to give some thought to activities what will allow you to run the little horror's legs off a few days of the week, or every day.
And be glad you don't have an adolescent rabbit. Trust me, there are worse teenagers than dogs...
Much like a human adolescent, dogs need structure and limits. They need challenges and education. And they need to be given just as much freedom as they demonstrate they can handle, and no more. This means confining them appropriately when they are left alone in the house. Keeping temptations (like your laundry and shoes) out of reach when they are not directly supervised. Keeping them on leash outside of a fenced yard, if they are not yet mature enough to listen reliably off-leash.
The other thing they really need is exercise. Like any young life form, they have enormous energy. If you think about teenage kids in an environment where they have "nothing to do" what do they do? They get into trouble. Hence the popularity of sports programs for adolescents, especially boys. What is the real benefit of football? Running the tail off of a 16 year old for several hours a few days a week may keep him out of trouble all week long. Not always, but it helps. Finding ways to seriously exercise that teenage dog will also help.
Hally has come out of adolescence in the past 7 months or so. Great relief. But what I really loved was last year when she learned to play fetch. I can take a chuck-it and a tennis ball and run her into the ground in about half an hour (sprinting takes a lot of energy...). An exhausted cub is a very well behaved cub in my experience. Walking doesn't get it. Unless you're doing several miles a day you aren't going to get the effect, and even then walking isn't as good as a run. So if you're in adolescent dog agony, you may wish to give some thought to activities what will allow you to run the little horror's legs off a few days of the week, or every day.
And be glad you don't have an adolescent rabbit. Trust me, there are worse teenagers than dogs...
