TEEN TYRANTS!

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​Teenager survival guide! 
Adolescence can be a trying time! Your dog is experiencing many changes, not unlike human teens. These changes – biological, physical, and psychological – will affect your dog’s behaviour and some of this behaviour can be challenging. The adolescent’s brain is developing and growing and he is also experiencing hormonal changes that will have an impact, even for altered dogs.
 The canine developmental stages are:  Neonatal (birth to 13 days); Transitional (13 days to 3 weeks)' Socialization: (3 weeks to 12-16 weeks); Juvenile (12-16 weeks until sexual maturity); and Adult (sexual maturity onward).
The adolescent period typically begins around four to six months of age, and will be over when a dog reaches physical and sexual maturity around two to three years old. The most pronounced behavioural changes usually take place between six and 12 months of age.
Tips on handling the adolescence stage:
Continue socialization: Socialization shouldn’t stop when your dog is a teen. It’s important to continue carefully exposing your dog to different places, people, other dogs, and different situations while associating these events with something positive.
Understand this is a time of BIG feelings: Whether positive or negative, emotions are often intense and exaggerated in the teenage dog. It is a time of increased emotional arousal and reactivity. Your adolescent may experience new feelings about things or situations she was previously comfortable with. Maybe she gives the fire hydrant a wide berth during your walk or she might decide that new people (or dogs or trees or shadows) need to be barked at.
These reactions are normal. These behaviours will come and go several times during adolescence and may last anywhere from a couple of days to a few weeks. Handle these moments with calm and patience. Your teen tyrant isn’t always able to control his emotions. Don’t push or force him to “confront his fear” or scold him for what might look like rude behaviour. Give him time to process whatever spooks him. Give him distance from scary things. Let him turn away and avoid the scary monster if he wants and even let him bark at it if he needs to. Hold the leash loosely and reassure him by talking to him in a gentle, calm voice.
Use management to prevent unwanted behaviours: Adolescent dogs often don’t have the ability to control their impulses and have a tendency towards immediate gratification!  While they may look like adults, they are not. They do not yet have the mental capacity or the emotional development of an adult dog. It might seem like they have forgotten all the training you did as a puppy!  They haven’t – the information is still floating around in their developing brain – but they are having trouble accessing it.
Continue teaching your teen what you want him to do and use management to help him not practice unwanted behaviours. For example, keep counters clear so he can’t counter surf. Keep him on a long line until you have a great recall. Close the drapes so he doesn’t bark at passersby. 
Find the joy! Adolescence may be full of challenges for you and your pup, but it is also a very special time in your dog’s life! He is learning more about the world and his place in it with you as his guide. He is curious, playful, mischievous, full of energy, and a whole lot of fun! Enjoy this special time!
Homework: Identify one unwanted behaviour your teen engages in that you would like to change and a management strategy to prevent your dog practising the behaviour. 

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The name game! 
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Play The Name Game, Step 2: In this step, you can add some cues that your dog already knows. You play the same way but instead of clicking and treating your dog just for orienting towards you, you give her a cue and ask her for a behaviour.
  • Count out five treats
  • Hold the treats out of sight and say your dog's name
  • When your dog looks at you, click and treat
  • Stay silent and move away a few steps
  • When your dog orients towards you, give her a cue that she knows and ask for the behaviour (for example, sit)
  • Click and treat when your dog does the behaviour and move away again
  • When your dog orients towards you, give her another cue and ask for a behaviour (for example, touch). This time, you can praise but don't click and treat. Instead, move away again and when your dog orients towards you, ask for another behaviour. You can click and treat or you can ask for another behaviour and only click and treat your dog on the last repetition.
  • Release your dog
When we train with positive reinforcement, a cue is like a click because your dog has a history of reinforcement for that cue. That's why we don't need to click and treat every time your dog does a behaviour for which she has a strong history of reinforcement.  Watch Remi and me play Step 2 of The Name Game. (Coming soon!)

