Have We Reached The Adolescent Period?

[markquinton]

Hi all

 

My mally is 4 days away from being 9 months, we have had our battles but around 2-3 weeks ago I could see some glimmers of hope with regards to her maturing a little. ie sitting down more and being more content and not barking when she is in the garden to come in, just calmly sitting and waiting.

 

Then bang.. all of a sudden she is doing the following:

 

- being much more vocal, especially in the morning when she is hyper and she seems to dislike us leaving her in her outside pen now. Sh e was a quiet dog but is definitely more rowdy at the moment.

- general disobeying of orders

- counter surfing more than usual

- running around like a mad bull in a china shop

 

She is testing us all the time and if I'm on occasions it makes us feel like if she stay like this long term then we don't know if we would cope. Is this because we have entered the teenage brat stage?

 

Please tell me it gets better after this stage lol

 

Mark

 

 

[Andy]

Hi all

 

My mally is 4 days away from being 9 months, we have had our battles but around 2-3 weeks ago I could see some glimmers of hope with regards to her maturing a little. ie sitting down more and being more content and not barking when she is in the garden to come in, just calmly sitting and waiting.

 

Then bang.. all of a sudden she is doing the following:

 

- being much more vocal, especially in the morning when she is hyper and she seems to dislike us leaving her in her outside pen now. Sh e was a quiet dog but is definitely more rowdy at the moment.

- general disobeying of orders

- counter surfing more than usual

- running around like a mad bull in a china shop

 

She is testing us all the time and if I'm on occasions it makes us feel like if she stay like this long term then we don't know if we would cope. Is this because we have entered the teenage brat stage?

 

Please tell me it gets better after this stage lol

 

Mark

Of course it gets better.

In a year or two

[Dave]

Sounds like you're having fun

 

As Andy said, it does get better....

[markquinton]

A year or two!!!!!!!!

[Andy]

A year or two!!!!!!!!

a conservative estimate

[markquinton]

I was hoping for a week or two..but I knew that was

 

Seriously though I can understand why these fantastic northern breeds do get rehomed at an early age. I did loads of research but it's still a shock as to how much work and commitment it requires to try and bring them up the right way. I've been close to breaking a few times already.

[Devildust76]

Hi again Mark

 

Sorry to hear you've reached the Teen-a-mute stage Speaking from our experiences with our boy, Kodiak, this is the pushing the luck stage of Mally development. Like it's not been challenging enough up to now right? I think I've said to you before that I was like you and ready to give in but something changed in his behaviour and our relationship at around 10 months. He stopped doing the lead chewing when walking, listened when we spoke and in general calmed down. Don't get me wrong he still has his moments and I think he always will but this is what makes them the breed they are and why we love them so  

I can't remember from your previous posts but do you socialise her with other dogs still? We found that keeping Kodiak in contact with other dogs really helped. There is another Mal on our estate and she is a few months older than Kodiak and she has been more challenging with her owners than he ever was. I wonder if it is female Mal thing? Hs she had her first season yet? Again like you we did research and we were still thrown curve balls along the way, but when all is said and done it's his personality that makes him the dog he is and I wouldn't change him for the world. It will get better I promise

[Andy]

At this age she is just starting to realise he is actually independent from you and can do and discover things on her own.

and. . . .

Like human kids when they get there they think they are all knowing and invincible.

They are full of energy and curiosity a deadly combination.

[mydiamond]

I don't know a lot about Mals, but huskies have this thing we call "The Zoomies". That's when they're running around aimlessly in full speed around the house, tripping over their own fluffy pads, knocking things down and breaking anything made of glass. Or in your words; "running around like a mad bull in a china shop". That is exactly what we call the zoomies  and this does not disappear, because "it's a husky thing, you won't understand". I do hope it's not a Mally thing though! 

 

Now answering your question. The typical teenage stage behavior starts and ends differently from dog to dog. But generally they start at 6 months of age and end at 12 months. So, even if I can tell you don't feel so, you're actually lucky because your girl starts "being a brat" three months later than most dogs. Diamond is my first dog and he's a boy, so I can't tell you from my personal experience, but lots of people say that females mature way faster than males. And my baby boy (adopted at 14 months old) finally stops being an outright pain in the neck at around 20 months. Hang in there, buddy 

[markquinton]

Hi Devildust

 

Teen-a-mute sounds about right, like I said we had just been seeing signs of maturity just before she entered this stage, we have worked so hard at stopping her jumping up and mouthing our arm mid walk which was caused by over stimulation and she's much better at this now which is pleasing. I can even tell when she's getting over excited and she looks at me to jump but then sort of corrects herself.

