Are the teenage months really that bad?

[Anonymous]

Our large breed puppy was terrible from 8 weeks to about 5 months, between the constant puppy biting, him never wanting to cuddle, being a really early riser, and lunging and trying to bite us while we walked him, we had several moments of very serious regret. However, around 5 months he finally started to get a little easier to handle, and now at 6 1/2 months, our little guy is doing so well and it finally feels like all the constant training we did is paying off. He is just such a goofy sweetheart and has been so good on walks. We just took him on vacation with us, and I was amazed at how well he did. The drive was 6 hours and he did perfect in the car, and we had no problems with him in the rental.

What scares me is that everything I'm reading says this little respite is only temporary and that the horrible teen months are right around the corner. Are they really that bad? Does every dog go through them? Does all the intense training we have done so far even matter?

[Anonymous]

It helps to neuter them and then exercise the crap out of them. But yes, we had the same, I hated it so much but now have a loving although completely lunatic dog.

[Anonymous]

Yup. If you're lucky they get a brain by 2. If you are unlucky, it shows up between 6 and 7.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yup. If you're lucky they get a brain by 2. If you are unlucky, it shows up between 6 and 7.

Hahahahaha. Yes, teenage dogs are a nightmare. Mine magically became civilized seemingly overnight right around 2.

[Anonymous]

I may just be looking back through my happy filter, but I really don't remember the teen phase being problematic. If you remain consistent with training and exercise, I think you'll be fine. Besides, it is hard to remain grumpy when there is a goofy ass dog trying to climb in your lap.

[Anonymous]

We took vacation with our 6 month old standard poodle and couldn’t get over how amazing he was. Four months later, he’s a complete jerk and seemingly has forgotten everything. 😜

He’s still sweet but doesn’t tire as easily, but he settles in his crate on his own without barking or whining when we’ve just had enough of him. He wouldn’t do that as a young puppy. His reactivity to other dogs has really increased a lot, too, which makes walks interesting. He constantly steals stuff and mouths us, but fortunately the alligator puppy phase has ended and he does NOT bite down ever. He’s actually great on a leash except when we see other dogs especially if they bark. We always cross the street if we can but it doesn’t matter!

I still love him, but he’s a brat for sure. 😂 We can’t get him neutered until he’s over a year because of his size and our breeder contract.