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coming when called! 
Coming when called is one of the most important behaviours you can teach your dog. Having a reliable recall is essential when allowing your dog off leash. Training a rock solid recall is well worth the time and effort so that you have a dog you can trust to come when you call.
If your dog is in the habit of ignoring your recall cue, it's best to choose a new cue. It's easier to start fresh than to try to rehabilitate a cue that she has learned not to pay attention to.
Like all behaviours, it's important to build a strong foundation for the recall. 
I really like how the recall is built in this video The Bacon Recall The video shows how to build a reliable recall step by step. Take a look and then start practising with your dog.
Remember, if your dog has learned to ignore your recall cue, choose a new one. As you see in the video, you can choose whatever word you want for your recall cue. The word doesn't matter to your dog!  I think it's helpful to choose a word that you find amusing or that you like to say, because then it helps you to say the word in a lighthearted, fun way and being lighthearted and fun will also encourage your dog to come when you call! For example, one of my recall words is "Cookies!" It's impossible to say that word in an angry or frustrated way!  It makes me laugh whenever I call out "Cookies" to my dogs and I sure love the way they come running when they hear it!  ​Watch me condition TT, Remi, and Buddy to the recall cue "Cookies!" Notice I am not asking them to come here. I am simply conditioning the word "Cookies!" to mean something wonderful, the first step in building a recall cue.
Do you have to keep rewarding your dog's recall throughout her life?  I would say yes.  In positive reinforcement training we often talk about fading the rewards once your dog has learned the behaviour. But with recalls, I don't think that is a good idea because your dog gets rewarded/reinforced by the environment all the time on walks, for example, chasing squirrels or birds, following scent trails, and running and jumping with freedom. It's smart to keep your recall strong by continuing to reward it.  I suggest that every time your dog comes when you call you give her some kind of "treat". The treat can be food but doesn't always have to be. The "treat" can also be a happy response from you  that makes your dog feel good. It can be an opportunity to chase you for a bit or to engage in some other kind of play between you and your dog. You can throw a stick for your dog. Every time your dog comes when you call, especially in the face of exciting and interesting distractions, you should let her know that coming when you call will always be rewarding for her. 
More tips on building a strong recall:
  • ​​​Only recall if you know your dog will respond.
    • This is extremely important in the beginning. The more your dog practices ignoring your recall, the more ignoring will become a habit that is hard to break. If your dog is sniffing something interesting, wait for her to stop and she raises her head before you recall. If your dog is playing with another dog, wait for a break in the play before you recall.
    • If you need to get your dog right away, and you don’t have time to wait, go get your dog or use an informal recall cue, like “hey, let’s go”. The more careful you are about when you use your formal recall cue, the stronger it will become.
    • Practice in places that are not so  exciting such as your house or yard. Let your dog investigate the area first before you practice recall games. Walk around the area and then walk away from your dog. At that point, it’s a good time to recall her because she is already thinking about what you are doing. If you are not 100% positive your dog will come to you when you use your recall, use an informal recall (hey, let’s go!) and then add the formal recall cue as she is running towards you.
  • Reinforce/reward every single recall!
    • This is also especially important at the beginning. You want to create what we call a “conditioned emotional response” to the recall cue. That means the recall cue elicits a happy feeling in your dog. When she hears it, she wants to respond.  You want to maintain pleasant feelings about the recall throughout your dog’s life.  And you want an instant response to your recall cue. To get that you need to build a strong “reinforcement history” meaning your dog has lots of experience being rewarded for coming when you call her. 
    • Use the best rewards you can and reward your dog generously for coming to you. You might reward for 30 seconds or longer. Instead of just handing her a treat, play a food game and run back and forth tossing treats for 30 seconds. If you are using toys to reward your dog because she really likes toys, then play tug for 30 seconds once she comes to you.
    •  If you want a high energy response from your dog, meaning she instantly comes running towards you when you call her, then use high energy rewards. Match the energy you want from your dog with the energy you use to reward her
  •  Call your dog once only! 
    •  If your dog does not respond to the first cue, do not cue it again. This will simply diminish the value of the recall cue. If you call your dog once and she doesn’t come, you just give her another opportunity to ignore the cue if you use it again. And again. And again! Each time your dog ignores the cue, the value of the cue diminishes. If she doesn’t come when you call her once, go get her or use an informal cue, attention noise, etc. Protect your recall cue! 
  • Make your walks interactive!
    • Often our dogs will come easily when the environment is not that distracting, but it’s harder in more exciting environments such as the woods. Making your walks interactive can strengthen your recall because you become part of a fun and exciting environment, instead of competing with the environment for your dog’s attention.  Know your dog and use games that you know he will like and find enjoyable. 
    • Examples of interactive games you can play with your dog on a walk in the woods:
      • Play a food game: put your dog in a sit stay, make a trail of food, and then release her to find it!
      • When you get close to the end of the walk, whip out a tug toy or a ball, play with your dog for a few minutes, and let your dog carry the toy to the car or home.
      • If you really want to impress your dog, plant a few special treats or a toy in a hiding place and then show your dog what you found!
      • Use the natural environment to play body and obstacle games with your dog: have her jump over and/or walk along fallen logs, place two paws up on a tree stump, stick her head in a hidey-hole you find in the woods!  Be sure you are not asking your dog to do anything that scares her or she doesn’t want to do or anything that is physically difficult or unsafe.​
Here is a good article called "How to Ruin Your Dog's Recall!".


