You survived puppyhood. So why does training suddenly feel so much harder? Today we are breaking down

the often overlooked transition from puppy to adolescent and explaining why even well-trained

dogs can seem distracted or impulsive or maybe some inconsistency is happening during this phase.

We'll cover what's happening in your dog's developing brain,

common challenges that all handlers face, and how to adapt your training approach so that you don't lose momentum. Welcome to the puppy training podcast. I'm Amy Jensen, founder of Baxter and Bella,

the online puppy school. Here, we are all about helping you create the best

possible experience raising a puppy, from training tips to practical tricks, all aimed at fostering

a happy, well-behaved dog who truly feels like part of the family. So, if you are ready to enjoy

the journey and strengthen the bond with your dog, let's get started.

All right, so we're talking adolescence today. That means teenagers. Sometimes people panic when they hear

the word teenager. But the good news is teenagers are awesome. Whether you're talking about a human

teenager or a dog teenager, I love them both.

So today we're talking about when does this phase begin and how long does it last? Why does

previously trained behaviors, which seemed reliable? Like, why are they falling apart all of a sudden?

How can we adjust to our expectations without

lowering our standards? And then training strategies that are going to support focus,

calm, and engagement. Also, how to protect our relationship, because we don't want to just engage

in power struggles. So if your puppy suddenly feels like a teenager with opinions, you're going to enjoy today's

episode. So when your puppy was little, you just got them. You were focusing on things like

building skills, so teaching new behaviors, creating routines and schedules, and developing

a positive relationship that's based on safety and trust. And then suddenly,

focus disappears, previously reliable behaviors are falling apart, and your dog seems way more

...