adolescence | 6 months–2 years

Your puppy is attaining full puppy power and will begin to test her wings—hold on tightly! This is usually a difficult time for parents, but it can be a mess for those with puppies who missed the early establishment of boundaries, socialization and training.

Your puppy likely will have much more energy, spend more time exploring the environment and become easily distracted. She may seem less interested in you and forgetful of her training skills. Breathe and be patient, consistent and supportive. Make sure boundaries are still well in place, review your training and continue building on your successes.

Visit our handling adolescence page to learn more about this stage and how to move through it with your puppy successfully.

2nd fear-impact period (if it hasn’t yet occurred) | Puppies who didn’t experience their 2nd fear-impact period as juveniles will experience it during adolescence. The 2nd fear-impact period is similar to the 1st and lasts approximately 3 weeks.