​yield to leash pressure!
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Step 2:  Entice your dog to move with the pressure. This step involves some movement by your dog. Pull very gently on the leash until your dog moves. The instant she moves in the direction of the pressure, mark and treat. Do this several times until she is responding more quickly to the pressure. ​
​Step 3:  Add a stimulus and wait for your dog to orient towards you. Once your dog is consistently stepping into the direction of the pressure, you can add a stimulus in the immediate environment that your dog is interested in, like a toy or some food. When he moves toward the item and the leash becomes taut, hang on to it firmly and wait for him to orient back toward you. As soon as he does, mark and treat. 
Once your dog is successful at step 3, with easier distractions, we can add more difficult distractions, for example, people and other dogs when walking out and about. 
Checking in with us is one of the most important habits we want our dogs to develop. We start teaching this when they are babies by rewarding eye contact whenever it is offered to us. We want our dogs to offer it easily and without really thinking about it throughout their lives.   
If your teenager does not already have the habit of checking in with you then start with Level 1. You can find out more under CHECKING IN on the Puppy Power page.
What does checking-in look like? Your dog momentarily connects with you through eye contact, without being cued to do so.
There are many reasons to encourage your dog to check in with you. When he is unsure what to do in a given situation, he'll learn to check in with you for guidance. If he needs your help with something, he will know that he can get your attention by looking at you, instead of whining or barking. Connecting with us through eye contact is a behaviour we want our dogs to rely on throughout their lives.
Checking in is a behaviour that needs to be captured and reinforced as often as possible during regular day-to-day life, and not something that should be reinforced only during formal training sessions. No matter where you are or what you are doing, if you catch your dog looking your way, capture it and reward it!  
Checking In Level 2
Once your dog is in the habit of checking in with you, we can add some distractions and a leash and harness, in order to create different contexts. Note that this is different from the "yield to leash pressure" exercise - in these exercises we are not applying any pressure. 
Always start in a low distraction area and work your way up to areas with higher distractions.  ​
Step 1: Start inside your home off leash
Step 2: Take it outside but in lower distraction areas such as a deck or yard
Step 3: Practice going in and out the main door of your house - the door you use to go for a walk
Optional Step 4: Practice getting in and out of the car if this is a time your dog gets really excited. Start in your driveway.
Follow the detailed, step-by-step instructions: 
During the learning process, mark and treat every single time your dog checks in with you. Later, when your dog is offering this behavior reliably, you’ll be able to taper the treats and the reward will be to move forward. 



CHIN REST!
The chin rest is a lovely way to connect physically with your dog.  It's also useful as a consent signal for husbandry work. As well, I like using the chin rest as a way for dogs who really like people to greet them.
Three ways to train the chin rest
Luring: Place a treat on the far side of your palm so that your dog's chin needs to rest on your palm to get the treat. Mark that moment with "yes" and then treat. Next step is to remove the treat - just pretend to have a treat. And the final step would be to remove your second hand and just present one hand. Here I am practising the first step of luring with Buddy (but I was so focussed on the filming I forgot to mark the moment with "Yes" the moment his chin rests on my hand!)
Loopy training: Create a loop by feeding overhead and catching the dog's chin in your hand when it drops as she swallows her treat. I practice this method with Remi below.
Capture it: Maybe your dog will already willingly put her chin in your hand. I find dogs will sometimes do this when you are sitting on the couch and they come by to say hello, or when you are at the car and they have their head out the window and you offer your palm. If you dog will offer this behaviour on her own, be ready to capture it by marking and treating when she does.  
The chin rest as a consent signal. The chin rest gives the dog a way to offer or withdraw consent in certain situations, such as grooming. When the dog's chin rests on your hand (or on an object such as a pillow or chair), the dog is saying she is comfortable with what you are doing. When she lifts her chin, she is asking you to pause or stop. This gives the dog a way to communicate her feelings and exercise some control. The more opportunities you give your dog exercise choice and control, the more you will gain her cooperation and trust. 
I practice using the chin rest with Remi and Buddy below as a way for them to let me know they are okay with my brushing them. 
To use the chin rest as a "more please" or consent signal, it's important that the dog place her chin in your hand voluntarily, rather than grabbing or taking her chin.  The voluntary behaviour is a way for the dog to talk to us and say "Okay, I'm ready." In the video below you can see that at first I do take Buddy's chin instead of waiting for him to offer it. I brush him for awhile and when he lifts his head, I stop, honouring his request for a break. After the break, I am more careful to ensure Buddy offers his chin to me voluntarily.  Buddy gets a treat during the break but an even more powerful reinforcer for his wonderful behaviour here is that he has control and a voice. He is able to tell me when he's ready to start and he is able to ask for a break.  

