Animal Connection Training

A Holistic, Respectful, & Positive Approach to Animal Training & Wellbeing

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Primary
  • Explore
    • Start Here!
    • Basic Manners
    • Puppies!
    • Adolescents
    • Reactive Dog Program
    • Rescue Dogs
    • Intermediate & Advanced Training
    • Service or Therapy Dog Prep
  • Learn
    • How it Works
    • Articles & Tips
    • FAQ
    • Testimonials
    • Warnings About Invisible Fences and Other Shock Devices
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • Training Center
    • Regional Training Services
  • Other Animals
    • Horses
    • Cats
    • Farm Animals
    • Humans, Too!
  • Wellness
    • Wellness
    • Intuitive
  • Contact

Adolescents

Basic & Beginner Training
My first Golden, Tomte, took to wandering out of our yard during his adolescent phase. One time, a well meaning person tied him up with a bowl of water a few blocks from where I lived. (I was in my 20s and living in Colorado.) Because he usually returned on his own, I became quite worried and went in search of him. It was a relief to see him lying happily in the shade – wagging his tail as I approached (and probably wondering what took me so long!).

Adolescence – Their Brains Are Changing Rapidly!

Dogs have a relatively short puppy-hood before entering dog adolescence. Just some quick clarifications before continuing:

– Puberty defines the changes in sexual and physical characteristics.
– Adolescence is the period between puberty and adulthood.

So, the term adolescence includes puberty changes, but it also includes other changes that have nothing to do with puberty.

Time Period: Dog adolescence typically runs from 6 to 16 months, with the average age of puberty ending around 12 to 14 months. These time periods vary according to the size of the dog.

All these changes are natural — and it’s up to us to be gentle with our dogs during this time period.  It’s an important time for their development. What happens during adolescence can shape who they become as adults!

Our Training Approach for Adolescents

How do we help our adolescent dogs thrive during this sensitive time?

  • Adolescents get frustrated easily so be clear and patient with your requests. We make sure to train with small, easily understood steps.
  • We encourage the adolescent’s people to arrange regular meetings with familiar dogs, even if just walking on leash or off so they can explore together.
  • Try to limit exposure to areas with unfamiliar dogs and people.
  • We encourage increasing the amount of times you feed your dog per day. Frequent feedings (at least 3x/day) help them maintain blood sugar levels.
  • If we use puzzle toys or do anything involving finding little bits of food at a time, we make sure they’ve had a good portion of their meal first so there is no food frustration during the search games.
  • Limit fast, intense exercise to 5 minutes at a time so their bodies can recover. It’s fine if the dogs don’t do any fast, intense exercise too!
  • We reward frequently and raise the difficulty slowly to minimize training frustration.  Adolescents might need reminders about behaviors they knew really well as pups!

Remember, this is a special time for our dogs — just like our teenagers. If behavior changes during this time, it is most likely due to the body and brain changes that naturally happen during adolescence. Of course, it’s always worth a veterinary visit to make sure the changes are due to adolescence and not because of any medical issue!

Recommendations (All these can be adjusted for the adolescent dog!)

  • Basic Manners (if the adolescent is new to training)
  • Advanced Manners (if adolescent has basic training already)
  • Learning By Imitation (for a new way of learning that suits adolescents!)
  • Any Dog Activities Training

Further Reading – Recommended!

We highly recommend reading a more complete article about adolescence in order to understand the current research:

Adolescence! What Happened to My Cute Puppy?

 

Next Steps!

Learn more about our lesson packages here:

Lesson Packages

We offer consultations if you’d like to see if the training can help your dog – or, if you’d like assistance solving a particular behavior issue:

Consultations

Or, contact us if you have questions or would like to get started!

Contact Us

Lesson Packages

We offer 6, 9, and 12 private or semi private lesson packages.  These can be held in-person or virtually (or a combination of both).

For general training such as Basic Manners, Puppies, and Dog Activities, we recommend starting at 6 lessons.  For Behavior Training, we recommend starting at 9 lessons or more.

We offer additional lessons at a discount after you’ve finished your initial package.

Our lesson packages include training books and gear, access to online materials on our client only learning site, and support in between lessons.

For more information about prices, travel fees, and what each package includes, visit here:

Lesson Packages

About

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Contact

Animal Connection Training
48 Saint Bernard St.
Saranac Lake, NY USA 12983

518-637-1170
animalconnectiontraining@gmail.com

Cancellation Policy:  Any lesson cancelled within 24 hours of the lesson time will count as a lesson.  If you cancel more than 24 hours before your lesson, that’s fine!

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