Revere - Approaching Adolescence and Surviving It

Puppy Adolescence = Rebellion!

Keep a puppy they said! It'll be fun they said!  Well yes, it truly is fun most of the time but thank goodness that I am familiar with the nuances of this breed and the various stages of development puppies go through.  Beginning from the day they are born the experiences and behaviors of a pup can be somewhat predictable and identified.  There are many books on the subject as it is deep and fascinating with many levels to fathom.

One of those developmental stages in a young puppy is comparable to the adolescent stage that children go through.  Adolescence, in humans, is described as:

1. the transitional period between puberty and adulthood in human development, extending mainly over the teen years and terminating legally when the age of majority is reached; youth.
2. the process or state of growing to maturity.
3. a period or stage of development, as of a society, preceding maturity. 

Sounds familiar doesn't it?! Dogs also go through an adolescent period during 'puppyhood'.  Although the age and time frame for each puppy is different typically they can be extremely challenging from about 4 - 10 months of age. Up until now I have believed I had the most perfect and obedient puppy. You see, Revere came when called, he seemed to have a basic understanding of bite inhibition as he mouthed and nibbled less, and was just sooooooo very very good! You may even remember if you regularly read my blog here what I wrote previously about Revere, the perfect puppy.

 Remember this nursery rhyme? "There was a little girl who had a little curl right in the middle of her forehead. When she was good she was very very good and when she was bad she was horrid." How I wish I were clever enough to put a spin on that rhyme and substitute Revere's name because these days indeed - 

WHEN HE IS GOOD HE IS VERY VERY GOOD 

AND WHEN HE IS BAD HE IS HORRID!

And I guess this naughty behavior is right on time!  He is so cute and smart, I love him to pieces.  I enjoy teaching him things because he grasps so much the first time around. But boy is he one fresh little guy right now. I have had to resort to tethering him by a leash to my belt loop when I am doing things around the house. When my back is turned Revere will bolt across the room, jump up and grab a magazine, run as fast as he can with a 'catch me if you can' look on his face.  If I'm trying to get dressed in the morning he thinks it is great fun to try to pull at my clothes or steal my socks. He is one busy boy.

We are experiencing the 'Puppy Tweens' here at All Things Brittany where all the previous learning up until now seems to have fallen by the wayside.  Where Revere had been recalling to the whistle, now he acts as if he is stone deaf.  Through clicker training he was pretty solid on sit, down, wait, up, and off but now he thinks it is great fun to play bow and bark at me, or jump up and paw at my hands.  When Revere is at his worst it is usually when he is very tired so I make it easy for him by having crate time as he will not give in himself.  He doesn't protest the crate at all and in some ways I think he is grateful to have time-outs. Basically what some consider normal  puppy behavior for the first few months has escalated to naughty puppy behavior. Revere is a puppy with attitude, an adolescent and just like a teenager what is said to him goes in one ear and out the other!

Fortunately this is not, as they say, my first rodeo. Rodeo is a good way to describe some days when Revere reminds me of a bucking bronco! He does get plenty of both structured exercise and free play. He loves to be outside and run with the big dogs. They're not putting up with his foolishness although I do have to intervene when it comes to how he unfairly taunts Treasure. When he's having an especially difficult time comprehending who IS the leader here I work hard to get his focus back and distract him from his misbehavior.  I will correct him in an appropriate way when needed, appropriate being the key word. (Let me interject - please do not do the so called alpha roll. Just don't.)

Fortunately Revere and I have signed up for obedience classes. And just in time.  I know that he will eventually outgrow this undesirable adolescent bratty horrid stage but he's going to get a lot of help along the way! Oh, I know it's normal.

The good outweighs the bad and when you look at the big picture it truly is hard not to laugh at some of the antics because he is so cute! The kind of cute when a very young child innocently uses a cuss word for the first time. You know you don't want them to swear but your reaction may betray that desire. Bad behavior shouldn't ever be overlooked because a dog or a kid looks cute doing it. As for the puppy, you should never let a puppy think it's okay to  do something that you would not want them to do when they are an adult. So this puppy who thought the sun rose and set by me, this sweet boy who could do nothing wrong and had such wonderful manners has turned into Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde.