When you get a solid chin rest, you can work on adding duration and distance. Watch Remi demonstrate both below.


​wait!
Wait is one of the behaviours I use most often with my dogs. Wait means don't move forward. The dog does not have to remain stationary and can sit, stand, or come back to you if you are walking, but the one thing she cannot do is keep moving forward or cross a barrier such as a door, a gate, a road, or jump out of the car. It's an important cue for safety.
I like to start training wait by using different positions of my hand with food. Watch this video with Buddy where he learns that when my hand is held down in a fist he must wait, and when I open my palm, the food becomes available to him. "Wait" should always be paired with a release cue that tells the dog he no longer needs to wait. In this case, my release cue is "Take it". 
To help Buddy generalize the concept of "Wait" at the front door, I feed him as I open the door slowly. By moving slowly, and rewarding him generously for not bolting out the door, I help him be successful. 
​After lots of practice, Buddy learned to wait at the front door. He waits until  he is given permission to exit through the open door with the release cue, "Let's go".  I continue to move slowly to help him be successful because this is still a new, and difficult, behaviour for Buddy. The polite behaviour doesn't end once Buddy goes through the door. He is also expected to wait calmly on the other side of the door, and not pull me. Watch Buddy sit and wait at the front door. 
Release cues: Here are the release cues I pair with "Wait". You can choose your own cues, but it is important to have a release cue so your dog understands when she has to wait, and when she is free to go ahead or move forward.  You could use a generic release cue such as "Free" or "Break" but I like to have specific release cues for different behaviours. It's completely personal preference.  Here are my cues:
"Wait" (to eat) - "Okay, eat" (release cue)
"Wait" (at door or on trail) - "Let's go" (release cue)
"Wait" (in car) - "Exit" (release cue)
If you practice enough,  waiting in some circumstances, such as at the door or in the car, will become a habit and you will not even need to give the cue. Your dog will simply wait to move or go ahead as a matter of course until she hears the release cue. 
The difference between "Wait" and "Stay": Notice that the "Wait" behaviour is quite different from "Stay." Some people use these two cues interchangeably but I like to differentiate them. As discussed, "Wait" means don't move forward or cross a barrier but your dog can change positions, move sideways, or come back to you. "Stay" on the other hand means, literally, don't move.  The dog should stay in place. 
Watch the video below on how to teach a sit-stay.
Once your dog has successfully gotten into the habit of checking in with you in low-distraction scenarios, it’s time to increase the level of difficulty a notch or two by taking the behaviour on the road.
Ideally, take your dog to a relatively quiet spot to walk. If this isn’t an option for you, work with what you’ve got. Just keep in mind that practicing in an area with lots of distractions might require extra patience on your part. If you work in an area that makes it more challenging for your dog to check in with you, his efforts should also be rewarded more frequently and generously. Big effort, big pay!
​Your dog is on-leash for this exercise. Even while you practice the check-in exercises “on the road”, make sure to give your dog ample opportunities to sniff and explore. The point of these foundation exercises isn’t to frustrate our dogs or make walking boring by insisting they pay attention to us and not to their environment. We want them to stay connected with us, yes, but we also want to make sure we meet their needs. A dog whose needs are met is a calmer, happier dog. And this will translate well when it’s time to greet others. 
Solicit his attention: As you’re walking along, feel free to get your dog’s attention by making noise such as whistling or kissy sounds or saying your dog’s name to encourage him to look at you. When he does, mark the moment and reward with a treat.
Repeat this frequently, maybe every 6-10 steps at first. Every time you deliver a treat, let your dog know he can return to walking and sniffing as he was (I use “Let’s go!”).
Give him the silent treatment: After many repetitions of attracting his attention with noises, try staying quiet as you continue walking and see how long it takes for him to check in on his own volition. Be patient, observe him carefully, and when he glances your way spontaneously, capture it and reward it!
If he never checks in with you after you’ve gone quiet, you may need to practice doing more repetitions getting his attention with sounds, or maybe the environment you’re in is too much of a jump from the last quiet area where you practiced, and you need to look for something in between.
Remember that we’re always looking for opportunities to reinforce the behaviour we want (in this case, checking in), so make sure you’re making it easy for your dog to do this.
Watch Nancy Tucker's dog Benni check in with her on a walk.