20/08/2025
Brilliant post by EYE 2 EYE Dogs - ‘Boundaries = Freedom. And your dog will thank you for it.’ 👏
Definitely worth a read! ⬇️
Teenage dogs
The rise in positive reinforcement training over the last decade has been incredible. We can shape behaviours and motivate dogs in ways that were once unthinkable. But I think it’s also created a bit of a problem.
There are now a lot of people out there who simply don’t know how to deal with the challenging behaviours that come with adolescent dogs who push boundaries and test their owners.
We’re seeing it more and more at our training centre — both in behaviour assessments and in working line dogs bought for Police work. Owners come in frustrated, telling us they’ve already spent hundreds or even thousands of pounds on trainers and behaviourists, but they’re still drowning in the same teenage noise.
The behaviours are nearly always the same:
⚡ Jumping up.
⚡ Grabbing clothing.
⚡ Dragging owners around on the lead.
⚡ Demand barking.
⚡ Unable to stand still or do nothing.
⚡ Over-excited, chaotic, embarrassing around other dogs.
And here’s the thing: young dogs crave boundaries. Just like children, they need them. Without boundaries, they don’t get freedom, they damage the relationship with their owner, and they become frankly unbearable to live with.
Now, let’s be clear about one of the biggest problems:
Yes, behaviours like jumping up and biting can be linked to over-arousal. But it’s not just about decreasing arousal. It’s about teaching the dog that even in that state, certain behaviours are still absolutely off-limits. Owners should not be living in what feels like a violent relationship with their dog.
It’s also about teaching the dog clearly and regularly what you expect from them — and using positive reinforcement to do that. Even if that just means having four core behaviours like a sit stay, a down stay, a recall, and loose lead walking — but all taught with reinforcement really effectively so the dog understands them in a multitude of environments. Because first and foremost, you have to be fair to the dog, and fairness means they know exactly what’s expected of them.
And that means — God forbid — sometimes you need consequences.
Boundaries are not built on positive reinforcement alone. If your dog bites you because it’s frustrated, that is not acceptable. There must be a clear line.
If you go to a trainer and they see your dog showing these behaviours but don’t address it… or they give you “solutions” that don’t work… and six months down the line you’re still dealing with the same issues — then it’s time to move on and find another trainer.
Most decent trainers — even ones who work primarily with positive reinforcement — will tell their dog “no” from time to time.
We train our own dogs with 99% motivational methods. Positive reinforcement is the backbone of our work. But remember, it was introduced because we now understand there are far more effective ways to teach dogs than the old-school yank-and-crank methods or relying solely on tools. That doesn’t mean, however, that we should abandon the foundations of living happily with a dog altogether — and that includes structure, boundaries, and fairness.
Because here’s the truth:
🚫 Teenage dogs don’t “grow out of it.”
✅ They “grow into it.”
Boundaries = freedom.
And your dog will thank you for it.