In the meantime I will continue to expose him to new people, places, and things while giving him every opportunity to experience life to the fullest. Socialization is ongoing, it doesn't EVER stop. And training doesn't ever stop either. Morning to night, training on some level continues because I want Revere to learn what is and what is not acceptable behavior. In a couple of weeks, we'll begin more structured training together. For now, I look forward to what each new day brings. When he is good he is very very good, and when he is bad - well you know the story!

Let me back up though for a moment. Although he's so exasperating at times there is so much joy and love wrapped up in this little guy.  It's especially noticeable as I look to our senior Brittanys. Life passes by faster than any of us can imagine or even comprehend. This 'puppy tween' stage will pass all too quickly. It's sort of like what they say about childbirth, once it's over you forget the pain.  I totally forgot how difficult and challenging puppy adolescence can be but the journey is one I wouldn't miss for the world. The bonding, the discoveries, the journey, the joy and laughter and then  that precious moment when one tired little puppy snuggles up under my chin and falls asleep.

We are in the middle of our second snowstorm with significant accumulation.  Revere has been running around like a Tazmanian devil today thus earning yet another new nickname.  I should probably mention that "Taz" is a lot milder than some of the other superlatives which have escaped my mouth in recent days concerning my sweet puppy boy. Focused games, time-outs in the crate, brief excursions outdoors, and peanut butter filled bones all failed to settle Revere this afternoon.

As daylight began to fade I donned my winter coat, hat, gloves and boots,  opened the door and said "Let's Go!"  My entourage of multiple Brittanys jumped for joy and leaped down over the snow covered stairs.   I reached for my walking stick and set out with them all to explore our own little winter wonderland which is our yard. Together we tromped through the snow along the perimeter of the fence line. They raced, made snow angles, climbed snowbanks, buried their heads in the fluffy snow and had a blast. The best part of it was seeing this snowfall through the eyes of little Revere. I made myself stop right there in that one moment in time. He was exuberant, playful, happy, and joyous at this experience which is all new to him.  I think some of that was because I was there with him to enjoy it.  I glanced around me and saw the generations of Brittanys that I have known, loved, and yes lost. For a few moments it was almost surreal walking outside this snowy evening. And so, so special to be there with them, in that moment in time.

The silence of snow falling from the sky when you are in the woods is a beautiful sound. Peaceful.  One must stop in their tracks to enjoy it which is exactly what I did. Yes, I leaned my head back and let the soft snow fall on my face.  I heard and felt the soft and gentle crunch of snow under my feet  as I walked. I was reminded me of  early childhood and playing out in the snow for hours.  I watched Treasure romp. It made me so happy to see her "inner puppy"  surface as she kept pace with the rest of the pack of which I was their leader.  I allowed myself to anthropomorphize briefly.  I wondered if she too was reminiscing about her first winter and would Revere some day remember his?  These first experiences, these moments in time seamlessly stitched  together bringing  such joy to both young and old, canine and human.  Such was the sense of peace as dusk rapidly fell and we made our way back to the house. And I thanked the Lord for the unexpected blessing.

Clearly, Revere's energy level was depleted yet there was still one more burst of it waiting to surface and explode as he ran back into the house. I cautiously watched the return of Taz as he zoomed from couch to couch, from one of the house to another, running circles around the dining room table, and then jumped up to grab a dish towel from my hands to claim as his own. Just as I was about to intervene Revere simply plopped down on the floor next to my feet and fell fast asleep. He's so cute. Seriously, he is.

Cute little puppy jumped up and knocked the dog food over. 

Cute little puppy ran to his bed with my Croc in his mouth. I know they are ugly but I like them, Revere.

Whee! First snowfall

Winter Wonderland.

Tethering cute little puppy to my side while I eat dinner.

Cute little puppy tore cover off Dog Training For Dummies. No comment. 

Sweet dreams Treasure and Rever

Take care and God bless.  And may you and your family have a very special Thanksgiving.  Thanks for your interest in All Things Brittany - John and Ann and our canine crew.