You might find it hard to believe, but humans are not the only ones who go through puberty! Yes, count your dog in as well! A study from the UK found out that dogs, just like humans, go through puberty. Yes, you are not the only one to have faced a rebellion phase. Your dog might be on the same path as yours. A study was conducted on 69 dogs, the results of which were a clear indication of the findings. The teams from these UK universities observed the behaviour of the dogs before reaching adolescence. In dog years, that is before they reach five months of age. And then they again observed the behaviour when the dogs once hit adolescence, that was when they reached around eight months. The study revealed that there was a deliberate delay in following the commands given to these dogs by their owners. Basically, even if the dog knew what ‘sit’ meant, it still did it with delay ease. Classic teen tantrum, correct? A similar result was obtained through a survey. Under this survey, around 285 dog owners were given a questionnaire regarding the same topic.
So do these dog teens show moods to everyone?
Well, surprisingly, the entire dog teen drama is way too similar to the human teen drama. According to zoologist Dr. Naomi Harvey, dogs going through puberty were only mean to their owners. Sounds familiar? Yes, the way teens tend to show their drama to their parents is similar to how dogs choose to rebel against their owners. Dr. Naomi found out that these teen tantrums were not thrown at strangers or anyone other than the owner! Ironic! Basically, your dog going through puberty will only show these moods to you and not to others!
Is it a lost cause?
No, unlike humans, a dog’s teen phase ends much sooner. Not to forget the wiser phase that starts after the teen stage. According to Dr. Lucy Asher, dogs become much more obedient after their teen years or teen months. She believes that these years are important for a dog as it somewhat moulds their personality.
So how do I deal with my rebel teen dog?
According to Dr. Lucy Asher, it is vital to understand that it is not the dog being disobedient on purpose, but rather its changing brain making it act the way it is acting. She says that this concept should be very clear to the dog owners so that there can be a better understanding. It is advised to treat them for good behaviour, instead of punishing them for every delayed action. After all, training a teen dog is no easy task.
So, now that you know that why your dog is acting this way, what will be your ways to deal with its drama?
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