#219 Adolescence or Something Deeper?

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Ever wonder whether your dog’s “selective hearing” is just teenage chaos or a sign that something deeper is going on? We walk through a clear, humane framework to tell the difference—using simple observations you can run at home and a checklist we use in the training room. Across five domains—learning speed, retention, problem‑solving, self‑control, and response to novelty—we show how patterns emerge and why those patterns matter more than any single bad day at the park.

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Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_00 (00:02):
Five, four, three, two, one.
You know, over my twenty plusyears of training, I've
occasionally been asked toevaluate things that go beyond
simple behavior.
You know, sometimes a clienttells me that their dog had a

(00:23):
rough start in life.
Maybe there were complicationsat birth, or maybe the puppy was
attacked and sustained injuriesat a young age.
And then you fast forward a yearor two later, and the owners are
wondering, is this dog'sbehavior just normal adolescent
chaos?

(00:44):
Or is there something deepergoing on?
Now let me be very clear upfront, trainers are not
veterinarians or neurologists.
We don't diagnose medicalconditions.
But what we can do is observe,document, and notice patterns

(01:05):
that help us understand whetherwe're seeing typical learning
and energy or something thatmight need a second look from a
vet.
So what do we look for?
At first, learning speed andretention.
If I teach a hand target howmany repetitions before the dog

(01:25):
gets it?
And then I check, does the dogremember it after a break?
Can they perform it in a newlocation?
And what about problem solving?
If I put a treat under a cup ora towel, does the dog figure it
out or give up?
And then there's memory.

(01:46):
If a dog watches me hide a treatand then has to wait for about
ten seconds, can they still findit?
Self control and regulation arealso important.
Can the dog switch gearssmoothly?
From sniffing to coming backwhen called?

(02:07):
Can they handle a short delaybefore they get a reward?
And after excitement, how fastdo they recover?
And there's also the response tonovelty.
A new object, a strange sound,do they show curiosity,
cautiousness, or an extremeoverreaction?

(02:31):
So here's the big picture.
If a dog learns well, remembersskills, and shows self control
and regulation, but has tons ofenergy, that's usually
adolescence and training.
But if a dog struggles acrossall of these areas, learning,

(02:52):
memory, problem solving,regulation, that could be a sign
that something deeper is goingon.
And that's when I would tell theowner, you know, I'm not
diagnosing anything, but thesepatterns look unusual.
So you might want to doublecheck with your vet.
So remember, trainers don'tdiagnose, but we do observe.

(03:17):
We look for patterns, and thenwe use those patterns to help us
guide training decisions.
And if needed, to point an ownertoward the right professional
help.