Surviving Dogolescence: Public Outings That Pay Off

Finn using his brain at a bookstore

I love that so many puppy parents make the effort to take their puppies out to have new experiences.  While puppy field trips can be a bit difficult to negotiate, puppies are generally easier to physically manage. Want to make it quick?  Just pick them up and carry them to get them into or out of an area!   Plus, puppies are wired to “stay with” the family unit for safety so even as young pups explore and sniff, they want to stick around you.  And if you start to move away they are likely to follow.  But boy, does all that change when your puppy becomes a dogolescent.  

Pet parents often find dogolescence frustrating.  Behaviors can become challenging.  Those cute puppy greetings often become rocket launch frenzies that are embarrassing and unappreciated by strangers (or friends).  Walks on leash can feel like an intense game of Tug-o-War.  And that brilliant recall your puppy had? Forget it…It sure seems like your dogolescent did!  

So it’s not too surprising that lots of dogolescents end up going far fewer places than they did as puppies.  Taking your impulsive, embarrassing dogolescent out in public may feel like punishment.  However, you will be doing yourself, your dog and your relationship a favor by continuing to take your dogolescent to different environments.  Want your adult dog to be able to navigate the wider world with you?  Then you need to find ways for them to have experiences in that wider world while they are in this exasperating but oh-so-important stage.

Why?  First, your adult dog will be more likely to pay attention to you and demonstrate the behaviors you want across situations if they have had the opportunity to have a variety of experiences.  Second, your dogolescent is wired to explore the environment, and wired to take risks. Taking your pup to new places helps to meet your dogolescent’s needs.  Unwanted behavior is often tied to unmet needs…Need I say more?.  And third,  experiencing these things together, keeping these safe and as positive as possible helps build the relationship between you and your dogolescent even while they are wired to roam away from you.

Some of your field trips should be geared towards exploration and/or social interaction.  These aren’t trips where you are going to be putting many demands on their frontal cortex. Think play dates with another dog at their home or in a secure location where they can run, romp and explore together.  Or taking your dog to visit one of your friends.  Or going to a different park than usual for a sniffari or a hike on a long line.  There are a lot of options for these types of activities that help to meet the social and exploration needs of your dogolescent.  

Does future You want a dog who can actually focus on you instead of every leaf, squirrel, and interesting smell? Then make time for some 'find and use your brain in public’ adventures! Think of these as field trips where your pup practices using their noggin in the real world. Just like human teenagers, dogolescents are busy rewiring their brains—except instead of learning to drive, they're figuring out whether racing towards a stranger’s sandwich will get them what they want. 

If your dogolescent doesn’t get to go places and practice the behaviors you want them to have, then it will likely be much harder for them to do those things as an adult.  These trips are preparing your future adventure buddy—practice now so you can actually enjoy those coffee dates together later.  You might head to garden centers, dog friendly book stores, cafes or breweries where you can practice walking without pulling, seeing people without jumping on them, seeing but not playing with (or chewing) the merchandise, and maybe settling in quietly next to or under a table.  

Find ways to build up to the types of places you want to be able to take your dog to in the future.  Dream of sipping wine with your well-behaved pup at your feet? Start with baby steps—and maybe baby sips of coffee at a local café first.  If you like to shop and eat out in busy shopping districts and want your dog to shop and settle with you, then start with something like walking around a strip mall connected to a dog friendly store.  The greater the variety of  places you can practice things like walking without jumping on strangers in close proximity, the easier taking your dogolescent anywhere will become - as long as you keep in mind that the goal is situations where your pup can be calm, connected to you and confident.  

These outings are really about building a partnership. Your dogolescent is figuring out how to navigate the world, and every successful café visit and garden center stroll is building confidence and connection.  You both gain skills and soon enough you'll both be ready for whatever adventures you dream up!

Next time: Tips for success on those ‘find and use your brain in public’ trips!

Do you have some favorite places you want to go with your dog? 

If you have a rowdy dogolescent and are overwhelmed with the thought of taking them out in public, reach out today!