Remember your sweet, well-behaved puppy? Yeah… they’ve entered their teenage era.
Somewhere between 6–18 months, dogs discover independence and suddenly your “sit” command becomes more of a suggestion. Selective hearing? Check. Random bursts of zoomies? Double check. A little attitude? Oh, definitely.
The good news: this is completely normal. Your dog isn’t broken, they’re just growing up and testing the boundaries (like any teenager would).
The secret to surviving it? Consistency and patience. Keep reinforcing the basics, reward the good stuff, and try not to take the cheeky moments too personally. Even when it feels like they’ve forgotten everything, they haven’t, you’re just competing with a very exciting world.
Exercise is your best ally here. A tired dog is a much more cooperative housemate. Add in some mental stimulation too. Training games, puzzle toys, or even short sessions practising commands can work wonders.
And most importantly? Keep your sense of humour. There will be moments where your dog looks you dead in the eye and chooses chaos anyway. It happens.
Stick with it! Because on the other side of this phase is a loyal, well-rounded adult dog… with maybe just a little bit of that cheeky personality still intact.