 

It may well be a female mal thing as most of the boys seem quite chilled. She hasn't had a season as we decided to get her spayed at 6months, an issue that people will debate forever but we thought it was for the best as it reduces the chance of cancer.

 

When I say testing us I mean she knows that she cannot get on the sofa but all of a sudden she will do it repeatedly and knows she is doing wrong, same with counter surfing.

 

I would like her relationship with my 5 year old son to be better as well, don't get me wrong when she sees him her ears go down and she licks him and obviously loves him but sometimes he will go to stroke her and she will grumble very slightly but never bite or anything. She doesn't do it to me and I can't work out why she does it to him unless it's a size thing.

 

She loves other dogs that we meet on walks, probably too much infact, as soon as she sees one coming towards she puts the breaks on until we meet them.

 

Because she has suffered from overexcitement so much during her early stages it's the simple things like I will not let her off lead in my parents garden because when over exitment occurs it often results in mouthing people and sometimes jumping.

 

Jazz is my first dog and I know she is probably the most difficult breed I could of chosen which is sometimes I wonder if it's me who isn't good enough rather than her being a misbehaving dog, If I fail it will not be for the lack of trying that's for sure.

 

My posts make her sound like a really bad dog but believe me everyone who meets her loves her and think she is better trained that I do.

 

Cheers all

 

Mark

[markquinton]

Oh yeah was always expecting the zoomies, but it's ensuring doesn't overexcite herself and start nipping that I find the difficult part. Oh and believe me she has been a pain since 6months!

[markquinton]

How can something so beautiful be so naughty...

 

[Andy]

How can something so beautiful be so naughty...

 

Ain't that the truth

Gorgeous pooch

[Devildust76]

Hi Devildust

Teen-a-mute sounds about right, like I said we had just been seeing signs of maturity just before she entered this stage, we have worked so hard at stopping her jumping up and mouthing our arm mid walk which was caused by over stimulation and she's much better at this now which is pleasing. I can even tell when she's getting over excited and she looks at me to jump but then sort of corrects herself.

It may well be a female mal thing as most of the boys seem quite chilled. She hasn't had a season as we decided to get her spayed at 6months, an issue that people will debate forever but we thought it was for the best as it reduces the chance of cancer.

When I say testing us I mean she knows that she cannot get on the sofa but all of a sudden she will do it repeatedly and knows she is doing wrong, same with counter surfing.

I would like her relationship with my 5 year old son to be better as well, don't get me wrong when she sees him her ears go down and she licks him and obviously loves him but sometimes he will go to stroke her and she will grumble very slightly but never bite or anything. She doesn't do it to me and I can't work out why she does it to him unless it's a size thing.

She loves other dogs that we meet on walks, probably too much infact, as soon as she sees one coming towards she puts the breaks on until we meet them.

Because she has suffered from overexcitement so much during her early stages it's the simple things like I will not let her off lead in my parents garden because when over exitment occurs it often results in mouthing people and sometimes jumping.

Jazz is my first dog and I know she is probably the most difficult breed I could of chosen which is sometimes I wonder if it's me who isn't good enough rather than her being a misbehaving dog, If I fail it will not be for the lack of trying that's for sure.

My posts make her sound like a really bad dog but believe me everyone who meets her loves her and think she is better trained that I do.

Cheers all

Mark

Hi again. Oh it all sounds very familiar. Especially the sofa bit Kodiak generally 'mouths' me to get me to do something nowadays. It's like he wants me to look at stuff with him. Even if it is only a ball or his water bowl! We've now gone the complete other way when walking. If he's had enough he'll just flop down and rest. Usually about 100 yards from home but he won't move until he's recovered! Gotta love them.

Simon

[Jay]

Nikko is the WORST at mouthing!  When he gets really excited and wants to play that's what he does.  He was very mouthy when he was little though, Yukon not so much.  And Kodiak rarely plays, he just wants to be petted and his belly rubbed!

[markquinton]

I've also seen loads of pictures on various sites of owners cuddling their mals and huskys but I must say Jazz isn't the cuddle type. I don't if that's just her personality or whether it will come with age. She doesn't like being stroked when she is sleeping that's for sure.

[Jay]

Nikko doesn't usually like to cuddle, if he gets too bothered he will move.  Kodiak loves attention and will lay down for belly rubs all day long!  But if you stop, he will let you know that you're not done lol

[jmscott]

The best way I have ever heard it described is that at a certain age their brain falls out and it takes them some time to grow a new one.

[markquinton]

I like that description!

