Zen Dog's Marpole Teenage Dog Training

Just as you start to think you’ve navigated the choppy waters of puppyhood, as the dust settles and you, the weary end of the leash, begin to relax—thinking the gnawing, the potty accidents, and the whirlwind of establishing a daily groove are behind you—bam! Enter the adolescent phase.

The Adolescent Dog

Suddenly, your once cuddly furball morphs into a gangly, slightly wild youth! You might catch glimpses of newfound excitement towards the environment or unexpected reactivity. Impulse control? Forget about it, especially in situations buzzing with energy. That reliable recall you bragged about? It’s turned into a high-stakes game of tag. The solid foundation you built during puppyhood now seems to be met with a perplexed gaze.

Ah, yes. Welcome to the teenage years of dogdom.

Truth be told, many of us brace ourselves for the puppy phase. We’re mentally prepared for a few sleep-deprived nights, the occasional carpet mishap, and possibly sacrificing a shoe or two to those razor-sharp teeth. We eagerly enroll in puppy classes and devour every book on puppy rearing. However, the tumultuous period that kicks in around the 6 to 8-month mark and stretches up to 2 or 3 years, depending on the breed, often catches us off guard.

What The Adolescent Dog’s Training Needs Look Like

Adolescence is the prime time for potential lifelong behavioral issues to take root. Tragically, it’s also when many young dogs find themselves in shelters or with breed-specific rescues. The behaviors that emerge during this time can overwhelm unprepared owners, leading them to view this phase as a never-ending nightmare. What worked for the puppy and what will eventually work for the adult dog doesn’t quite fit the bill for the teenage rebel, who finds themselves in a limbo between sexual and social maturity.

In Marpole, our top-notch dog training services include a class specifically tailored to your homegrown hooligan. We recognize the distinctive behavioral patterns that surface during adolescence. These dogs crave independence, battle with impulse control, and occasionally forget who’s at the other end of the leash. They may encounter periods of fear, struggle with evaluating risks, and show a lack of motivation or ability to focus during training sessions. Plus, they require heaps of sleep!

Marpole’s Teenage Tyrant Dog Training Class

Zen Dog Canine Training’s Teenage Tyrants is a bespoke course aimed directly at these adolescent challenges. We equip you with exercises and tools to steer through this developmental maze. Standard dog training classes in Marpole might not address the unique tribulations you’re facing, and a personalized approach can offer the comfort that this whirlwind period will eventually settle down as social maturity blooms. Teenage Tyrants will assist you in adjusting your training strategies, ensuring these teething troubles don’t become lifelong habits. You might even find yourself enjoying this rollercoaster as you witness the emergence of your adult dog.

In Teenage Tyrants, your inaugural lesson unfolds on zoom, where we’ll guide you through crafting better management strategies, integrating impulse control and focus exercises, revising your current training regimen, and introducing the concept of game and choice-based training for effective learning. Subsequent lessons take place in your home and neighborhood, targeting your most pressing challenges, whether it’s outdoor distractions or improving indoor behavior—often, these issues are intertwined.

What Zen Dog Canine Training Will Give You

We’ll show you how to grant your adolescent the liberty they deeply crave without compromising on safety. We’ll teach your pup to navigate reinforcement and make wise decisions that respect their burgeoning independence. We’ll demonstrate how to encourage relaxation when needed and build confidence through body awareness exercises.

Tailoring Teenage Tyrants to your dog’s specific needs is our commitment, ensuring you stay the course, even when the going gets tough. Sometimes, just having someone to talk things through with can make all the difference. Alongside all our private dog training sessions, we offer comprehensive phone and email support throughout the course duration. And if you find yourself needing extra help, additional lessons are always an option.

Zen Dog Canine Training transcends traditional obedience training with Teenage Tyrants, focusing instead on fostering that crucial connection between you and your adolescent dog.