Very often, people bring their dogs to me because of some behavior the dog didn’t do before, but suddenly started.
It’s most often sometime in the ‘adolescent’ stage, from about 7 – 18 months of age.
After that, the adult development stage from 18 months to 2 & 1/2 years.
Then there is the behavior that starts later, like at 7 or 8 years old.
Adolescence is the most likely time for owners to feel like they have a different dog every week. The behavior often becomes so erratic, they don’t know what the heck to do, or what they’ve gotten themselves into.
The most typical solution is to get the dog’s basic obedience in order, while planning for management and conditioning in the home and in public. Knowing how to handle it, and being ready for it, are the solutions during adolescence.
At 18 months to two and a half years: Some of the most genuinely problematic action comes from that year and a half to two and a half years old.
Often particularly male dogs develop into full adulthood, instinctively beginning to claim territory, space, and items, be it food, toys, bones …. a stick, just about anything.
Claiming all that from both other dogs in the home, and their human owners.
It’s particularly disconcerting when a dog begins guarding a member of a family claiming them as as ‘theirs’.
It doesn’t have to become serious, but can be, all the way up to becoming right down dangerous with larger more assertive breeds.
The most important factor is dealing with it quickly and decisively. Allowed to linger and develop, it can become a source of considerable danger.
Dogs developing odd or disturbing action in older years, is a time when it’s important to take a broad look at how a family is living with the dog. What has possibly changed in a dog’s immediate environment. What or who has been added to a household.
And at that age, overall health and wellbeing should be looked at.
Emerging behavioral action in dogs can be some of the most disheartening events in animals that are beloved by an owner or a family.
Don’t Take It Personally
The important thing a dog owner should remember is not to take whatever the dog is doing personally. Your dog does not suddenly feel differently about you, or dislike you.
They’re just trying to work out what is coming up from deep within them, that they need help overcoming.
Look at it. Analyze it. Take calm, decisive, confident action to adjust whatever the dog is responding to. Then help it understand the behavior is not acceptable.
While showing the dog how good whatever the alternative is.
It all continues to come down to training and conditioning.
Stay the course. Love your dog. Don’t delay. Work it out. Carry on.
Under those conditions, most undesirable emerging behavioral activity is successfully curtailed, replaced by positive action.
Here’s to your best life with your dog ~Mark Rogers