[Dragonwriter]

Hi! Brand-new member here with a serious concern. My husky, Juneau, is 9 months old and definitely in the adolscent stage. However, she hasn't been destructive at all. She pushes limits and tests me, but my biggest problem is that she gets "toy aggressive" with other dogs at the dog park. She's the sweetest, most wonderful and affectionate dog ever, except when another dog tries to take her stick. Then she loses it and there is much snarling and snapping and general chaos. This seriously upsets the other dogs and their owners, understandably.

 

Will she grow out of this behavior? Or is there something I should be doing to prevent it? When she did this today there were immediate and serious consequences, and she obviously understood that I was unhappy with her, but I'm not 100% certain that she understands why.

Here's my beautiful girlie--I love her so much, and I very much want her to grow up to be a good and well-behaved husky.

[markquinton]

I know it's not the same but my girl is sweet and friendly until she gets overexcited, then she loses control and nips really hard. I literally have to grab her a drag her to separate time out area which I hate doing as I don't want her to think I'm being aggressive.

Maybe you try exchanging one toy for another a few times a day so she doesn't associate losing a toy as being a big thing.

Sent from my LT18i using Tapatalk 2

[jmscott]

Just make sure you aren't correcting her for growling or making noise, Those are her warning systems and you don't want to train them out of her. If she has other dogs she lives with. Let the other dogs correct her. This could end in an all out butt whoopin'. But unless they are drawing serious blood, let it happen. This is the stage where she's losing what is called the puppy license.

http://labrescueblog.blogspot.com/2010/02/puppy-license-and-its-loss.html

[Storm Angel n Auroras Mum]

Auroras 7 months and im sure we have hit this teenage stage.

shes having spats and rows with angel. Angel being the mature, pack leader(below me) is not happy about this. its makin home life a bit dodgy :/

[Dragonwriter]

No, it wasn't just noise--it was aggression. I never fuss over the noise of dog play, though some owners at the dog park get nervous about it and try to stop it. To me it's just normal. This was scary--teeth bared, lips back, snarling, menacing. Completely different kettle of fish, and she ONLY gets that way when another dog steals her toys. I can take her toys away from her no problem. But when she's overtired or overstimulated, she just loses it when another dog takes the stick she was playing with. One time (though to be fair, it's only happened twice) she actually did give the other dog a tiny scratch and drew a little blood. I've never been so mortified in my whole life.

 

I think it might also have something to do with the fact that her older brother--my darling 16-year-old lab mix--died a couple of weeks ago. Juneau adored him and he definitely helped me raise her. He taught her how to play and what was unacceptable dog behavior, and I'm convinced she's such a sweet, darling thing because of him. When he died, she grieved terribly and sometimes still gets sad and curls up on his favorite spot on the floor by my feet.

 

Mostly now I deal with it by removing her from potentially problematic situations. Yesterday at the park a woman was playing with her retriever with tennis balls, so I simply moved Juneau to another part of the park away from the toys. I just hope this is something she'll grow out of as she matures.

[mydiamond]

No, it wasn't just noise--it was aggression. I never fuss over the noise of dog play, though some owners at the dog park get nervous about it and try to stop it. To me it's just normal. This was scary--teeth bared, lips back, snarling, menacing. Completely different kettle of fish, and she ONLY gets that way when another dog steals her toys. I can take her toys away from her no problem. But when she's overtired or overstimulated, she just loses it when another dog takes the stick she was playing with. One time (though to be fair, it's only happened twice) she actually did give the other dog a tiny scratch and drew a little blood. I've never been so mortified in my whole life.

 

I think it might also have something to do with the fact that her older brother--my darling 16-year-old lab mix--died a couple of weeks ago. Juneau adored him and he definitely helped me raise her. He taught her how to play and what was unacceptable dog behavior, and I'm convinced she's such a sweet, darling thing because of him. When he died, she grieved terribly and sometimes still gets sad and curls up on his favorite spot on the floor by my feet.

 

Mostly now I deal with it by removing her from potentially problematic situations. Yesterday at the park a woman was playing with her retriever with tennis balls, so I simply moved Juneau to another part of the park away from the toys. I just hope this is something she'll grow out of as she matures.

first of all sorry to hear about your lab mix

 

And sorry I can't help much with the toy aggression, but if it was me I'd just stop taking her to that park and look for somewhere else with less dog to play. The thing is I think it's quite understandable why she gives out warnings.. It's a strange dog and it suddenly robs the toy off her. Surely she needs to be taught that snarling isn't the correct way to deal with such incidents, but honestly I expect any dog to be upset when they're in Juneau's place.