Our dogs go through several developmental stages that make up their lives. In each of these stages, there are experiences—both positive and negative—that affect how they respond to stress. These experiences can lead to greater tolerances or, in some cases, more anxiety and fear.
Let’s explore those stages of our dogs’ lives, see what risk factors there are, and explore how we can help our pets find their happy ending. We will divide our lifespan story into a beginning, middle, and an end—and then discuss how each of those general stages may lead to some mental health struggles.
The middle of the story—covering a dog’s adolescence and maturity—is where a lot of the action takes place. Here, the characters have already been introduced and the plot is in place—but sometimes there is a twist!
This article is part of our Canine Chronicles: the story of your pet’s life from beginning to end. This is a three-part series about how we can support our dogs’ mental health at each stage. If you’ve not seen it already, don’t forget to check out Part 1 on Puppy Development here!
We briefly mentioned socialization in our article about puppy beginnings, but socialization is so important that we should discuss it again.
Many people think about enrolling their new puppy into puppy classes. However, it can be critically important to do it at the right age and right place. Puppies can learn new tasks by 8 weeks of age, so it is vital to start a puppy’s socialization as soon as possible.
Most paediatric vaccination series will not be complete until 4 months old, but at that age the brain is not as receptive to the benefits of socialization. In fact, a puppy may be incompletely socialized and more at risk for anxiety disorders. From a behavioural development standpoint, it is therefore appropriate for most puppies to start training before their vaccine series is completed.
A puppy socialization class should be free from any aversive, punishment, or dominance-related theories. These training philosophies, which are scientifically inaccurate and harmful to the puppy’s development, are sadly still commonplace in many countries but should be avoided.
Just like living with a human teenager, adolescence can be a difficult and tumultuous development stage for dogs. As a testament to this, the most common age at which dogs are first brought into my practice is 1.5 years of age.
These pets are struggling with big feelings and have a difficult time modulating them. This is an important time to ensure their exercise, mental enrichment, and social needs (along with general welfare) are met.
This also brings us onto the subject of neutering—should you have your dog neutered, and if so, at what age?
A long, long time ago, it was recommended that all dogs should be neutered, or desexed, around 6 months of age. And from a population control perspective, neutering before the chance for reproduction has its benefits.
Since wide scale efforts to sterilize stray dogs and cats began in the 1970’s, the numbers of euthanasia in shelters have dropped precipitously. The Humane Society of the United States estimated that 15 million dogs and cats were euthanized in 1970. ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) estimated this number in 2011 to be 2.6 million. And today, they are currently estimating the number to be 920,000 per year.
But does that mean we should be neutering all pets?
There is a bit more freedom with a privately adopted dog, as not all countries mandate neutering. However, if you do decide to have your dog neutered, it’s important to consider the question of timing and the effects on both a dog’s physical and mental health.
Several recent studies discuss waiting until a pet is fully mature before this procedure. The intent is to allow the skeleton to grow and solidify fully so there is less tension on soft tissue structures.
Research has also shown us that some dogs that are neutered early (prepubertally or during the adolescence development stage of a dog’s life) may be at a higher risk of fear or anxiety-based behaviour. Some claim that the trauma of an elective surgical procedure performed during the dog’s secondary fear period opens them up for that risk.
Whenever you choose to neuter your dog, plan with your veterinarian for the neuter appointment to keep your pup as calm and relaxed as possible throughout their hospital visit. That means creating an individualised anaesthesia, pain control, and anxiety relief protocol. This can be the perfect time to use calming pheromones, such as ADAPTIL Calm.
The next stage in a dog’s life is reaching social maturity—around 2 – 3 years old, depending on size. At this stage, a dog’s choices and tendencies are more predictable or stable. However, it’s important to watch out for sudden changes in behaviour, as this may be the first sign of medical illness or pain.
If you notice any fear associated with noises or departures, or aggression toward other dogs or humans, you should seek help from a professional as soon as you can. Since dogs won’t outgrow a behaviour problem, we want to evaluate the function of these behaviours and help before things get worse.
Picking the right puppy class can make a world of difference. Make sure to screen the trainers for any use of aversive tools, coercion, or dominance theory. These experiences can help a shy dog feel safer and more confident.
If a dog struggles in class, they should be allowed to exit and opt out of the rest of the lessons. In this situation, they may need quieter or more private sessions, or the help of a behaviour veterinarian.
When a maturing dog struggles during adolescence, remember that it’s likely because they are overwhelmed. They may need emotional support to ensure their enrichment and attention needs are met. It can also be helpful to refresh their obedience skills at this stage, and add some skills to help with emotional regulation.
It’s also important to screen for illness, especially in any dogs that are struggling. Sometimes, behaviour change is the first sign of a health condition. When you notice a behaviour change, determine the function of that behaviour so that you can meet the need in a more acceptable way.
If that behaviour change is not related to a medical concern and the dog cannot regulate those emotions of anxiety, arousal, frustration, or aggression, consider consultation with an expert. These are not problems dogs will outgrow, and they will need intervention as soon as possible.
In conclusion, development does not end after puppyhood. There is much impact we may have on our dogs’ adaptability and behaviour throughout adulthood.
In particular, adolescence is a very delicate phase of life that can dramatically impact a dog’s later years. It’s important to continue socialization steps to make educated medical decisions alongside veterinarians, and to continue to monitor even for subtle changes in behaviour. These may indicate larger underlying concerns that, if noticed early, might be more easily managed.
In the next instalment, we will see that behaviour development never really stops—and more areas for us to be aware of emerge with advanced age.
For more tips and advice, why not check out our other articles online? Or to receive the latest news straight into your inbox, sign up for our newsletter and we’ll keep you updated with everything we’re up to!
References: