If you have read about puppy development stages online or in books, you most likely have heard of a fear period that puppies can experience between 8 and 11 weeks of age. I cover it in my book, Juvenile Delinquent Dogs: The Complete Guide to Saving Your Sanity and Successfully Living with Your Adolescent Dog [...]
My most popular group class is Juvenile Delinquents. I work with more adolescent dogs than any other developmental stage. It should come as no surprise that the majority of dogs relinquished to shelters and rescue groups are adolescent dogs. It’s no wonder, since adolescent dogs can some days try the patience of even the most [...]
When you live with an adolescent dog, there are some days when you wonder if s/he will ever mature. I certainly have had those thoughts about Romeo some days. (July 2011) One of my objectives with raising a dog from puppyhood was to build great social skills so that he could assist me in my [...]
While not everyone uses crates, most of us do when our dogs are puppies or adolescents. Providing too much freedom in the house unsupervised during these stages of development can set our dogs up for trouble. Crates can be great tools in this process. But they should be temporary tools that we wean our dogs [...]
Sometimes I wonder why certain people bring a puppy home. They clearly have unrealistic expectations and little patience. Not a good combination for someone living with a puppy. I met this particular puppy last summer. She was a very friendly, happy puppy who got along well with all the other puppies and the people. She [...]
