One day, your puppy is a training superstar—coming when called, sitting on cue, and walking beautifully on the lead. The next? They’re completely ignoring you, pulling like a sled dog, and acting like they’ve never heard “sit” before in their life! 🤯
If this sounds familiar, congratulations—you have a teenage dog! 🎉
Adolescence (typically 6-18 months old) is a challenging but totally normal stage in your dog’s development. It’s a time when they:
✔ Become more independent and start testing boundaries
✔ Get easily distracted and seem to forget their training
✔ Experience hormonal changes that impact behaviour
✔ Develop bigger emotions, making them more excitable (or sometimes anxious)But don’t worry!
In this guide, we’ll cover:
✔ Why your teenage dog is suddenly ignoring you
✔ What’s actually happening in their brain
✔ How to stay consistent with training using positive reinforcement
Plus, we’ll share why it’s the perfect time to move from The Canine Hub’s PupStar class to Beyond the Basics class—and for those who missed PupStar, our Basic Fundamentals class is a great place to start! 🐶✨
Why Is My Adolescent Dog Ignoring Me?
1. Their Brain Is Rewiring 🧠
Just like human teenagers, adolescent dogs go through major brain changes. Their impulse control isn’t fully developed, which means distractions (like squirrels, smells, or other dogs) become way more exciting than you!
2. Hormonal Changes Are at Play 🌀
If your teenage dog is suddenly more excitable, reactive, or even a bit stubborn, hormones could be playing a role! Adolescence is a time of big emotional changes, which can affect focus and behaviour.
3. They’re Testing Boundaries 🚀
Teenage dogs are more independent and love to experiment. You might notice them ignoring cues they used to follow perfectly—not because they’ve forgotten, but because they’re testing what happens if they don’t listen.
4. Reinforcement History Matters 🔁
If a behaviour wasn’t reinforced enough in different environments, your dog might struggle to generalise it. That’s why a perfect sit at home doesn’t always mean a perfect sit in the park.
5. The World Is Just More Exciting! 🌍
At this stage, dogs are adventure seekers. Their desire to explore, chase, and play is stronger than ever, which means training needs to be engaging and rewarding to compete with the distractions!
How to Survive the Teenage Dog Phase
Step 1: Stay Patient & Keep Training Fun 🎉
Your teenage dog isn’t trying to be difficult—they’re just going through a natural developmental phase. Instead of getting frustrated, make training fun!
✔ Use high-value rewards (chicken, cheese—whatever your dog loves most!).
✔ Keep sessions short and playful to hold their focus.
✔ Reward before they ignore you to reinforce engagement.
Step 2: Increase Engagement Through Games 🏆
Teenage dogs love to play, so use that to your advantage!
✅ “Catch Me” Recall Game: Run away from your dog, call their name excitedly, and reward them when they chase you!
✅ Find It Game: Toss treats in the grass and let them sniff them out—this reinforces focus on you while keeping things fun.
✅ Impulse Control Games: Practise “sit and wait” before releasing them for play or food.
Step 3: Reinforce Good Choices in Everyday Life 💡
Many owners only reward their dogs when they get things wrong—instead, focus on reinforcing good behaviour before bad habits form.
✔ If your dog checks in with you on a walk—reward them!
✔ If they sit calmly before you ask—reward them!
✔ If they ignore a distraction and focus on you—reward them!
These small wins add up to long-term training success.
The Best Way to Navigate the Teenage Dog Phase?
Join Our Training Classes!
If your adolescent dog is suddenly ignoring you, this is not the time to stop training—it’s the time to level up! 🚀🐶
If you’ve completed PupStar: Move on to Beyond the Basics—our class designed specifically for teenage dogs who:
✅ Struggle with recall and loose lead walking
✅ Get distracted easily and ignore cues
✅ Need better impulse control and focus in real-life situations🐶
If you missed PupStar: No problem! Start with Basic Fundamentals, a perfect class to build foundation skills before progressing to Beyond the Basics.
Both classes use positive reinforcement methods to keep training fun, engaging, and effective for your teenage dog!
Final Thoughts
The teenage phase can feel like a rollercoaster, but remember—it’s just a phase! With patience, consistency, and positive reinforcement, your teenage dog will come out the other side as a well-trained, confident companion.🐾
Struggling with your adolescent dog? Ready for the next step?📅
Join Basic Fundamentals or Beyond the Basics and keep your training on track! Sign up here!
The Canine Hub 